Ways to become a VA

Looking for VA jobs take some time, effort and careful evaluation. There are numerous VA job postings out there that may seem to be a good opportunity at first but only to find out that your time and effort is not worth the compensation you will get. There are various ways to become a Virtual Assistant - which can be any of the following:

1. Freelancer: In being a freelancer, you can go to sites like Short Task, Cloud Crowd, Freelancer or Odesk. These sites offer pay-per-task agreement. I have tried Short Task and Cloud Crowd but I just find the rates rather small. A few cents can go far I know but I just didn't have the time and patience to watch those cents pile up.They remit payment promptly though.Freelancer and Odesk, are two popular sites to go to hook up a VA job. However, I have not figured out the art of effective bidding for VA jobs on these sites.
   
2. Independent Contractor: I prefer to be an independent contractor. Offering my VA services as an independent contractor gives me the ability to set my rate per hour. All specifications like hours of work per day, a full description of the duties to be performed and the method of compensation is stipulated on a black and white agreement.
   
3. Sub-Contractor: To be a VA sub-contractor, you have to look for companies or senior VA's open to this set-up because they already have an existing client database. Join their group by "applying" as a sub-contractor. If they find your VA skills fit to any of the skills that their clients are looking for then they "might" get in touch with you. Based from my experience though, this takes a lot of wait time and some are just not giving any follow up feedback after your "application".

On my next blog, I will share what sites have a wide-range of Virtual Assistant job opportunities especially for Independent Contractors.