Seven Years of Working as a Virtual Assistant and Counting

This calls for a celebration! Working as a Virtual Assistant for Seven years? Wow! For me, it’s a milestone because I survived more years of working online than working in an office. I remember when I worked for a BPO company at IT Park, in Lahug, Cebu City, I never lasted for a year. Only ten months to be exact.

How to Become a Virtual Assistant?

Here, I shared at Two Monkeys Travel Group blog about how to become one. I discussed about the skills and tools you need to push through this kind of job.

http://twomonkeystravelgroup.com/2015/10/becoming-virtual-assistant/

How I Started Being a Digital Nomad?

In this blog post, I discussed where I started. From a high school student dreaming of having a job while working at home and at the same time, I can travel with my laptop.

How I Started Being a Digital Nomad

Different Kinds of Digital Nomad

Not just becoming a virtual assistant, you can still get other jobs as a freelance online worker as a travel writer, programmer and graphic designer. These I mentioned are just among the few but there are several opportunities where you can work and travel at the same time.

http://twomonkeystravelgroup.com/2015/07/different-kinds-digital-nomad/

Interview with Remote.Co

I am the first Filipino being featured at Remote.Co and asked me about how I successfully work remotely.

https://remote.co/remote-workers/roxanne-m-tamayo/

Questions and Answers about Freelancing

Friends and strangers sending me emails and messages asking me about how I work as a freelance online worker. I may have lost count already so it is better for me to write a blog post about this as a guide for my readers. For more information, please feel free to drop your questions on the comment box so that I can update this article with answers.

Question #1: Where to find a job?

You can find jobs on the following online job portals such as:

Upwork – I started working with Upwork and I am still working with different clients until now.
Virtual Staff Finder – I have great experience with VSF and I got a client from them as well.
Freelancer – I haven’t experience using this.
OnlineJobs.ph – I have a profile for this and some friends was able to get their first client here.

Question #2: How to charge or rate my hours?

Some clients prefer charging you on a monthly basis and hourly basis.

Monthly basis – starts at $500
Hourly basis – starts at $3

Question #3: What are the challenges being a VA?

Time difference depends with the client
Facebook and other social media distraction
Sitting in front of your computer for a prolong time
Having eye problems
Feeling of loneliness
No 13th month bonus, no company benefits, no paid sick leaves and vacation leaves

Question #4: What are the advantages of being a VA?

Flexible time depends with the client
Pause working for 1 to 2 months then get back to work
Travel anywhere I want to
Eating while working although not recommended

Questions are very much welcome and your answers can be added as well. Feel free to post on the comments below.