What Is A Virtual Assistant?

A lot of people have probably heard or read the term ‘virtual assistant’. No, it is not a computer-generated character that acts like your personal assistant. It is one of the many ways to make money online for those who are thinking about getting an online work.

According to Wikipedia, a virtual assistant is someone who “provides professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients remotely from a home office”. In other words, instead of having a real, actual secretary, administrative assistant, or executive assistant, you can get a virtual assistant. This person is someone you hire online and who does the work that is usually done by a secretary, administrative assistant, or executive assistant.

Currently, this work area is growing and the exact number of those working as virtual assistants is hard to estimate because they are considered independent contractors so it can be quite hard to survey how many there are. If you are interested in finding out how to make money fast and you have excellent office skills, becoming a virtual assistant is quite easy. Below are two things you will need to consider before becoming one.

·         Independent or firm. The first thing you would have to think about is whether you want to be an independent virtual assistant or would you want to be working with a VA firm? The advantage with working under a VA firm is that you do not have to spend a lot of time looking for clients. Most VA firms have regular clients and it will be easier to get VA work if you are associated with one. However, the amount of money you can earn is potentially higher if you are working independently. Also, being an independent contractor means you will not have to answer to anyone except to your client.

·         Equipment. You will need some equipment whether you are working as a virtual assistant independently or under a VA firm. The basic things you will need are a telephone line, an internet connection, a desktop/laptop, and a set of headphones with microphone. It is very important that all of these basic things are highly reliable and in excellent quality because you do not want any of these to prevent you from delivering high quality work. Aside from these, you might also want to invest in a printer, a fax machine, and other office supplies, once you start getting clients. Sometimes a client may request for something specific so be ready to provide it if needed.