Dear Gritty VA:
I was recently offered a position with a law firm to work as a Virtual Assistant from home. They want to pay me $11/hr to start and up to $13/hr after one year. I’ve never done this before so what is a realistic per hour charge? –RM
Aye yi yi, there is so much wrong with this picture I almost don’t even know where to begin.
First off, when you are offered a position, you are being offered a JOB. That is telecommuting–not Virtual Assistance.
Virtual Assistance is a profession of self-employed administrative experts. Clients don’t offer us jobs or dictate our professional rates. Virtual Assistants determine their own rates according to the value of their services and what will sustain their business profitably.
Now, if you are happy with a telecommuting job getting paid employee wages, that’s fine and dandy. But please stop confusing our marketplace. If you are working telecommuting jobs, and not running a business nor charging professional fees that YOU determine–not your clients–then call yourself a telecommuter, NOT a Virtual Assistant.
Secondly, I have to shout SHAME, SHAME on this law firm. They are an embarrassment and I find what they are asking of you to be illegal and unethical. What they are proposing is that you work for peanuts from home as an employee for employee level wages while they get out of paying for any of your equipment, office supplies and expenses. They are skirting the law and cheating you out of your rightful employee benefits of SSN, Medicare, disability, unemployment, etc.
Know what that means? You won’t really be getting paid $11, $12 or $13 an hour. By the time you’ve paid for all your own equipment, expenses and "business" costs, and devalued yourself right out of benefits you would normally receive BY LAW, you might end up making $3 or $4 bucks an hour–if you’re lucky.
(By the way, Virtual Assistant rates average $35-70 per hour.)
Come on–use your head. If you’re going to be a Virtual Assistant, first of all understand what Virtual Assistance is. Visit the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce and bone up on what it means to be an independent professional and run your own business on your own terms.
And if you still want to be a telecommuter, at least don’t let people cheat you and take advantage. Insist on being paid as an employee–because that’s what you are–and get the pay, benefits and expense reimbursements you are legally and rightfully entitled to.
Technorati Tags: Virtual Assistant, Virtual Assistance, Business Savvy, Ask Gritty VA
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, the virtual assistant term is really completely idiotic to...
