VA-VA-voom: the rise of virtual assistants

It is something that would have been unimaginable before the internet: a virtual assistant (VA) – an office manager or secretary who can do all the admin for you without ever visiting the office.

"One of my clients is in Australia," says Oxfordshire-based VA Suzie Warren from the bizbud.co.uk agency. "They are a migration firm and I act pretty much as their UK client services manager, processing forms and being the UK contact for people wanting to move to Australia. It doesn't bother them at all that I am working while they are asleep.

"There's no one type of business that uses us," she adds, "although in the main we are used by small firms and people working from home who don't have space for another person or the money for someone full-time. It's got to the point where there are almost not enough of us to go round."

A VA needs knowledge of Microsoft Windows, word processing, email, basic database creation (primarily Excel) and contact management software, as well as having an excellent phone manner. However, many VAs offer other services such as bookkeeping and event management.

The work is varied and flexible. Some clients will want typing and invoicing, others management of their diaries and the setting-up of systems. Much of the time, VAs can work hours that suit them, including evenings and weekends. So it is an increasingly popular choice as a second job or for those seeking to ease back on their career.

A VA charges between £15 and £25 per hour (not including phone calls and postage costs), depending on their level of experience and the complexity of the work. Some, particularly those with specialist skills, charge a monthly retainer.

Ms Warren is a director of the International Association of Virtual Assistants (www.iava.org.uk), a support group for VAs of all backgrounds, including bookkeepers, secretaries, marketing consultants, graphic designers and conference organisers.

While there aren't nearly as many VAs in the UK as in the US, word is spreading fast. So much so that the first-ever conference of VAs takes place in Cardiff at the end of this month (www.vaconference.co.uk).

'There's such variety in this job'

Christine Richmond had been a secretary in the banking industry for 25 years before becoming a VA in 2003. "I wish I'd done it sooner," she admits.

"There's such variety in this job – such a lot of flexibility. And you get the chance to prove you can contribute to a business."

Christine gained a VA qualification through the US website www.virtualassistanceu.com. She says it was invaluable in setting up her own business.

Her clients now include a property developer, photographic agency and a training firm in Spain.

But being a virtual assistant is no soft option, says Christine. "If you set yourself up as a VA, you are a business and you have to be all things to all people – doing your own marketing, your own books, tax and administration."

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