It’s International Virtual Assistant Day!
The coronavirus pandemic has caused huge changes within the working environment. Currently, not only are an increasing number of tasks being performed remotely, but additionally an increasing number of tasks are being outsourced. For many firms, hiring freelancers and independent contractors for specific tasks fairly than keeping more employees on the payroll is more efficient and profitable. In particular, this has led to an increased demand for virtual assistants.
Who is a virtual assistant?
Virtual Assistants (VAs) are essentially freelancers who remotely perform an administrative role for an organization or client. They hire out their administrative or creative assistance to varied clients and businesses and help with their needs from home. This is a win-win situation for each the employer and the worker. From a business perspective, outsourcing your work to virtual assistants means they haven’t got to offer the VA with office space, tools and utilities, or another perks. While a number of the key advantages for virtual assistants include the liberty to decide on who they work with, the power to work more flexible hours, and the power to earn over £200 a day. What’s more, you possibly can do all of it from home without commuting. What’s not to love?
What is it about?
Working as a virtual assistant can involve a big selection of tasks. This will largely rely on who you’re employed for and what they need, but can include anything from simply answering phone calls and sending emails to accounting, business planning, and desktop publishing. Do you’ve any area of interest skills? Great. The more specialized your skills are, the more you may give you the option to download. For example, if you’ve five years of experience working within the marketing industry and extensive knowledge of Microsoft Publisher, you possibly can advertise yourself as a virtual assistant specializing in marketing and desktop publishing.
Do I would like qualifications?
While technically no formal training or qualifications are required to change into a virtual assistant, most clients can be on the lookout for experience or relevant experience in secretarial or administrative work. However, in the event you haven’t got it, don’t panic! First, you should have many transferable skills from other roles, corresponding to problem solving, teamwork, and written communication skills. In addition to this, the growing demand for virtual assistants implies that they’re needed in additional roles corresponding to social media, content management, blog writing and online marketing. In these cases, role-specific experience is more necessary than general administrative experience.
What is required for configuration?
To start as a virtual assistant, you possibly can actually keep your costs incredibly low. While there are just a few things you’ll have, you most likely have already got them. You will need at the least a broadband web connection, a separate telephone line, a pc with the crucial software and office supplies. Plus, whilst you’re already paying your utility bills, you possibly can claim a tax refund on them in the event you make money working from home.
Steps to change into a virtual assistant
STEP 1: Sort your skills
Virtual assistants are hired for a spread of skills and expertise. Before you begin, resolve what your unique strengths are and the way you will promote yourself.
Here are some suggestions to start out brainstorming:
- Do you’ve any area of interest skills?
- Do you’ve any skilled education or qualifications in a selected field?
- Is there an area of work you desire to to learn or concentrate on more?
Remember that that is an industry that’s consistently evolving and evolving, so it is advisable to keep your skills and knowledge up-to-date as software and programs change.
STEP 2: Get began
Register your organization
The very first thing to do to start is register your organization along with your company name. Think rigorously about what name you select since it is the primary impression a possible customer will make on you. One popular option is to easily operate under your individual name.
Once you’ve got chosen a reputation to your virtual assistant’s company, check to see if it’s already getting used by another person. You can check it with National Register of Economic Activity. Besides, you will need to too check that your organization name is just not a trademark. If so, it could cause serious legal problems, so it is best to search out out beforehand!
Finally, it is advisable to register as self-employed in HM Revenue & Customs which is free, but in the event you don’t do it inside three months of being self-employed, it’s possible you’ll be fined. Once registered, they may send you all the knowledge you would like about social security and taxes.
Business insurance and taxes
As a virtual assistant, it is advisable to consider upgrading your insurance policy as working from home can affect your insurance coverage. The Society of Virtual Assistants has a really useful article Here about what sort of insurance cover you would like and why you would like it.
