Many people are looking for virtual employment opportunities. One potential career path that people stumble upon is that of a virtual assistant. It can be difficult trying to decide what type of assistant you want to be. Many people also don’t truly realize just how many opportunities are actually available!

7 Types of Virtual Assistance Jobs

There are countless options available. However, a virtual assistant job should be one that pays well regardless of if you use this gig as just a side hustle or a full time job. The virtual assistance opportunities listed below make at least $20 an hour!

Administrative Work

Many company owners do not have the time to handle their administrative tasks. That is when a virtual administrative assistant becomes a key component to a company. Tasks that are handled by this virtual assistant  include dealing with billing and accounting, handling customer care, handling emails, coordinating, leads management, and more. You can typically see anywhere from $20 to $40 an hour depending on the level of assistance needed. These types of opportunities are also great online virtual assistant jobs for beginners because they typically have more manageable tasks.

Transcription Services

If you excel in skills like typing, researching, listening, and speaking, then you may find that a virtual assistant position in transcription services may be right for you. This field specializes in converting audio to text from different areas like medical, real-time, or just general. You can expect to make at least $25 an hour on average!

Graphic Design

A virtual assistant dealing with graphic design provides support in creating a brand like making business cards, website images, graphics, logos, animation, and much, much more. These types of legit virtual assistant jobs can get you an average of $45 an hour, so this could be a great fit for those who are more creative.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a specific field of work that has begun booming as of late. These businesses are very tech savvy and require assistants who are able to keep up with ever-changing trends in technology. Responsibilities of this virtual assistant include content management, media marketing campaigns, WordPress, search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, and more. This specific type of assistant role pays an average of $23 an hour!

Customer Care Support

When businesses start dealing with success, they begin dealing with volumes of customers that they may not be used to. This is when customer care support is a key role for virtual assistants to fill. This type of assistance deals with enhancing customer satisfaction through means of responding to customer points of contact like emails, reviews, phone calls, and more. You can expect to see $25 an hour at a position like this.

Travel Bubble

It can be difficult for people to handle their travel plans when dealing with all of their other aspects of life. Some find that they may need to employ help from a virtual assistant to manage their travel needs. You can enjoy creating travel itineraries, scheduling flights, finding the right accommodations, all within a specified budget. You may even find that your boss rewards you with trips as well! Jobs like this typically make an average of $24 an hour.

Language Translation

Being bilingual means you have more job opportunities than others. If you know more than one language you can become a virtual assistant for language translation. This will include translating important documents like contracts and transcripts from one language to another in order to help businesses. Due to the fact you need to know more than one language, you can expect to make $38 on average as a translation virtual assistant! These types of options are also great virtual assistant jobs for beginners if you already speak the language.

Some Advantages of Working as a Virtual Assistant

There are many benefits to choosing a virtual assistant as your line of work. However, some popular potential benefits are:

• Saving money on gas and being able to catch up on sleep when you work from home. The lack of commute means you don’t have to put time aside to drive to an office every day, instead you can enjoy the morning how you like before starting work.
• Flexibility on your work hours. Since many virtual assistants are needed for specific tasks, this can provide flexibility which can be especially helpful for single parents.
• Affordable cost to start. Many people need to buy business professional clothing, gas for work, etc. However, all that you need for this type of job is a laptop, wifi, and potentially some additional software but once these upfront costs are spent, you don’t need to spend much additional costs after the fact.
• You can control who your clients are, what services you can offer, and how much you cost for your help. Websites like Upwork connect people looking for services to those who set a rate for themselves!

How Can You Become a Virtual Assistant

Luckily, this is also a career path that does not require a lot of experience or schooling. There are both virtual assistant jobs part time and full time. Regardless, you will need other important skills like time management, fast typing ability, critical thinking prowess, strong organization, and more skills of the like. You will also want to understand the industry that you are looking to get into so that you can craft your resume to know what employers look for the most.

Overall, there are many different fields available for a virtual assistant, you just need to put yourself out there. It doesn’t hurt to write multiple versions of your resume to cater to each specific field that you may be interested in working in. This will allow you to have the ability to submit many more applications at once in hopes of landing your desired role!

Other Side Gigs to Consider

Sometimes people only consider a virtual assistant job when they want a form of extra income. Luckily, if a virtual assistant job doesn’t seem like a good fit for you, there are other options! Many people also consider:

• Ride-Sharing
• Food or Grocery Delivery
• Freelance Opportunities
• Tutoring
• Selling Items Online
• Babysitting
• Pet Sitting
• Housecleaning

Ride-Sharing

Apps like Lyft and Uber provide a platform for drivers and ride-sharers. Many people use these apps when they need a quick ride, and drivers that will help bring the person to their destination get paid. The benefit to this side gig option is the fact that it allows flexible hours and provides decent pay. The median hourly rate for a ride-share driver is $15!

