Virtual assistant

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Virtual Assistant (or simply VA), is a business owner providing professional level administrative, marketing, operations, technical, or sometimes creative assistance to clients--usually to other independent entrepreneurs and solo and small business practices. Some VA's even provide services to larger corporations. Virtual assistants work from their own office (hence "virtual"), thus making it a fairly popular (and growing) profession. It is estimated that there are about 5,000-8,000 virtual assistants worldwide.

Common modes of communication and data delivery include the Internet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), email, conference calls, online work spaces, and fax machine. Professionals in this business work on a contractual basis and a long-lasting cooperation is standard. Typically 5 years of administrative experience in an office is expected at such positions as executive assistant, office manager, marketing manager, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, etc.

[edit] Worker classifications

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  • The traditional employee is managed and directed by the employer they work for. They are paid a salary with employment taxes deducted by the employer. Work is directed, managed and supervised by the employer.
  • A temp worker is an employee of a staffing agency who goes on-site to employer (customer) premises. They are paid by the staffing agency they work for, while their on-site work and activities are managed, directed and supervised by the employer, who is a customer of the staffing agency.
  • A virtual assistant is an independent contractor, not an employee. They set their own rates, operating standards and policies, pay their own self-employment taxes, and manage the work and how it is carried out.