As a virtual assistant, also known as a VPA (virtual personal assistant) or freelancer, you are usually only needed for specific and time-limited tasks. Your clients are entrepreneurs, start-ups, small and medium-sized companies but also private individuals who need temporary support for their business.
Personnel outsourcing has many advantages for the client. In contrast to a permanent employment relationship, there are no monthly additional wage costs, sick leave and vacation time. He can also access a large pool of knowledge and activities and choose exactly the right contractor for specific tasks. The flexible working model saves money and time. Valuable resources that, as we all know, are always lacking, both in business and private life.
The work as a virtual assistant ranges from simple tasks that you can get started with without much prior knowledge, such as:
- Research activities
- Appointment and travel planning
- Creating templates/presentations
Up to activities that, depending on the order situation, require particularly specialist knowledge, such as:
- Social media marketing
- SEO
- Graphic design
- Web design/website maintenance
- IT services
- Copywriting
- Translations/proofreading
What do you need to get started as a virtual assistant?
In order to become a virtual assistant, you first need a computer or laptop, possibly also a phone. You won't be able to avoid a usable internet connection either. If you don't want to work from home, internet cafés, coworking spaces or even a mobile WiFi stick offer a solution.
Dealing with the Microsoft Office package should be a natural working basis for you. If you are also familiar with graphics programs and have mastered other software programs, your options for becoming a virtual assistant expand many times over.
The activities of a virtual assistant mentioned above only cover part of what this profession has to offer you. You don't have to be able to do all of them and it's enough if you're passionate about one of the areas. You can certainly familiarize yourself with many of the areas quickly. In most cases, no specific training is necessary to become a virtual assistant. But still, the more skills you have or acquire, the higher your chance of generating new and recurring orders.
How and where do you find the right jobs or how do people find you?
Digital nomadism, as location-independent working is also often called, is very trendy. It is therefore not surprising that you can now find various job portals that specialize in the profession of “virtual assistant”.
The most well-known are:
fernarbeit.net
my-vpa
eAssistant
manage my business
virtual-helpers.de
Beach layer
Of course, you can also do your own search and introduce yourself to your future employer as a virtual assistant with an unsolicited application, a spontaneous call or an email.
For starters, it is certainly easier to use one of the agencies mentioned. They work as an intermediary between you and your future client.
TIP: If you aspire to become a professional real estate virtual assistant, it is highly recommended to create your own homepage with a corresponding portfolio. This means you can always refer to your references and, in the best case scenario, make yourself independent of the job portals that want to take some of your work in the form of a commission for their services.
How much does a virtual assistant earn?
What you earn monthly as a virtual assistant depends entirely on your workload and whether you use a placement agency or negotiate wages with your employers yourself. In addition, there is the range of qualifications that you yourself provide and what activities you can and want to carry out and in what quantity.
For a rough orientation, here are a few numbers: With eAssistent, your client pays from 4.99 euros per hour for a virtual assistant, with my-vpa it can even be 18.90 euros per hour, depending on the package.
The hourly rate you ultimately receive for your service depends on the commission that the respective provider deducts. If you want to become a virtual assistant without a job portal, it is up to you what hourly rate you want to charge for your work.
If you are not sure what an appropriate hourly rate is for you, you can read about it in one of our blog articles here: What hourly rate you should charge as a freelancer .
What formal preparations do you need to make to become a virtual assistant?
Whether as a part-time job or full-time, if you want to become a virtual assistant and your activities go beyond those of a freelancer, you have to register a business with the tax office , possibly as a small business . This is relatively uncomplicated and quick. You can then write invoices with the tax number you receive.
If your annual turnover does not exceed €22,000, the small business regulation applies to you and you are exempt from sales tax.
What is the difference between a freelancer and a virtual assistant?
Freelancer comes from English and means something like freelancer. Freelancers are people who have become self-employed and, in contrast to employees, do not only provide their work for one company, but also have different clients or customers.
Freelancers carry out their mostly specialist knowledge on an independent basis as a full-time job. In contrast to virtual assistants, they cannot work part-time.
Freelancers also generally don’t do any assistant work. The transition of terminology from freelancer to VPA is fluid because classic freelance work such as graphic designers or IT experts can often also be found under virtual assistants. If virtual assistants acquire their orders via appropriate job portals, unlike freelancers, they are not bound to service or work contracts.
Becoming a virtual assistant, is that for you? A conclusion
The job as a virtual assistant is a very varied job. Not only do you have the opportunity to work for different clients (at the same time), the job also gives you the chance to familiarize yourself with new areas of responsibility that were previously unknown to you or to develop your strengths in a specific area.
In addition, there is the ability to work independently (in terms of time and location). Freedom-loving people will get their money's worth here. However, you should also note that the job also requires a lot of self-discipline and self-organization. But don't worry, you can learn these too.
If you want to start your career as a virtual assistant part-time, this can be a great opportunity for you to become self-employed in the long term. Who knows, maybe you'll start your own company after a short time and use a virtual assistant yourself?!
Also Read: WHY COLLABORATE WITH A OR REAL ESTATE
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