OMG, VA's are Raking it in

[Jill Carpenter]

Well, I have some work right now and have to bite the bullet and get some help, so I decided to jump into a VA forum and put up a request.

They want like $40 an HOUR some of them!

I realize some of them have 15+years experience, but how much am I going to get from them for this?

That is roughly what I used to get for shooting live weddings - which is a ton more pressure and stress - not to mention going on location and dragging around pounds of video equipment.

I was looking for powerpoint and some scripting - but while waiting today I resolved my powerpoint issues so now I'm just down to some help with writing - which I think I might have some help with too for not nearly as much expense and confident the quality will be just as good if not better.

For $40 an hour I could manage 4 people at $10 an hour - LOL which is probably what some of them are doing anyway.

Heck, I think that's right along the lines of what my brother makes and he has a degree in chemical engineering.

[Steven Fullman]

Right...before my mother's medical acronyms start manifesting....

"VA" = Virtual Assistant...right, Jill?

Assisting someone virtually?

Hasn't there been a WSO about this lately?

Perhaps it "empowered" everyone to set the bar at $40/hr...

I give it a month before the price drops. The market has great self-accountability (if that's an actual phrase)

Steve

[Jill Carpenter]

Yes, virtual assistant.

And you know, I gave a ball park of what would be paid for each job as I would rather pay per job and not by the hour. How do I know if you are working the full hour? LOL

Well thanks. I was thinking maybe it was just me.

I can't blame them for trying/asking - but I have lived primarily in wealthy areas where $40 an hour jobs are not given to someone who is just doing some administrative work.

So, check this out what kinds of jobs pay $40 per hour - Google Search

You can have a "sexy maid" for $40 an hour, or an RN - take your pic. LOL

[fghaegele]

yes, virtual assistant

[Bill Farnham]

Originally Posted by Steven Fullman

The market has great self-accountability (if that's an actual phrase)

Steve

It is now.

(Runs off to check on the .com status for the term )

KJ

[Steven Fullman]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

You can have a "sexy maid" for $40 an hour, or an RN - take your pic. LOL

Decisions, decisions...

TBH, either one is cool with me

I'm with you, though. Pay by the job, not by the hour.

Paying someone you don't know by the hour seems...like a rip-off waiting to happen.

Steve

[Lance K]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

And you know, I gave a ball park of what would be paid for each job as I would rather pay per job and not by the hour. How do I know if you are working the full hour?

About Us - The Marketplace for Online Workteams - oDesk

[Michael Mayo]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

You can have a "sexy maid" for $40 an hour, or an RN - take your pic. LOL

Damit, You totally derailed my train of thought.

Well rather than waist this time trying to think of what I was about to say I'll
just put in my vote for the sexy maid.

Have a Great Day!
Michael

[Chris Lagarde]

I've had good luck with both Rent-A-Coder and Odesk for finding very affordable and quality virtual assistants on different projects. I'm starting to video record (using Camtasia) my instructions for routine ongoing tasks so when one virtual assistant moves on, it's easy to train the next one. Cuts down on the emails and writing.

[KimPup]

Yes, I know Va's (usually in a niche specialty) who charge up to $80.00 per hour! And have been doing so for many years. The great ones make a VERY good living! But I'd say the average is between $25-$45 per hour.

[MLD1985]

So how do you become one of these virtual assistants? Do you sign up at some site or what? Exactly what is it you have to do, good field to be in it sounds like just curious.

[rajuthan]

Post on odesk and getafreelancer average bids $3-4 a hour your obviously looking in the wrong place for va's

[Jill Carpenter]

Originally Posted by Disario85

So how do you become one of these virtual assistants? Do you sign up at some site or what? Exactly what is it you have to do, good field to be in it sounds like just curious.

Google Virtual Assistant Forums

[gotcha]

You are totally looking in the wrong places if you are getting only prices for $40 an hour. I have found VA's in the Philippines who speak great English over skype for $5 an hour. you need to look at odesk and rent a coder and bestjobs.ph. DO NOT HIRE AN INDIAN OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!

[Sydp]

Don't forget that part of the time, these VAs have to look for work and market themselves. Comparing online rates with 'real world' rates is a mistake. Chemical Engineers get insurance and have a steady job. They don't have to go out looking for work to do every day. They also don't front the cost of their equipment.

