science

Virtual assistant (occupation)

Virtual assistant (occupation) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Virtual assistant (occupation) rather than just read about it. In short: A virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients remotely from a home office. Because virtual assistants are independent contractors rather than employees, clients are not responsible for any employee-related taxes, insurance, or benefits, except in the c…

Key takeaways

Virtual assistant (occupation) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Virtual assistant (occupation) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Virtual assistant (occupation) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients remotely from a home office. Because virtual assistants are independent contractors rather than employees, clients are not responsible for any employee-related taxes, insurance, or benefits, except in the context that those indirect expenses are included in the VA's fees. Clients also avoid the logistical problem of providing extra office space, equipment, or supplies. Clients pay for 100% productive work and can work with virtual assistants, individually, or in multi-VA firms to meet their exact needs. Virtual assistants usually work for other small businesses but can also support busy executives. It is estimated that there are as few as 5,000 to 10,000 or as many as 25,000 virtual assistants worldwide. The profession is growing in centralized economies with "fly-in fly-out" staffing practices.

Pay and salary In terms of pay, according to Glassdoor, the annual salary for virtual assistants in the US is $35,922. However, worldwide, many virtual assistants work as freelancers on an hourly wage. One recent survey involving 400 virtual assistants on the popular freelancer site Upwork shows a huge discrepancy in hourly pay commanded by virtual assistants in different countries.

Modes of communication Common modes of communication and data delivery include the internet, e-mail and phone-call conferences, online workspaces, and fax machine. Increasingly, virtual assistants are utilizing technology such as Skype and Zoom, Slack, as well as Google Voice. Professionals in this business work on a contractual basis, and long-lasting cooperation is standard. Typically, office administrative experience is expected in positions such as executive assistant, office manager/supervisor, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, and information technology. In recent years, virtual assistants have also worked their way into many mainstream businesses, and with the advent of VOIP services such as Skype and Zoom, it has been possible to have a virtual assistant who can answer phone calls remotely, without the end user's knowledge. This allows businesses to add a personal touch in the form of a receptionist, without the additional cost of hiring someone.

Types

Virtual assistants consist of individuals as well as companies who work remotely as independent professionals, providing a wide range of products and services, both to businesses and consumers. Virtual assistants perform many different roles, including typical secretarial work, website editing, social media marketing, customer service, data entry, accounts (MYOB, Quick books), and many other remote tasks. Virtual assistants come from a variety of business backgrounds, but most have several years' experience earned in the "real" (non-virtual) business world, or several years' experience working online or remotely.

Dedicated virtual assistants

A dedicated virtual assistant is someone working in the office under the management of a company. The facility and internet connection as well as training are provided by the company, though not in all cases. The home-based virtual assistant works either in an office sharing environment or from home. General VAs are sometimes called an online administrative assistant, online personal assistant, or online sales assistant. A virtual webmaster assistant, virtual marketing assistant, and virtual content writing assistant are specific professionals that are usually experienced employees from corporate environments who have set up their own virtual offices.

In popular culture Virtual assistants were an integral part of the 2007 bestselling book The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. Ferriss claimed to have hired virtual assistants to check his email, pay his bills, and run parts of his company.

See also Crowdsourcing Virtual volunteering Virtual office Virtual team

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Virtual assistant (occupation)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Virtual assistant (occupation) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Virtual assistant (occupation) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Virtual assistant (occupation) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Virtual assistant (occupation)

In research: Virtual assistant (occupation) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Virtual assistant (occupation) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Virtual assistant (occupation) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Assistance, Office and administrative support occupations, Telecommuting, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Virtual assistant (occupation) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Virtual assistant (occupation) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Virtual assistant (occupation) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Virtual assistant (occupation) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Virtual assistant (occupation) in simple terms?

Why does Virtual assistant (occupation) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Virtual assistant (occupation)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Virtual assistant (occupation).