Food or Grocery Delivery

Many people love restaurant food but don’t love leaving their house to enjoy it. That is why food delivery apps have become so popular! When you deliver food, you can drop off the food to the customer from the restaurant, like a delivery driver except for a variety of locations. Influences like the location, the app you use, and how much you work will impact how much you can make. For example, if you use Grubhub then the average hourly rate is roughly $12.

The same concept applies to groceries. A lot of the time, people are too busy to plan out and execute a trip to the grocery store, especially those with busy work schedules, those who are parents, etc. That is why grocery delivery has become more popular as well. Apps like Instacart allow users to pick out grocery items they want, and have a person shop for and deliver groceries to them! The average pay for this gig is $15.63 an hour.

Freelance Opportunities

Have a knack for a special skill like digital design, website creation, etc.? Then you can use platforms like Fiverr to market yourself to those who need special jobs done. When a person is looking for someone to finish a job for them, they can use Fiverr to find freelancers who may be able to help. There are a variety of opportunities available so see what your talent is, and capitalize from it! The average rate of a freelancer is $20/hour. Factors like the skill that you can provide, how often you take on projects, and the type of project you get done can impact how much you are able to make.

Tutoring

Are you knowledgeable on a certain topic or subject? Then you may be able to offer tutoring services on the side! Tutoring not only provides you the opportunity to earn some extra cash, but also provides you the opportunity to help those that need to learn. Some people choose to tutor on their own while others go to tutoring companies to handle the process from there. Regardless, the average hourly pay of a tutor is $15.

Selling Items Online

There are plenty of ways to sell your old clutter online. After a deep clean, it is common to find things around your house that you don’t need or use anymore. When you find these items, instead of throwing them out, you can sell them. Like the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Make sure you aren’t throwing away cash that you could get.

Babysitting

Many parents need help watching their kids. When they can’t turn to friends or family, they may turn to online platforms that provide the opportunity to look through potential babysitters. Platforms like Care.com provide parents the chance to look through qualified applicants to find someone to help watch their kids. The best part? As a babysitter, you can set your own schedule around your free time. You can search through listings that fit your lifestyle!

Pet Sitting

Not a huge fan of children but still want to take care of something? Then pet sitting may be a great option for you. Pet owners need people to watch their pets when they are out of town, get sick, etc. The type of pet you watch is up to you. However, also knowing how to provide specialized care for exotic pets could lead to more money making opportunities. There are platforms that you can use like Rover that can help you begin finding work as a pet sitter. The average pet sitter makes $15 an hour!

House Cleaning

It can be hard to thoroughly clean your house, especially when you have a hectic schedule, messy kids, etc. That is why some people choose to employ a house cleaner. If you are able to clean a house well, you can even build up a clientele that keep coming back for your service. There are countless house cleaning platforms and companies that you can look into. House cleaners make an average of $15.12/hour but with enough cliente, that could be even more.

Still Need More Money?

Have you tried a side gig or career change and still find yourself needing more money? Then it may be time to look at additional assistance options. There may be some federal benefits available that can help your current situation. Popular government assistance programs are:

• Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8 Housing)
• Low Income Home Energy Affordable Program (LIHEAP)
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Some big expenses that people deal with is their cost of housing, their utilities, and their groceries. That is why the government created programs aimed to help deal with these costs.

Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8 Housing)

This is a popular housing program for those in need. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines affordable housing as costing no more than 30% of a person’s income every month. When housing costs exceed that threshold, it can lead people to become cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households can deal with more financial stress and hardship.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program (also known as Section 8 housing) provides housing vouchers that can go towards the cost of housing. People that receive vouchers can use them anywhere that vouchers are accepted. However, it is important to note that properties are not required to accept this as a form of payment which can limit where you can move. It is also important to note that there is currently an affordable housing crisis which means there is a lot of demand but not enough supply.

If you are interested in this form of assistance then you can submit an application at your local public housing authority (PHA). The best part? These applications are free! Applicants that are accepted for this form of government assistance are typically put onto a waiting list. These list wait times vary by location and level of need!

Low Income Home Energy Affordable Program (LIHEAP)

Utilities are another big bill that American households need to deal with. Instead of dealing with them alone, you may be able to qualify for government assistance. LIHEAP can go towards the cost of heating and cooling as well as minor energy home repairs, weatherization of the home, and during energy crises.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Everyone needs to eat, it is essential for survival. Dealing with the costs of food can be too much to handle for some families, especially those with many mouths to feed. SNAP (also referred to as food stamps) provides funds to go to families to go towards the costs of food in the form of a prepaid debit card. On average recipients receive $133 a month.