How to Make Money as a Virtual Assistant While in Quarantine
The current situation brought by the global pandemic has shifted the way we do things. Social distancing rules are in place and almost all turned to online platforms to continue working. Working from home has become the new normal and making money online is now being preferred by many.
One of the online jobs you could look into include being a Virtual Assistant (VA). Even before the quarantine took place, virtual assistant jobs were already popular. After all, it is a good way to earn money whether as a side hustle or as a full-time job.
Read on to learn how to make money as a virtual assistant while in quarantine.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is someone who provides support services remotely. These services mainly involve administrative tasks and other activities as a personal assistant. However, their portfolio of services is currently expanding. A virtual assistant can now be someone who specializes in customer support, project management, bookkeeping, digital marketing, social media management, and more.
If you’re someone who wants to explore these types of jobs, then being a virtual assistant could be perfect for you.
How Much Money Can You Make?
A virtual assistant’s salary varies on many factors. Since the job is expandable, there are services that pay more. On average, however, a virtual assistant can earn $15.80 per hour.
This rate can change based on your years of experience, location, and the number of clients you’re holding. Moreover, if you’re employed by a Virtual Assistant outsourcing company, there could be additional work packages included in your pay.
Why Work as a VA?
Being a VA can be a challenging role. After all, you need to work with a company that you may not be familiar with. Contrary to being an office-based assistant, you are required to engage with your client almost completely remotely.
However, working as a VA also has many benefits. Here are some of them.
1. Work in the comfort of your own home.
Since it’s a remote job, being a VA allows you to work from home. This means less expense for transportation and lodging. This can also save you the additional stress from traffic and you might end up more productive in this setup.
Indeed, working from home can lead you to greater productivity, as reported by a Stanford study. Maximize this opportunity to improve your work habits to get the job done more efficiently.
2. Freedom to choose your own clients.
Depending on if you’re self-employed or affiliated with an intermediary like an outsourcing company, you can choose your clients. If you’re self-employed you could go to sites like Jobstreet, Upwork, and Remote.co to see openings for this role.
Usually, the job opening contains a summary of your expected tasks as well as the nature of the company you’ll be working with. Make sure you read it carefully to gauge the responsibilities you will have.
Those who have experience working in customer service know the privilege of being able to choose clients. Some clients can be hard to work with after all. If you have this option, make sure to use it well. Not all VA companies can give you the liberty of choosing so if you chance upon it, maximize it to your advantage.
3. It pays well.
Although the pay can be subjective, being a VA can make you earn as high as $25 per hour. This rate is common for VAs who run their own home-based virtual assistant businesses.
If you’re only starting there are still many ways for you to earn more. Most small businesses are looking for part-time or contractual VAs. This means you can juggle two or more clients at the same time depending on the nature of work. You could also look into freelance sites or microwork sites to find short-term opportunities that you can take if you have the time to spare.
4. It allows greater control of your time.
Being a virtual assistant can also offer more flexibility to your time. You don’t need to confine yourself with the usual 9 to 5 office schedule. If you need to attend your errands you can do so as long as you have already finished your tasks.
You can also create your own schedule – a work plan that is customized for you. Hence, you can have more work-life balance since you’ll be working at your own pace. This is available for VAs who work in an output-based scheme so make sure to take note of work arrangements as well in choosing your clients.
5. You can develop your skills.
If you’re not yet sure what skill you specialized in, being a virtual assistant is a good place to start. Since you’ll be starting on administrative tasks, you can figure out which types of activities you prefer and not. Administrative tasks can be repetitive, as they say, but it also offers a diverse set of activities.
You can leverage the skills that you currently have and work on your specialization. On top of that, your time management and organization skills will also be put to the test. These are two skills that could be used in any job so honing them can lead you to more opportunities.
Your Road To Being A Virtual Assistant
Being a virtual assistant entails managing different responsibilities. You need to be organized and efficient in doing things. While in quarantine, this could be a good opportunity for you to improve your skills while earning extra cash on the side. This opportunity is also not limited during the quarantine.
Companies are increasingly leaning towards outsourcing and virtual assistants are one of the top outsourced positions. The demand for virtual assistants is high so you need to work with VA companies who can provide you access to more clients.
One company that you may look into is Go2Girl. Established in 2002, Go2Girl works with businesses in providing administrative support. They have a pool of talented VAs that ensure effective collaboration with their clients.
For more information about their VA services, visit https://go2girladmin.com/.