Nowadays, the system of keeping virtual assistants is very popular in the business field. A virtual assistant reduces the work pressure and cost of a company and supports the business in different ways. In this article, we will discuss the complete guidance of becoming a virtual assistant. First, we have to learn what is a virtual assistant, what are the roles of a virtual assistant, and what training to become a virtual assistant. Next, we will learn about the different programs and training to become a virtual assistant.
Definition of Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is none but a professional who gives full-time or part-time service to a company and supports it by a virtual method. He/she performs lots of work such as booking appointments, managing email, social media, digital marketing, assisting different employees, managing events, etc. The term virtual assistant itself signifies that he/she works from home for a company.
Role of a Virtual Assistant
First of all, there are different kinds of virtual assistants and their roles are also different.
- Role of social media virtual assistant: As a social media virtual assistant, he/she has to manage different social media platforms, official websites and promote the companies in social media.
- Virtual assistant for administrative services: You have to take care of different administrative tasks such as making schedules, appointments, putting data, etc.
- Virtual Assistant for e-Commerce: For serving in e-commerce one should know about handling clients, different sites, managing different projects, handling accounts and financial sections of the company, etc.
- Virtual assistant in Blogging: For this role, one should create, edit and check the blogs which are posted on the internet.
Requirements to Become a Virtual Assistant
You must have a high school degree to apply for a virtual assistant. But in this advanced generation companies are demanding highly educated and skilled persons for the position of the virtual assistant. There are some key points required to become a virtual assistant such as –
- One should have good communication skills
- You should have good knowledge about administrative works
- One should have excellent computer skill
- Good organization power
- You should be punctual and have flexible working hours.
- Effective thinking and fast decision making skills
- Have some work experience in digital marketing or social media management (optional).
Different Training Courses for Virtual Assistant
There are different training courses to become a virtual assistant. Training courses of a virtual assistant are none but a program that helps a person to learn about the important aspects of the virtual assistant business. These courses provide complete guidance to prepare you as a virtual assistant professionally. There are various online courses available for the students. Generally, 3-4 months of training programs are allowed to train students or beginners for the role of a virtual assistant.
Importance of Virtual Assistant Training
We all know that training makes a man perfect. It is very important to train yourself for the position of virtual assistant. Even for opening a small business you also need minimum knowledge and training.
- A person becomes more confident about his/her skills
- Get the chance to learn about different new tricks and techniques
- Get full step-by-step assistance from professionals.
- Your mistakes and faults are corrected through the training program
- One can get the opportunity of clarifying his/her doubts from their guides easily.
Different Types of Courses for Virtual Assistant
There are different kinds of courses for virtual assistants available on the internet. There are mainly three stages of course that you can take for your starting. These are as follows –
1. Training courses for beginners:
It is perfect for a person who does not know anything about the virtual assistant business to join the training courses for beginners. In this course, you are provided the opportunity to learn the basics such as what is a virtual assistant, its roles and responsibilities, how to become a virtual assistant, how to entertain your client, how to handle projects, how to identify your niche, etc. One who does not know about the virtual assistant program but is aware of email, social media and having computer knowledge is also eligible for the beginner’s training courses. This type of training course is generally free of cost but in some sites, it may also want money to provide the training facility.
2. Training courses as well-rounded:
If a person is aware of administrative work such as mails, social media, digital marketing, etc. it will be a great step for your journey to becoming a virtual assistant. Well-rounded training courses are the best programs for those who are searching for more than basics. People can get full guidance in a round figure through this training program. There are different sections of quizzes and practice sets by which you can check performance whether you are ready for the virtual assistant position or not. In this course, you are provided the opportunity to learn about a specific category of niches such as social media assistant or blogging virtual assistant as per your convenience. Most of the people take this training course at a fair cost. Well-rounded training courses are cost-effective courses that provide training facilities for the sake of money.
3. All-inclusive training courses:
An all-inclusive training course is such a course by which people can get a complete package of information and guidance about virtual assistants. Ultimately you get the chance to know everything that is from the starting to the ending in detail about the virtual assistant business. Here one can learn about the basics along with the advanced training courses. It is also a cost-effective method of training. All inclusive training is quite expensive as you have to buy study materials to learn more in-depth.
How Can You Choose the Right Course for You?
