Find out how teachers are using their transferable skills to create successful Virtual Assistant businesses.
Are you a teacher who is looking for a career change that will …
Make the best use of all your transferable teacher skills?
Give you autonomy, flexibility, scalability and an ongoing sense of achievement?
Allow you to thrive in a remote business of your very own?
You would make an AMAZING Virtual Assistant (VA)!
Teachers are natural multitaskers, expert communicators, and masters of organisation - qualities that extend far beyond the classroom. From managing projects and solving problems to creating content and juggling diverse tasks, teachers are incredibly well-equipped to step into this flexible, rewarding career.
In this blog, I'll explore why teachers make exceptional VAs …
What is a Virtual Assistant?
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s address the elephant in the room: what IS a virtual assistant? Maybe this job title is entirely new to you, or perhaps you’ve heard of it before but still aren’t exactly sure what it is that virtual assistants do. Let’s clear that up now …
A virtual assistant works remotely to offer administrative, technical or creative support to clients and their businesses. Virtual assistants tend to be self-employed, and work on a freelance basis with a number of different clients at any one time. They might specialise in a particular niche area (more on that later!) or maybe target a specific client base.
Core Transferable Skills
I know lots of teachers who have gone on to be incredibly successful Virtual Assistants. They’re all equipped with these same core transferable skills - and if you’re a teacher, so are you! Here are some of the key skills that transfer outside of the classroom, and why they’re so useful to the world of virtual assistance:
☆ Communication - Teachers are excellent communicators; well versed in adapting their messaging for different audiences, handling difficult conversations and conveying important information succinctly and sensitively. As a VA, these skills will put you in a great position to communicate with clients effectively on a remote-basis.
☆ Problem-Solving - Teachers are used to solving a myriad of problems (both big and small!) throughout the school day. As a VA, you’ll be able to make use of these skills to troubleshoot tasks, streamline workflows and anticipate client needs.
☆ Creativity - Teachers have creative skills in abundance (whether you’re a teacher of the arts or not!) This will stand you in great stead as a VA, as you get those creative juices flowing to create your website, market your business online and come up with creative ideas and solutions for your clients.
☆ Organisation - Teachers have to be organised … and often have to organise their students too! As a VA, you’ll be managing multiple clients, competing priorities and numerous tasks at once - that’s where those organisational skills will really come in handy.
☆ Time Management - Teachers are confidently able to stick to deadlines and manage their time outside of the core teaching timetable. As a VA, you’ll be the master of your own time and often your clients will rely on you to keep them on schedule (or give them a gentle nudge to stay on track!) too.
Whilst you may not be feeling like the most confident version of yourself right now, I promise you that you DO have all of these skills. You might also have some specialist skills and talents which could help you to craft your VA niche. Let’s take a look at some common areas to specialise in …
Specialisms
It’s time to let those specialist skills of yours really come into a world of their own! Are you a computer whizz? You could be a tech VA! Talented with words? I know you’d be a great copywriter. There are SO MANY different areas that you could specialise in as a virtual assistant, do any of these take your fancy?
Social Media Management
Content Creation
LinkedIn Assistant
E-Commerce Support
Property Admin
Bookkeeping and Finance
Customer Support
Technical Support
General Admin Support
Event Planning
Podcast Assistant
Launch Assistant
Research
Website Management
Perks of Becoming a VA
Why pursue this career path? What is it about becoming a VA that is so attractive? There a number of fantastic benefits that come with setting up your own business as a virtual assistant, here are just a few:
☆ Flexibility in Schedule - Set your own hours so that you can fit your own in around other commitments … working when you want, and taking time off when you want to achieve the work-life balance that suits you.
☆ Remote Work Opportunities - All you need is an internet connection and then you can work from wherever you choose! At home, in a cafe or even whilst travelling - the world is truly your oyster with this job!
☆ Variety - No two days are the same as a VA as you work for a range of different clients, across different tasks and with plenty of ways to develop along the way.
☆ Independence and Autonomy - If you felt stifled or that you weren’t always trusted in your teaching role, this is one of the best things about running your own business! Manage your own workload, choose your own clients and ultimately make your own decisions about everything from the day-to-day to the big picture.
☆ Scalability - With the right tools, you can make your VA business as big (or as small) as you choose. If you’re looking for a slower pace, you might want to take on a reduced number of hours of work, to allow yourself the flexibility for other aspects of your life. If you want to increase your earning potential, there are also ways to scale up and make more money.
☆ Low Startup Costs - Setting up as a VA requires a very minimal initial investment, compared with other business startups. This makes it an extremely accessible option for those who have the time to put into making it successful.
Making a Transition Plan
Interested in becoming a VA?
As a teacher, this career option is MORE THAN achievable for you. And having a new business idea can also be incredibly exciting!
But I do know that the thought of setting up your own business and understanding where to start with it all can also be daunting and overwhelming.
If you are interested in crafting your transition plan, to move away from teaching and setup as a virtual assistant, I’m holding a free webinar ‘Teacher to VA: Skills to Create Your Virtual Assistant Business’ to break down the knowledge, tools and confidence to get started on your journey to becoming a VA. Click here to join the webinar. Can’t wait to see you there!
Categories: : Virtual Assistants