As a VA, I get asked all the time, “What does a Virtual Assistant do? The answer is a long one, so I’m writing a post series to answer this question.

You do what is needed to help a business owner run their business. The only difference, you do it from a ‘digital distance.’

Yeah, but what do they actually do? What does their workload look like?

I’m guessing you want a little more specific information than my ‘VAs do all the things’ answer that I gave you above.

To be completely honest, the question is hard to answer because every virtual assistant runs his/her own business, and thus can be whatever they want to be. 

Oops, there I go again with the super vague answer to really big questions, so let’s simplify, shall we?

I want to be thorough, so rather than overwhelming this post with the answer to this question (in all its nuances), I’ve decided to take another approach.

I’ve created a series of posts answering the most common questions I get from other teachers about virtual assisting. Especially the questions from teachers who are wondering how they can earn a little extra income while still teaching. 

In this post series, I’m going to focus on the most common question I get from my teacher friends.

What is a virtual assistant (or VA), and why is it a good side job for teachers?

My response will come in the form of several small-ish, focused blog posts.

This 5-post series will cover…

• What is a VA and who is hiring one?
• What tasks are virtual assistants hired to do?
• How can a VA specialize?
• Why do teachers make great virtual assistants? + Why I think it is the best side job for teachers
• 10 ways to get started as a virtual assistant today!

My experience as a teacher VA

If you want my ‘success story’ you can read it here.

I cannot emphasize enough how great my experience as a virtual assistant has been. 

Unlike teaching, which tends to have a rigid, unchanging schedule, I am drawn to virtual assisting because I can do my VA work from the comfort of my own home or (even better) a booth at my local coffee shop (which I do frequently).

While I was still teaching, I found myself using the skills I developed as a VA to improve the resources I used with my students in my theatre and speech classes and I even adapted the systems of our school.

I learned a lot of technical skills which made me better at creating resources for my students. I listened to business podcasts which changed the way I talked to my students about their future employers and job options, and my new knowledge of digital resources was a lifesaver when the pandemic morphed my classes into a virtual modality.

As my business grew, I took on more clients when my schedule allowed, and I dropped my client load down when the pandemic shut down schools, and I was spending time doing kindergarten from home with my son.

To be honest, I had been investigating the online business world for several years before I became a virtual assistant (Click to see what course I took!), so when I finally started taking on clients, I did so intending to leave the teaching profession and pursue my other interests.

Even though I became a virtual assistant so that I would have an income (and savings) when I finally left the classroom, I truly believe working 5 hours a week as a virtual assistant is a great way to supplement a teaching income. 

It’s time to stop feeling STUCK!

I hear teachers complaining about money all the time, and it bums me out because I get the feeling that a lot of teachers feel stuck.

Do you feel STUCK in teaching?

Maybe you feel stuck because…

• you have maxed out your financial growth.
• you have other interests that you want to pursue, but don’t have the money or time.
• you have big goals that seem too far away (like getting out of debt or becoming a fitness instructor).
• you don’t feel like you have any control over your own potential.
• you want a more flexible schedule.
• you want to take vacations at different times in the year (rather than just the summer).
• you feel like too many people are infringing on your classroom.
• you don’t feel challenged anymore (specifically the good kind of challenge-not the switching to online classes without any knowledge or prep time kind of challenge).

Maybe, if you had some financial motivation in your life outside of school and an outlet for your creativity, you wouldn’t feel so stuck when you’re in your classroom.

Making an extra $300-$600 per month can give you the freedom and flexibility to meet some of your goals, check items off the ol’ bucket list, or even just allow you to pick up your favorite coffee drink on the way to school.

Maybe you’re someone looking for an exit strategy. You are ready to move on to a new profession, but you don’t know what that is yet. Virtual assisting is the perfect first step to switching your day job. Find out why I truly believe this in the 4th post of this series: Why do teachers make great virtual assistants? + Why I think it is the best side job for teachers.

I never intended being a VA to be my end-game, but I knew it was a way to make consistent money within a flexible environment. Once I had more flexibility, I could then decide what I really wanted to do. I have thrown around the ideas of starting a theatre camp for kids, teaching Zumba at the local YMCA, and even writing books and plays. 

What would you do with an extra $600 per month?

What would you do, if you had the time and flexibility to follow your passions + interests?

I hate that so many teachers feel stuck, and I hope that through this series of posts, you will… 

• feel more comfortable with the idea of becoming a virtual assistant.
• learn why virtual assisting is the perfect side job for teachers.
• recognize how becoming a VA is a way to use skills you already have.
• trust me to guide you on your journey to working in the online business world.

Click here to read the first post in the series: What is a VA and who is hiring one?