How can you become a virtual assistant?

Independent, free and self-employed - dream job digital nomad: work from where, when and what you want?! Doesn't exist?! Then you probably haven’t heard of the job “virtual assistant”. If you like to work flexibly, can organize yourself well, you like to familiarize yourself with new subject areas, you are eager to learn and knowledge and the laptop is your favorite and an indispensable work tool for you, then this job might be just the right thing for you!

If you want to know how you can become a real estate virtual assistant, how to generate orders and what formalities you should definitely pay attention to, then just read on now.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

As the name suggests, the virtual assistant (for the sake of simplicity, we primarily use the male language variant, but mean both genders equally), is only apparent, which means here that your actual presence is not absolutely necessary is. Whether from home, in a café, in coworking spaces or on the beach, thanks to the internet and laptop, you can work as a virtual assistant at any time and location.

You have to decide for yourself whether you would rather travel around the world or whether you would rather feel connected to your (home) city and more comfortable within your familiar four walls. If you want to become a virtual assistant, all options are open to you. If you're still undecided, our article: The best nodes for digital nomads in Europe might help you . Here we show you which places are particularly attractive for digital nomads (like you?).

What does a virtual assistant actually do and who does he or she work for?

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. That's why it's 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 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.

Also Read: Uses of virtual assistants for real estate