When you first start out as a virtual assistant, you most likely won’t should pay VAT as you possibly can get £85,000 in turnover before you’ve to pay it. However, in case your taxable turnover exceeds £85,000, you will have to contact us HMRC register for VAT. It may also mean that you’ll should adapt to recent government changes regarding the digital transformation of taxes.
Financing and start-up costs
Initial funding and start-up costs normally prevent you from making an instantaneous profit. Be prepared for this and see in the event you should go into debt to start out a business for more information.
STEP 3: Finding a job as a VA
Register with the VA agency
Registering with an agency could be an excellent place to begin for locating jobs and clients. However, watch out and avoid agencies that may charge you to work for them. Once you’ve got paid them, it’s doubtful you may ever hear from them again. Likewise, avoid ads like ‘get wealthy quick’ or ‘earn as much as £1,000 a day’. Everything that is simply too good to be true within the labor market at all times is.
One of the most effective web sites to envision out is Society of Virtual Assistants. It’s a free service and has loads of useful information for virtual assistants. You can pick from two several types of membership: approved and standard.
- Standard membership is designed to support those that need to change into a virtual assistant. It includes some useful tools. You’ll get access to a forum to ask questions, a community blog, and other resources.
- Approved membership is for businesses. You might want to conform to a code of conduct and have knowledgeable website and email that can be checked. After verification, you can be added to the searchable database. They may also provide you with access to the “vacancies available” section of the forum, which can hopefully result in paid work.
Advertising your organization
When you first start a business, you’ve to work hard to get to know your services and acquire customers. Our Finding Freelance Customers article has some helpful tips about the best way to advertise and find customers.
To get your first customers, it is advisable to know what sort of people you would like to offer your VA services to. Make an inventory of your key skills, what you’ve achieved and what you enjoy. Then consider what sort of businesses would want your services. What businesses might need you to sort out their emails or phone lines? What firms might need virtual help customer support?
Think about what you possibly can offer to enhance their productivity, how your service will profit what you are promoting, and what sets you other than the gang.
Your promoting medium will rely on your audience. ask yourself:
- What literature do these firms read/use?
- Where are these firms networking?
- What media does the corporate most frequently come into contact with?
In addition, creating your individual website is an excellent solution to present yourself as a virtual assistant. A web site is a useful place to create a web based resume, showcase your experience and suggestions, and use them to advertise your services. There are many free tools that make this task easier. How to Set Up a Website for an Independent Business has all the knowledge it is advisable to start.
STEP 4: Improve your skills, increase your salary
Virtual assistants can earn more by enhancing the abilities they provide. Things like bookkeeping, website management, and word processing are popular ways to extend your appeal to potential customers. Basically, the more you possibly can do, the more you’re capable of offer a possible client, and this increases your possibilities of getting a job. Job variety is the great thing about being a virtual assistant, and the more things you possibly can do, the more you possibly can charge.
How much does a virtual assistant earn?
According to Glass doorThe average annual salary for a virtual assistant is slightly below £30,000. In addition, an annual survey conducted by Virtual Assistant Societyfound that the common hourly wage for a VA within the UK is £27. These numbers may provide you with an idea, but after all it depends rather a lot on what skills and experience you possibly can bring to the position.
There are just a few necessary things to contemplate when setting your bids. First, you would like to resolve whether you are going to charge on a day by day or hourly basis. Be wary of charging by the hour, though, as it’s possible you’ll find yourself working plenty of unbilled hours doing searches and doing all your own administrative tasks, which essentially make you earn lower than you may on a day by day rate.
However, as a self-employed person, you furthermore may should take into consideration the shortage of:
- Holiday pay
- Sick pay
- Maternity leave
- Guaranteed hours
- Pension contributions
- work safety; AND
- Office supplies and utilities provided
You may have to calculate the proven fact that you lose these advantages in your prices. Realistically, an extra minimum of 25% must be added to the value to make sure expenses and tax are covered. For example, in the event you’re pondering of being charged £20 an hour, it should change to £25.
More useful reading
If you are on the lookout for more help getting arrange as a freelancer, take a look at the next articles:
