Becoming a Virtual Assistant FAQs

Stepping into the freelancing world can be overwhelming. As a newbie, you’ll have thousands of questions running through your mind. You want to grow but at the same time, you are not sure if you are on the right track.

Starting out as a virtual assistant is a great way to test out if freelancing is good for you. Someone asked me a few questions the other day and I thought why not put it down as a post as it may benefit others also.

So here we go.

Below you’ll find answers to some of the frequently asked questions by virtual assistants.

#1. When I want to work as a virtual assistant, what companies are best to start with? companies that deal in which type of products.

Anyone can hire a virtual assistant.

There are no specific industries to target when you are looking to offer your virtual assistant services. From entrepreneurs, bloggers, podcasters, lecturers, virtually any busy person who is looking to offload some of their admin tasks can hire a virtual assistant to help them out.

#2. As a starter, what job is advisable for me to begin with as I build my journey as a VA?

Rather than asking what job can I start with a as a virtual assistant, you need to ask, what skills do I have that I can offer to other people and get paid?

What am I good at?

What makes me stand out from the rest that someone would be willing to hire me?

In another post, I looked at a list of over 50 virtual assistant services you can offer. Go through the list, pick up a few that best fits your skills set.

#3. If I have a passion in a line like graphic designing but I don’t have the skills, am I open to courses so that I learn?

Having a passion for something is a good start as it gives you a reason to pursue and achieve a specific goal. Fortunately, there are hundreds of online courses that you can take to learn or improve on your skills. Some even offer certifications at the end of it that you can display or share with potential clients to showcase your expertise.

There are both paid and free online course options that you can choose from.

If you are looking for courses by individuals you may want to take a look at Udemy. The prices go as low as $9.99 for a lifetime access to a course. Places like Coursera and Edx on the other hand partner with known universities and brands like Google to offer their courses.

#4. If I want to be taught on how to work on a particular task, am I supposed to pay a fee or its free?

As mentioned above, there are free and paid options when it comes to online learning. It’s up to you to decide whether you’ll pursue a free or paid course.

When you are working as a virtual assistant, you may get lucky and your client will pay a course for you to take to enhance your skills. This isn’t always the case though. You should always be proactive and learn on your own.

#5. I have seen so many jobs that can be handled by a VA, am I allowed to work in more than one field?

The short answer is yes. The longer version is, don’t be a jack of all trades. It’s always good to niche down. This allows you to give quality instead of quantity with zero quality.

As a virtual assistant, you are allowed to handle as many tasks as you can manage. When picking on what services to offer, try and find services that complement each other.

#6. For how long is someone supposed to work in a day for example?

We all have 24 hours in a day. Working as a virtual assistant, you get to determine your hours. Much as it may be tempting to work for longer hours, you need to be careful not to suffer from burn out.

Set a schedule and have your clients understand the hours you are available for work. Don’t let yourself be pushed into working long hours if you don’t want to. Learn to say no.

#7. How much is someone supposed to earn as a VA like are their fixed rates for salaries?

When it comes to offering virtual assistant services, there is no one rate fits all kinda scenario. Most virtual assistants are paid by the hour. Yes, there are industry rates but not every client gets to pay those industry rates. As a VA, you are free to negotiate for rates that you believe reflect your skill set and expertise.

You can charge as low as $1 per hour or as high as $100+ per hour. If you can convince a client that you are worth what you are quoting, they’ll pay you.

#8. How, do they credit someone’s pay to their account?

Most clients pay via PayPal.

If you are however using a platform like Upwork to source for clients, there are various payment options available dependent on your location. These include ACH, local bank transfer (money is credited into your bank account in local currency), wire transfer (money is transferred in USD and you get to convert it in your local currency).

Other options for getting paid include Skrill and Payoneer. Payoneer issues a card that you can use to withdraw money from your local bank ATMs, make purchases at stores and online.

#9. Are there requirements or qualifications for someone to apply or start working as a freelancer?

You need to be of legal age – most countries it’s 18 years- to be able to work on most platforms.

Having a degree in a specific field helps to boost your chances but its not a requirement in most cases. Your skills will sell more. Work on acquiring marketable skills and you should be good to go. Upwork publishes in demand skills that you can look at and determine if you want to pursue one of those.

#10. I like advertising and marketing products online but I don’t have an ads account, how does someone create one? and is it free or you are supposed to pay for one?

Marketing has different dimensions. If you want to focus on ads, you also need to be able to write compelling copy to accompany the ads in order for them to convert.

Check out this article on how to create a Facebook ad account and Google ads account. Google offers some marketing courses that you can check out and upskill.

#11. I want to start writing articles online, but I don’t have a website. If I start with the free domain, am I going to get paid by google?

The short answer is no, you’ll not get paid.

Starting with a free domain from WordPress or Wix is a good way to test out if your writing is good enough. It also helps you to build a portfolio. However, you can’t earn from AdSense or other ad networks.

To start earning from your blog, you need to buy a domain name, pay for hosting and get some considerable traffic before you can monetize it.

#12. Can I work or write articles on someone’s website and he/she pays me?

Yes.

If you find a blog that’s in your niche, try and find out their guest blogging rules. If everything ticks out, you can send in your pitch and hope they reply back.

Some blogs will pay you to write for them while others will only offer a backlink.

There are other ways to find writing opportunities.

#13. How long will it take for me to start earning or is it immediately?

I can’t promise instant success.

If you are looking for a get rich quick type of scheme, this may not be your best option.

Working as a virtual assistant is a career that grows with time. While some may find instant success, its not the norm. you can land your first client on day one or it can take several months of cold pitching.

#14. Since everything is now online, how much internet speed do I need or its not a must one to have a fast and strong internet?

You need a stable internet connection to be able to perform your tasks.

An internet speed that’s good enough to download a video/audio file in case you are required to transcribe it. Speed that is good enough for Zoom calls.

This site offers option to test your internet speed.

#15. As a virtual assistant, do you work with an individual or you work for company as a whole?

In most cases you will work for an individual. You may however be required to perform tasks for other company employees if the need arises.

#16. In these jobs, do employees still get sacked? Can someone lose their job? And what are some of the things that can make someone lose their job?

A VA isn’t categorized as an employee per se. A virtual assistant is a freelancer who is self employed and is responsible for their own taxes and doesn’t receive any employee benefits from the companies/individuals they work for.

The hard truth is, whether you are working in the brick-and-mortar industry or online, there is no guarantee for job security. We learned this the hard way in 2020 when the world had to practically shut down due to the pandemic.

The beauty of working as a virtual assistant though is the fact that you can work for more than one client. If one client no longer has work for you, you can continue with the other one as you search for a new client.

#17. After I have involved myself in this and confirmed that it’s successful, is it advisable to also introduce someone like my family member to also start?

Of course. You can introduce whoever you want. If your entire family is comfortable working online why not.

Got any additional questions that you wish could be covered? Let me know and I’ll try my best to answer them.