It can be a quite difficult task to choose the right option for yourself. There are different factors present that need to be considered before choosing any courses. At first, you have to understand your capacity of how much pressure you can take and your interest in which particular section you want to go for, then you should look upon the other factors. However, it can be helpful if you categorize the training courses as the three classes of beginners, well-rounded and all-inclusive training. The important factors that affects your decision of choosing the right option is as follows –
- Cost/ expenses of the course: The most important aspect of choosing any course is the price of the course. It is very important to choose the right course which is affordable to you. You should not sacrifice the quality of your study materials for managing the cost of course. Budget planning before choosing training courses is a good way to solve this problem easily.
- Quality of study materials: No one likes to read long and tough words in the study materials. So, the quality of the study materials should be good. Well-arranged, understandable materials should be provided to the learners so that they get the energy to read those things easily. And it is also important to provide all the notes at the proper time so that students do not face any difficulties.
- Additional items: Along with the soft copy of the study materials it is very important to provide several tests, quizzes, and practice sets to the students to practice themselves. By this, students can check their performance level and can improve themselves fast. Along with the study materials, a training program should provide the basic knowledge of the business to the learners to better understand the virtual assistant role in a business or company.
Best courses for becoming a virtual assistant
There are different advertisements for virtual assistant training that can be seen on the internet daily. But among those, you should know about the top most important sites and their course details. Here we will discuss the three most important online courses to become a virtual assistant. These are as follows –
1. $10K VA course:
$10K VA is a well-rounded online virtual assistant training course created by Kayla Sloan. This is considered the best online training course for virtual assistants by which you can successfully prepare yourself for a virtual assistant position. From this course site, a huge amount of money is earned in a month that is about $10K.
Advantages of $10K VA:
- One can learn how to earn a good amount of money.
- Get a chance to know about payment methods to the clients.
- You can learn about working faster.
- The Facebook group of $10K VA usually offers job opportunities for virtual assistants.
- By using the coupon card of $10K VA, you can get a discount of about $200 on the fees.
Pricing of $10K VA: For the virtual assistant course in $10K VA you need to pay about $497 once. It is not more expensive than other sites to provide knowledge and training.
The Outcome of the $10K VA Course:
From this course students get a chance to learn everything about the starting of a virtual assistant business, finding jobs, making good relationships with the clients, working accurately and ultimately stepping up your progress day by day. There are no restrictions on access to the site. You can have the access as long as you want. Even more, you also have the access to check updates without paying any money. All you need to do is to pay a one-time payment and for that you will get free unlimited access.
2. Fully Booked Virtual Assistant:
The fully booked virtual assistant comes under the all-inclusive virtual training course. This system was developed by Gina Horkey. Through this course, you will learn about everything you need to be a virtual assistant. It gives full guidance throughout the whole training program. This is a three months training course where you learn the basic skills along with the advanced skills and techniques.
Advantages of a Fully Booked Virtual Assistant:
- People can choose their desired training option as it is a specific training program.
- You will learn about the new advanced technology
- You get the opportunity to learn more about the handling of clients.
- After completion of the course, you will get a certificate of the course
- There is the facility of lifetime access for the students
- The most interesting point is that this course offers a money-back guarantee within seven days if you do not like the course.
Pricing of Fully booked Virtual Assistant: There are two plans of this course, one is for three months and another is for twelve months or one year. For a three months training course, you have to pay $497. In this package, you can get lifetime access to a virtual assistant course and three months access to specific training skills. For the second plan of the twelve months program, you have to pay about $1194. In this package, you will get lifetime access to a virtual assistant course and special skills access for twelve months. But if you do not like the course you can leave and get your money back within 1-2 weeks.
Outcomes of the fully booked virtual assistant course: There are 2 steps of the course. In the first course, you will learn over 90 lessons in different modules. There are also different quizzes, self-practice tests, question modules, etc. in this course. After completing the first phase and passing the final exam you will get a certificate of completion. Moreover, you can learn different tricks and get exclusive tips from professionals. In addition, one can get the chance of attending live coaching sessions and training at weekly intervals. The second phase of this course is the specialized course. In this phase you can learn about the special skills to drive you toward your goal. There is a different group for discussing your problems. Through this phase, you get familiar with social media and community management, customer service, marketing strategies, etc. There is no requirement of extra money to pay for this course.
3. Udemy for Virtual Assistant Training Courses:
Udemy is a popular site for providing the training of virtual assistants. The perks from Udemy are very valuable for your journey. It provides several kinds of training, Ming them work from home and must-have tools are the popular ones.
