How to Become a Virtual Assistant in 2025

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

Discover virtual assistant opportunities and trends, as well as the steps to launch your VA career.

[Featured image] A virtual assistant wears a white blouse and works remotely on their laptop with a red planner and coffee cup to their right.

Thanks to the onset of remote work, virtual assistants are increasingly in demand. Becoming a virtual assistant can be a flexible career choice, offering the opportunity to work from home or another remote location as long as you have a solid internet connection.

Discover what a virtual assistant is, their major responsibilities, and how to get started in this career. If you're interested in building a foundational skill set to be a virtual assistant, consider enrolling in the Microsoft 365 Fundamentals Specialization, where you'll have the opportunity to learn how to use a suite of productivity-enhancing applications.

What is a virtual assistant job?

A virtual assistant (VA) is an administrative professional who offers remote support to businesses. By handling administrative tasks, virtual assistants help companies of all sizes improve their operations.

VAs can work as freelancers and take on several clients at once or work as long-term employees for one company. The virtual assistant services offered most frequently include:

What does a virtual assistant do? 

Virtual assistants typically offer support through a range of functions. If they work in an administrative capacity, they'll handle tasks such as email correspondence, scheduling, travel arrangements, and presentation support, enabling a company's leadership to focus on bigger business goals. If they work in another capacity, they'll support the larger efforts of a team.

Because of the virtual nature of their work, virtual assistants rely on technology to communicate with their supervisor or team in order to understand their needs and offer relevant support. Some common virtual assistant services include:

CategoriesCommon VA services
AdministrativeScheduling and calendar management, typing services call-in orders, data entry, file management, time management, email management, phone answering, client intake, contacting clients, confirmation calls, transcription, travel arrangements, and expense reporting
TechnologyIT support, development, and engineering
MarketingDigital marketing support, email marketing, content marketing, and social media management
Accounting and financeExpenses and invoices, accounting assistance, bookkeeping, transaction coordinator, loan processing assistance, and billing
Design and creativeWeb design and development, graphic design, audio and video editing, content creation, and writing and editing
SalesOutbound calling, telemarketing, inside sales, sales development, sales assistance, lead generation, CRM automation, and store management
Customer supportChat support, help desk support, and customer service
MultilingualTranslation and bilingual sales
ResearchE-commerce product research, research and reporting, fact checking, and gathering survey results
Project managementProject management and project coordination

Virtual assistant talent marketplaces

Various talent marketplaces are available for virtual assistants to source clients and businesses. Fiverr and Upwork are among the more popular and well-known talent pools.

Other talent pools include:

Some advantages these talent pools offer are secure payments, client matching, the ability to build a detailed profile and description of your services, and access to success tips and educational resources. In addition, VAs on these talent marketplaces may be able to find work at industry-leading companies such as GE, Microsoft, Airbnb, COTY, Meta, Google, and AWS.

How much do virtual assistants make?

Virtual assistant salaries and hourly rates can differ. We've compiled information from the more popular job sites below:

  • Glassdoor: $53,000 median total US salary* [1]

  • Indeed: $27.12 per hour or $81,703 per year in the US [2]

  • ZipRecruiter: $24 per hour or $50,749 per year in the US [3]

*Glassdoor salary information represents the median total pay as of September 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

A virtual assistant's income depends on several factors, including:

  • The services you offer

  • The prices you charge

  • The country you live in

  • Your skills and expertise

Another useful strategy for estimating how much you can make is to click through virtual assistant profiles on different marketplaces. How much do other VAs charge for their services? Here are some examples of information you can gather:

  • On Fiverr, you keep 80 percent of your earnings. 

  • On Upwork, you can set hourly rates or project rates.

What qualifications do you need to be a virtual assistant?

Virtual assistant roles typically do not require a specific educational background, though some colleges and universities offer opportunities to become certified as a virtual assistant prior to job hunting. In these programs, you may gain skills in business and branding, project management, and leadership. 

How to become a virtual assistant

Learn some of the common steps you can follow to become a virtual assistant.

1. Decide what types of services you will offer. 

Examine common talent marketplaces to better understand the types of services that virtual assistants offer and determine where your experience and skill set will best fit. Consider whether you'd like to pursue a full-time position remotely or offer your services as a freelancer.

2. Build relevant skills.

Once you know what type of support you want to offer, assess your skills and experience. What skills are your ideal clients looking for in a virtual assistant? What skills do you possess that can help you offer value to clients? What skill gaps will you need to fill? 

3. Create an online presence.

An online presence can make it easier to promote your virtual assistant services, display your skills and experience, and find new clients. Review your services, skills, experiences, letters of recommendation, and testimonials. Draft clear, compelling copy, such as a value proposition, mission statement, services list, and “About Me” paragraph. Then, set up any or all of the following:

  • Website 

  • Online portfolio

  • Profiles on virtual assistant talent marketplace sites

  • Social media accounts specifically for promoting your VA services

Read more: How to Create a Striking LinkedIn Profile: Guide + Tips

4. Look for virtual assistant jobs.

There are several ways you can earn income as a VA, including:

  • Part-time virtual assistant jobs 

  • Temporary VA gigs

  • Full-time VA positions

  • Starting your own VA business

Watch this short video, "Get Found by Buyers," from the CalArts Building Your Freelancing Career Specialization, for ideas on how to get potential clients to notice your work.

Take the next step in your career using these free resources 

Looking to make a career change? Not sure where to start? Look to our Career Resource Hub for guidance. You can also explore additional free digital resources, such as:

Accelerate your career growth with a Coursera Plus subscription. When you enroll in either the monthly or annual option, you’ll get access to over 10,000 courses.

Article sources

1. 

Glassdoor. "Salary: Virtual Assistant in United States, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/virtual-assistant-salary-SRCH_KO0,17.htm." Accessed September 11, 2025.

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