It's just a different scenario. You can't fault people for actually trying to make a living. I'm not saying you should WANT to pay a VA $40/hour. Just that it's not that shocking a number.

[BIG Mike]

It really depends on the person, how talented, organized and hard working they are. While $40 an hour might seem like a lot, look at it in terms of what they're contributing to your bottom line. In other workds, what is the ROI you're seeing from the VA.

Back in my corporate days, my Administrative Assistant was earning $75K a year. her job was simple on paper, yet incredibly complex - keeping me organized. With a team of 2 secretaries reporting to her, she consistently worked miracles for me.

Take her away and my productivity would have been cut by 60% to 75% easily. And that would equate to the loss of several million dollars annually in new business and direct cost savings on existing operations.

I just mentioned in another thread that surrounding yourself with talented, productive people is key to succeeding - you can't really put a price tag on that.

[KimPup]

Originally Posted by Disario85

So how do you become one of these virtual assistants? Do you sign up at some site or what? Exactly what is it you have to do, good field to be in it sounds like just curious.

Here's a page of mine explaining a bit about VA's
How to become a Virtual Assistant | Ultimate Guide To Making Money Online

[BIG Mike]

Originally Posted by gotcha

You are totally looking in the wrong places if you are getting only prices for $40 an hour. I have found VA's in the Philippines who speak great English over skype for $5 an hour. you need to look at odesk and rent a coder and bestjobs.ph. DO NOT HIRE AN INDIAN OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!

Now that is just the stupidest, most racist, comment I've seen on here in a long, long time

It is absolutely ludicrous to base your outsourcing on a given country, culture, religion, etc. - but then I suppose you've had a chance to work with and evaluate every single Indian VA in India, right? Not!

Look, no matter which country you choose, no matter what the price, you're going to find both good and bad service providers. I've outsourced to what seems like just about every country in the world at one time or another and I've consistently had both good and bad experiences.

It comes down to the individual's performance - not the country they're from. Sheesh!

You really ought to consider apologizing to our members here from India for that comment - there are a lot of Indians who participate in this forum and your comment is offensive to say the least.

[JackPowers]

Originally Posted by Steven Fullman

Decisions, decisions...

TBH, either one is cool with me

I'm with you, though. Pay by the job, not by the hour.

Paying someone you don't know by the hour seems...like a rip-off waiting to happen.

Steve

On the other hand, paying someone you don't know (too little) pr. job just guarantees that they'll be doing your job while also doing 2 other jobs at the same time.

I generally like to try and figure out what a reasonable hourly rate would be in the country they are from and then offer them that. That way, the motivation for them to do well, and keep the hourly wage, is much higher.

[rayneman]

I know a TUN of Warriors will already know about this already, but for those who don't, check out John Jonas site called replacemyself.com

It's one of if not the BEST call i have ever heard about outsourcing. He gives real meat in the call, actual websites to visit and HOW to approach the people on these sites.

He makes an offer at the end of the call. If the price is a bit much,pm me and I'll help ya out.

[Scott Murdaugh]

I just mentioned in another thread that surrounding yourself with talented, productive people is key to succeeding - you can't really put a price tag on that.

My thoughts exactly.

If I found a writer who could write killer copy, emails or even products, or an awesome programmer who was easy to communicate with and did awesome work price wouldn't be an issue.

If they're charging $40 an hour maybe there's a reason for it. And maybe they're worth much more than that. I don't know. I do know it's probably a good idea to look into WHY they command that much when people are willing to do it for $5 an hour...

Maybe the value they bring to the table is a helluva lot more than the asking price?

Most of the time you get what you pay for.

-Scott

[cscarpero]

Odesk would be WAY cheaper for this project.

[jcoolbaugh]

The problem with this line of thinking is that most of these virtual assistants aren't a part of the Warrior Forum/Internet Marketing world. They typically work with brick and mortar businesses who are looking to outsource the bulk of their administrative duties. $40 an hour is peanuts when you take into account that you can pay for only the hours you need, you don't have to pay benefits, and you're saved any sort of employment tax. As BIG Mike stated, it's the ROI you need to be looking at, not the per hour rate.