If you’re considering a career as a virtual assistant (VA), or if you’re already in the field and looking to enhance your skills, taking a virtual assistant course can be a game-changer. ZipRecruiter’s research shows the majority of VAs make between $19 and $33 an hour, and the higher pay typically goes to VAs with specialized services like digital marketing, bookkeeping, and more.
Formal training and certification not only help you learn these skills, they level-up your credibility and marketability. Clients may be more likely to trust and hire virtual assistants who have undergone professional training.
But with hundreds of virtual assistant courses to choose from, how do you narrow it down? Let’s explore some of the best courses out there.
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Courses to Become a Virtual Assistant
To put you at ease when you’re a beginner, we recommend a virtual assistant course that teaches you how to get started as a VA. These range from free, high-level overviews to extensive programs that walk you through the process step by step.
1. VA Foundations by Fully Booked VA
Fully Booked VA’s Gina Horkey started her virtual assistant business in 2014 as a side hustle alternative to corporate America’s long hours and joyless work. She set a goal to leave her 9-to-5 job in a year and did it in 8 months, so she designed a comprehensive program to help others achieve this financial freedom and flexibility.
Key Features
- 12 Modules with over 80 lessons and Gina Horkey’s virtual assistant certification once you complete the program. You’ll learn how to choose your business structure, decide what services you will offer, set your prices, build an online presence, and how to land clients.
- Weekly live group coaching for 3 months.
- Templates to help you launch and organize your business, including scripts for soliciting clients, email marketing, and services lists
- 3 months of access to vetted leads and the option to subscribe longer
Pricing
- $997 for lifetime access for VA Foundations including 6 specialized skills courses on freelance writing, email management, project management and more. If you want to take VA Foundations by itself without the skills courses, it is $497.
- Payment plans are available.
Free Options
- You can read Fully Booked VA’s Free Guide or sign up to get free resources such as self-assessments and VA services lists via email.
Pros
- Fully Booked prepares students for both primary aspects of the field — how to do the work and how to run your business.
- The course thinks of everything, including things you may not even know you need to know like getting clients to sign contracts, deciding what your niche is, how to build your website, and figuring out how much to charge.
- Self-paced lessons allow you to make it work with almost any schedule — whether you can devote full-time concentration to it or need to squeeze it in around your day job or child care.
- Lifetime money-back guarantee.
Cons
- To request a refund, you’ll need to provide documentation that you worked the program — got certified, sent at least 100 pitches, attended 5 coaching sessions — and did not recoup your investment. But this is still one of the more generous money-back offers we’ve seen.
2. The Savvy System
If there’s a gold standard in VA training, The Savvy System by Abbey Ashley just might be it. The program thoroughly teaches students both primary aspects of the field — how to do the work and how to organize and run your business.
Key Features
- 14 Modules on topics like discovering your skillset, marketing and branding, legal considerations for entrepreneurs, setting and raising your prices, even what colors to use for your branding.
- Monthly coaching calls, community support, job leads, proposal reviews.
- Templates and bonus items like sample contracts.
Pricing
- 3 Pricing tiers: Standard $997, Pro $1,497, and Ultimate $2,997
- Payment plans are available
Free Options
- Check out The Virtual Savvy’s Free Training or the site’s many free articles and videos.
Pros
- Abbey’s lessons help you figure out what services to offer and then package them to make them attractive to clients.
- Her videos, content, guides, and bonus items are professionally produced and engaging.
- Encouragement to complete milestones pops up throughout the program to help you stay motivated.
Cons
- The volume of content could be overwhelming, especially if you want to launch fast and don’t have mega free time to commit. To counteract that, they provide lifetime access to the course, so you can go at your own pace.
3. Virtual Excellence Academy
The digital nomads behind Virtual Excellence Academy (VEA), Hannah Dixon and Valentina Mercenaro, emphasize exceptional community support for their students. They’re not afraid to have fun with a website that boasts how many VA students they’ve trained and how many burritos they’ve eaten.
Key Features
- The program targets brand new VAs and those struggling to make their business work who want expert guidance.
- 10 modules with a key emphasis on setting up and running your business, and several practical topics like optimizing your work space, overcoming fears in business, and using AI for efficiency.
- Coaching opportunities include “Ask Me Anything” sessions every two weeks with Hannah, weekly coworking meetings so you can connect with peers, and more.
- Bonuses include on-demand videos and a new course teaching you how to leverage artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT.
Pricing
- $900 for VEA or you can get their Legacy Edition course bundle for $1,300
- Payment plans available
Free Options
They offer a free 5-Day VA Challenge or request the free beginner’s guide to get a feel for the vibe and teaching style.
