This is what I’m seeing in the world of Virtual Assistance:
I see people referring to themselves as a Virtual Assistant.
I see people saying being a VA is all about admin work.
I see people asking, “How much does a Virtual Assistant cost?”
I see folks saying that they need a VA who can do Infusionsoft, admin, use Survey Monkey, wrangle ConvertKit, order your morning Starbucks, and be on call to handle a host of personal support tasks.
I see folks in the non-virtual world getting confused when they hear the term ‘Virtual Assistant’ or VA.
And I’m not surprised that there is confusion in the world of Virtual Assistance. Who are these people? What do they do (exactly)? And how much do they get paid?
Well, good lord. That’s like asking, “What do university graduates do and how much do they get paid?”
If someone asked you that question, you’d look at them like they were nuts, right? And then you would ask, “What did they specialize in? How long have they been doing it?”
Takeaway: There is confusion about the term ‘virtual assistant’ because it’s typically associated with admin work, and because it doesn’t actually describe what work is being done.
Virtual Assistance: The mode of work, and not the work itself
I like to think of the term ‘virtual assistant’ as describing the mode of work (how the work is being done, virtually), and not the work itself (what you are actually doing, whether it be graphic design, social media management, or WordPress web development).
I am an executive assistant who works virtually. So I say: I am a Virtual Executive Assistant.
But, I work with clients who are Social Media Managers, Online Business Managers, Web Designers, Graphic Designers, Online Course Developers, and on and on it goes. I co-hosted a webinar recently where we started counting up all the possible roles or titles a VA could have. And we lost count.
Takeaway: There are many roles and job descriptions that a VA can have. It depends on their interests and experience. Remember that in the online world, there are no formal job descriptions, no box to put yourself (and your role) into. You create your own box. Or do away with it altogether.
How much are VAs paid?
Virtual Assistants are paid a whole range of rates. From $20-$200+ per hour depending on what their specialty is, and how much experience they have.
A good VA friend of mine told me recently that she started out at $30/hour building websites. As her skills improved, she started increasing her rates, to $50/hour, and then to $75/hour depending on the level of expertise needed to complete the work. A couple years later, this particular friend of mine is charging $200+ per hour for her time.
So the next time someone asks you, ‘How much do VAs get paid,’ you can answer them with this: “Well, it’s, on average, somewhere in the range of $20-$200 per hour.” And then watch as they get confused. And then take a minute to explain to them how the term Virtual Assistant is really just describing how the work is getting done, and is not describing the actual work.
Takeaway: Rates depend on what specialty, and how much experience a VA has. The range is wide, and we need to quit comparing apples to oranges.
Our Virtual Future
Virtual Assistance is the work of the future.
Some people never believed that we would shop online. And some never thought we would work online. And look at what’s happening today. I buy almost everything on Amazon and have it shipped to my house. I work with an amazing community of virtual friends – people who are making a solid, consistent, and, frankly, an impressive, income working online in this amazingly diverse service based industry.
The next time you are out and about in the non-virtual work (aka real life), and someone looks confused when you mention the term Virtual Assistant – just follow up by saying: It’s the work of the future. In 20 years everyone will be online. You don’t believe me? Let’s make a bet on it.
Stella Gooch says
Great article. Totally agree.
Nakiea Bridges says
Great article!! Very helpful because I am looking to offer virtual human resource services Corporate Partners Resource CPR