How to Become a Virtual Assistant | The Ultimate Guide

Would you like to work remotely? Do you like the idea of having your own business? Would you like the freedom to work part-time or full-time? Starting a virtual assistant business may be the career move you’ve been looking for!

What is a Virtual Assistant (VA)?

A VA is someone who provides remote virtual assistance to a business owner or entrepreneur. Business owners or entrepreneurs may seek virtual assistant services when they need extra hands on deck, but not another body on location.

This career is made possible with the advancements of technology, allowing people to share work, conduct meetings and generally be an asset to a business remotely. Virtual assistant jobs can vary depending on the client’s needs and the individual assistant’s skill set.

The most common jobs given to a VA are administrative tasks such as:

• Scheduling appointments
• Completing routine documentation
• Proofreading important business documents
• Online filing
• Email management
• Taking phone calls
• Basic data entry
• Customer support

Virtual Assistants are usually sole trading freelancers, rather than employees. Freelancers have complete control over what jobs they accept and what hours they work. Some projects allow for longer contractual work while others are only on a shorter ‘as-needs’ basis.

VA Industry 101

Virtual assistants generally get paid by the hour and depending on years of experience and skill set; the hourly rate may vary.

A virtual assistant’s salary is on average between $24 and $41 per hour.

Perks of being a VA

• This role has the potential to be lucrative, especially if you choose to offer specialised work alongside general VA responsibilities
• You can work with multiple businesses at a time, increasing your earning potential even more
• You’ll be your own boss, which is perfect if you love autonomy
• You’re able to control how many hours you work, giving you amazing work-life balance

Depending on a VA’s skill set or field of interest, they can be hired on by a client for a multitude of reasons. These tasks can be outsourced to a virtual assistant because they are technology-driven, and don’t require much (if any) face-to-face communication!

Some specialisations that can *seriously* increase your base salary as a virtual assistant include:

• Bookkeeping
• Website Management
• Graphic Design work
• Advanced-Data Entry
• Project Research / Project Management
• Content creation (for social media, presentations etc.)
• Client-hunting – seeks new potential business for the client

Select the reason you want to study to get started. 

The Step by Step Plan to Becoming a Virtual Assistant

There are 7 main steps you need to follow to become a virtual assistant:

1. Do your research

Before you get started setting up your own virtual assistant business, make sure you understand what’s involved so you can land on your feet.

The first step is deciding if you’re going to work full-time or part-time (this may vary depending on the jobs you accept). You’ll also want to find out what kinds of businesses are hiring VAs. Would you prefer to work for a local business, or will any small business do? Would you like to conduct all your work through an online platform? Research the pros and cons of each.

Look up job ads for virtual assistants to get an idea of what work is available. Then you can think about what kind of work you’d like to focus on.

2. Assess your skill set and match it to the type of work you want

Usually, virtual assistants are hired to support businesses through administrative tasks. For this reason, completing a qualification in Business Administration is a great idea! A Certificate or Diploma in Business Administration will equip you with all the necessary skills required to assist a business.

You’ll learn skills such as:

• How to write complex work documents
• Spreadsheet creation and completion
• How to coordinate business resources
• How to organise business activities (calendar management)
• How to process Payroll and other financial activity
• Excellent communication skills
• Social media management

You may, however, find that you’re more suited to a niche that fits your expertise, or specific tasks you excel at. For instance, if you’re an experienced social media manager, you may offer services such as managing social media accounts. If you have a writing background, you may opt to specialise in copywriting, and creating blog posts on WordPress.

If you want to specialise in a service, (e.g. search engine optimisation (SEO) or social media presence), completing a nationally recognised qualification for these skills will help build your business legitimacy.

A good idea is to pick 2-3 main services to offer. You can always change these later on, depending on what your clients want.

3. Set up your home office

Virtual Assistants usually work from the comfort of their own home; however, there are factors to consider when setting up a home office.

When you work in an office, your home life and work-life tend to stay separate, keeping your home (hopefully) work-stress free.

When you work from home, the two worlds collide. Whether being a VA is a side hustle or your primary source of income, you must set up a functional space for your online business.