- The Course of Work From Home for Virtual Assistant:
The course of work from home as a virtual assistant has also been developed by a virtual assistant. It is made especially for beginners who want to become virtual assistants. Here the basics are taught to get students.
Advantages of Course of Work From Home for Virtual Assistant:
- Very effective course for beginners
- The duration of the course is very less.
- This course is less expensive than the other training courses.
- One can get the certificate after completing the course.
- It offers a discount on the course fees.
Price for Course of Work From Home for Virtual Assistant: The overall cost of this course is comparatively less. You have to pay only $50. You can complete the whole course for under $50. The most interesting point of this course is that it offers discounts or sales on the course fees of about $20 or less.
Outcomes of the course:
The course of Work From Home for Virtual Assistant includes a three hours video and one-hour audio which covers more than 55 lectures. It is very essential for those who want a basic course in virtual assistant in a very short period.
5. The Course of Must-Have Tools for Virtual Assistants:
This is also a course for beginners discovered by a mentor of a virtual assistant. This training course is beneficial for the students to learn about different tricks of time analysis, security, and financial aspects.
Price for Course of Must-Have Tools for Virtual Assistants: The average cost of this course is quite less which is about $39.99.
Steps for starting as a virtual assistant business
Having proper knowledge of virtual assistants and training is the initial step for starting the business of virtual assistants. Here we will discuss the important steps of becoming a virtual assistant which is as follows –
1. Proper planning:
We all know that before starting anything there should be proper planning. If you want to open your own virtual assistant business, you have to plan and decide about the nature and structure of your business. Then fix your target, understand the abilities and capacity of taking pressure off ,yourself. However, you have to make your ground strong first, and proceed to the next steps.
2. Completion of Amenities:
Once your framework is ready then you can start the other formalities to be fulfilled. You have to complete all the legal work such as making a business license, creating a bank account, making contract papers with clients, etc. You need to take help from legal professionals to complete the work.
3. Type of Services to be offered:
One of the most important things is to decide what type of services you want to offer. Depending upon the personal skills and knowledge you have to offer the services. It will be updated with your learning of new skills. It includes real estate virtual assistants, virtual assistants for social media management, virtual assistants for creating websites, etc.
4. Budget planning:
Next, you have to plan the proper budget for your virtual assistant program. The prices charged are based upon your skills and abilities. There are different methods of pricing to be paid to you, which are as follows –
- The first method of pricing is that you can be paid hourly. It is the most widely used method of paying clients to a virtual assistant.
- The next method is the retainer method of pricing. In this method, you are paid weekly or monthly. Clients pay whatever is done throughout the whole week or month.
- A virtual assistant can also be paid based upon the products or services offered by them.
5. Improving the skill of Networking:
It is very important to develop your networking skills to become a virtual assistant. You should have the chain to spread or assist others as a virtual assistant.
6. Active online:
As a virtual assistant, you should be active online or on social media most of the time. Even more, you can describe your work on different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. for promotion purposes. You can also follow the professionals and clients and their activities.
7. Entertaining your clients:
The most crucial work for a virtual assistant is to entertain his/her clients and make them happy. If your clients are not satisfied with your work you cannot improve your position. You should build a good impression of them.
Conclusion
The work of a virtual assistant is admirable. It is a very good opportunity for the students who are interested in different digital works and have little knowledge about that. With a little knowledge about computers and technologies along with a complete training, one can easily play the role of a virtual assistant. So, if you want to build a career as a virtual assistant, complete the course from a well-known site and then set your goal of becoming a virtual assistant.
Frequently asked questions (FAQS):
- What is the salary range of a virtual assistant?
As a virtual assistant, one can earn up to 16.08 per hour.
- Can a virtual assistant work part-time?
Yes, various companies offer the roles of virtual assistants for part-time service. You can also promote yourself for full-time work by providing good services to the company.
- How does a company communicate with its virtual assistants?
The name itself signifies that a company communicates with its virtual assistants virtually through email or by any other contact method.
- How the working details and all information of the virtual assistants are recorded?
The working details and information of all the employees and virtual assistants are recorded in a special software in the computer of the company.
- How can a company be benefitted from virtual assistants?
A virtual assistant gives instant support and proper guidance for the improvement of the company.
