Gross earnings for a part-time virtual assistant| Hours a week | At $18 an hour | At $22 an hour | At $30 an hour |
|---|
| 10 hours | $180 | $220 | $300 |
| 15 hours | $270 | $330 | $450 |
| 20 hours | $360 | $440 | $600 |
| 15 hours a week over 52 weeks | $14,040 | $17,160 | $23,400 |
Why is the retainer the better model?
A retainer pays for availability, and availability is what the client is actually buying.
An hourly rate prices the hours worked. A retainer prices a block of availability, which is worth more to a client than the hours, because the alternative to an assistant on call is a founder doing the inbox at midnight.
Two details decide whether the retainer works. The number of hours in the block, and what happens in the last hour of the month when the block runs out. A retainer without a cap becomes unpaid overtime at a rate the client never agreed to.
Our guide to part time remote localization translator jobs covers the same retainer logic on a project brief, where the deliverable is a file rather than a calendar.
What should you check before accepting a client?
Six questions, and the first two decide whether the work is worth taking at all.
The first is which accounts and systems you will touch, because access to a business email and a payment system is a different level of risk from calendar work. The second is the hour expectation, because a retainer of fifteen hours usually means twenty hours.
The third is the scope boundary, and the fourth is the payment terms. The fifth is what happens in a month where the work spikes, because a founder's worst month is not the month they planned for.
The sixth is the exit, which should be a written handover plan so that the client can leave without a dispute. Our guide to part time remote job no experience covers the employment type question, because benefits are 30.1 percent of the employer hourly cost.
Which clients pay the most?
Small professional practices and consultancies pay the most, because the work is judgement rather than administration.
A consultancy needs research, a brief and a proposal. That work pays closer to the writing rate of $36.98 an hour than to the admin rate, and it is the part of the market that rewards a specialist.
The lower end is a local business that needs bookings and a weekly social post, and the work is closer to the receptionist rate. Our guide to part time remote social media assistant covers that combination.
How client type moves the rate| Client type | Rate position | Typical work |
|---|
| Local business owner | Lower band | Bookings, inbox, posts |
| Founder with a growing business | Mid band | Inbox, calendar, reporting |
| Consultancy | Top band | Research, briefs, proposals |
| Company hiring a part-time assistant | Published rate | Defined admin support |
How do you find virtual assistant work?
Two channels work, and the second one is the job.
The first is the marketplace, where the rate is per hour or per task and the clients are small. It is a reasonable place to build references and to learn which part of the work you are fastest at.
The second is direct, usually a referral from an existing client or a specialist site. A referral is the highest paying source in this market, because the client has already seen the work.
Our guide to part time remote chat support jobs covers the adjacent service route.
Two questions to ask in any enquiry. Which systems will I have access to, and how many hours a week does the retainer actually cover.
What changes about virtual assistant work next?
Expect the inbox and the calendar to be automated and the research to hold its value.
Three forces shape the next two years. Scheduling and drafting tools have absorbed much of the routine admin, which pushes the rate down on the low band.
Remote work has made the assistant role normal rather than unusual, which has widened the supply of people who can do it.
The third is the research side. Businesses need market and supplier briefs faster than they can hire, and that work needs judgement rather than a template.
For a candidate the conclusion is that an assistant who only manages an inbox is competing with a tool, and an assistant who produces a brief is competing on judgement.
Next steps
Work out which part of the work you are fastest at, and price that part first.
- Compare the rate with the $48,310 administrative assistant median
- Ask which accounts and systems you will have access to
- Ask how many hours the retainer really covers, because it is usually more
- Set a cap on the retainer and write down what happens in a spike month
- Confirm the payment terms before you start
- Use a referral if you can, because it pays the best
One final thought. The pay figures here are occupation medians and published employer rates, which is the best guide available before you apply.
htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation profile gives the entry requirements and the training picture for administrative support work, which is the quickest way to check what a client will ask for.
Photo: Pexels, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/apple-calendar-desk-ipad-tablet-1867752/)
Fazlur Rahman