Our tips include:

• If possible, set up your office in a separate room to anyone or anything else – make it your workspace
• Choose a comfortable, supportive desk chair
• If you’re going to be working from a laptop, consider a laptop stand to help minimise neck strain
• Ensure you have a good internet connection

4. Set up your business finances & ABN

As a VA, you’ll most likely be a sole trading freelancer who offers their services for an hourly fee to viable businesses. Before you start working as a new virtual assistant, you need to organise the details of your own VA business. Details such as:

• Registering for an Australian Business Number (ABN) from the Australian government
• Setting up an Invoice system (either through a program such as Xero or MYOB , or independently)
• Setting up a business bank account in to which clients can deposit your pay

An ABN is an Australian Business Number that you need to register for when you decide to work as a sole trader. This number is unique to your business, and it’s free to register via the Australian government website!

5. Create a price structure & contracts

While charging a set hourly fee is common, many VAs also work on a flat-fee per-project basis, or on a retainer. There are pros and cons to each approach. Hourly fees can be good if the work is sporadic. Flat fees save you stressing over time taken to complete a project, or constantly having to track your time.

As a sole trader, you have control over how much you earn per hour. You can pick any price you want — but clients have to be willing to pay you that much, or else you won’t get paid at all.

You’ll have a sweet spot, and it may take some experimenting to find it. The average VA in Australia is paid $27/hr, but your rate may end up being higher than this if you’re working freelance. You may want to start a little lower, and raise your prices after you’ve had a couple months of experience.

When setting your prices, consider the take-home hourly rate you’d like to make, and then calculate these expenses in addition to that:

• As a freelancer, you won’t get sick leave or annual leave
• You’ll need to pay your own taxes
• The cost of running your home office, including equipment, internet, and space in your house

Research some different contracts for freelance virtual assistants online. You may be able to take a template and modify it to suit your needs. Without a contract, you’re vulnerable to all kinds of mishaps and even unpaid invoices, so make sure you’ve got this one locked in.

6. Get clients (even as a new virtual assistant)

How you find business as a VA can vary. It will depend on who your ideal clients are, and where they would look if they wanted to hire a new VA.

Some choose to look for work on job listing websites and apply online like any other job – with a cover letter and CV.

Others create profiles on sole-trader or freelancer websites, such as Upwork or TaskRabbit. These can be great for finding your first clients. Individual skills, experience and past-client ratings are published on the profiles where potential clients seeking virtual assistance can see, allowing them to contact the VA directly if interested in their services.

Social media sites can be an excellent way to clients, too. If you’re looking to work with local businesses, start by creating accounts on the same social media platforms they are using, such as LinkedIn and Pinterest. Start following potential clients and engaging with their posts. You may even find some Facebook groups that are relevant to businesses in your local area. You can post in these groups to let people know you’re open to work or keep an eye for people asking questions about VAs. If you make yourself useful and don’t over-promote yourself, this can be a great way to build relationships.

7. Maintain relationships with your network

So, you’ve landed a few clients and things have started humming along. Along with keeping up stellar customer service for your existing clients, it’s also a great idea to keep in touch with your network by regularly posting on social media.

Or you can just chat with other small business owners in your area from time to time, and mention that you’re a VA if it comes up naturally in conversation. Building your network out and investing time befriending people, and helping them whenever you can, is the best way to keep your business sustainable in the long term. After all, people hire people they like and trust.

8. Commit to lifelong learning

To remain successful and competitive in this industry, it’s important to constantly be developing your skills and capabilities. And it’s not just a matter of, “The more you can do, the more you can charge.”

The industry is becoming saturated as more and more people start their own VA businesses. So, despite the massive increase in demand for VA’s, you’ll still need to put forward a great skillset to get work.  

Given the digital nature of the role, you’ll also have to compete with VA’s outside of Australia for jobs. In 2020, the amount of VA’s hired through offshore agencies increased by 41%. 

The sought-after skills for a VA are also constantly evolving. Right now, the most in-demand services include:

• Social media management
• Email marketing
• Project management

These can change frequently, so you should always keep tabs on what skills people are seeking in a VA and upskill in services that interest you.

Ready to become a VA?

Becoming a successful virtual assistant is definitely within reach, especially with some training. Whether it’s to earn some extra money or to start your own full-time online business, VA work can be exciting, challenging and best of all – flexible!

Read more about what it’s like to launch a successful VA business.

Building the skills in your VA arsenal will help you make an outstanding impression on your clients. Browse and compare virtual assistant courses to find the one that will elevate you as a professional.