Pros
- This course is so committed to providing an ongoing community of support, they do not charge subscription fees to their Facebook group called “The Inner Circle.” This sets them apart from many other virtual assistant courses.
- The price is lower than other comprehensive courses, especially when you factor in lifetime access to the coaching community.
Cons
- You can only take this course when registration is open.
- The lessons aren’t all on video; you’ll need to be ready to read written content.
- No refund option means you’ll want to throw yourself into this program and see it through to get your money’s worth.
4. $10K VA
According to Kayla Sloan who created $10K VA, the solution to frustrations with your inflexible 9-to-5 job and its limited growth opportunities is for you to become a virtual assistant. She takes you step by step through the process she used to succeed so you can learn from her triumphs and avoid frustration.
Key Features
- Kayla’s 7 modules cover what services to consider, how to land clients, set rates, and particular emphasis on establishing efficient business practices. Your purchase also gets you video interviews with successful VAs.
- The closed Facebook group lets you connect with other beginners as well as successful VAs. You’ll also get access to vetted job leads from clients looking for VAs through Kayla’s site.
- This program includes bonus templates, checklists, and worksheets to save you time.
Pricing
- $497 gets you the VA course, and if you want additional learning you can add the “Course Launch VA Academy” for $297.
- Payment plans available.
Free Options
- Consider taking their free course “5 Steps to Become a Virtual Assistant” if you’re not ready to invest in training yet.
Pros
- Lifetime course access.
- Lowest price on this list of comprehensive courses.
Cons
- The lower price tag is helpful, but you won’t get the niche courses that come with other higher-priced courses. You can buy a course on “Course Launch VAs” or “Podcast VAs” separately.
- No refunds.
5. 90 Day VA
The 90 Day VA approach is a virtual assistant course geared toward “parents, military spouses, and travel lovers.” Creator Esther Iman designed her program to get students up and running in 90 days or less.
Key Features
- 5 modules that cover how to capitalize on skills you already have, building a pro portfolio, branding, marketing, getting paid, and staying connected to a support network.
- The price includes a month of community access, Q & A sessions, and several templates, blueprints, and a month of job board access.
Pricing
- $997 for 90 Day VA only, and $1,497 if you want to add mentoring features.
- Payment plans are available.
Pros
- This virtual assistant course drills down on social media skills which can be critical to your business.
- The job board and lifetime access to updates helps you keep building your business.
- Esther’s straight-shooter style of teaching gives you an honest look at the business and keeps lessons engaging.
Cons
- Other courses offer longer subscriptions to community access for the same price, but if that’s not as important to you, there’s still plenty of valuable content in this course.
Virtual Assistant Courses That Teach Skills to Make More Money
If you’re ready to expand your services or go deeper into your niche market, take a look at these skill-specific courses. VAs who niche down can often charge higher prices and their elite skill sets make them more competitive.
- Bookkeeping: All businesses have to manage their money and many entrepreneurs hate doing the books. By stacking bookkeeping services onto your VA business, you can offer a high-demand skill. Learn more with Brilliant Bookkeeper.
- Proofreading: This is a great skill either on its own or to add to your VA support. And proofreading is an excellent additional offering for any client with written content that needs to be error-free. Learn more about Proofreading Launchpad by checking out our free training on how to make this a 4-figure side hustle.
- Digital Marketing: Companies that see the value in running ads on Facebook and Instagram often don’t have the time or skill to do it. They can outsource it to you, their trusty VA. This is a great side hustle you can stack on to your VA business to maximize your earning potential.
- Pinterest VA: You can learn how to create visually appealing pins and maintain a consistent posting schedule. You’ll also learn how to track data to improve your client’s account traffic and create sales funnels, opt-ins, and more.
- Podcasting VA: Podcasts are hot, so the demand for producers and editors is high. Take a look at Podcast Production School by FullyBookedVA or The Podcast Kit by Digital Nomad Kit.
Final Word on Virtual Assistant Courses
When selecting a course, think about what kind of course content is most important to you. If you have some experience under your belt and are ready to fine tune, you may not need a comprehensive course. If you’re just getting started, the investment in a step-by-step program can pay dividends for years by saving you time and frustration.
It’s also important to find a course that aligns with your learning style and career goals, but also one that you’ll actually complete because it’s engaging and easy to follow for your learning style.
FAQs
Having a recognized certification can set you apart from the competition and increase your chances of securing high-paying gigs. You may also discover a niche you enjoy so much you want to make it your full-time focus.
No. Taking a virtual assistant course isn’t required to launch your VA business, but it could help you make more money by learning more skills. VA courses can also help you figure out your niche as you drill down on skills like social media management or content creation.