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Are you a valuable, trustworthy office assistant or administrator? Are you successful at your job because you complete tasks in a way that makes your boss look good and feel better? Would you rather work for yourself and be in charge of your own time? Maybe you want to be at home when your kids arrive from school, or maybe you're just tired of commuting. Maybe you dream of living in the mountains or your rural hometown, but you still want to produce an income.

Virtual Assistance is one of the hottest home-based businesses, according to articles published by BCentral.com, MSN.com, and a long list of other publications and experts. One reason is that it's a relatively easy business to start -- the start-up costs are low, and Virtual Assistants (VAs) provide a valued service that's easy to understand.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant is a professional administrative assistant, who generally works from their own premises providing personal and office support services, such as general administrative tasks; making customer contacts; writing reports; editing documents; sending out marketing materials; handling thank-you notes, gifts and follow-up letters; setting up and maintaining databases; handling billing and bookkeeping; and creating and updating Web sites.

A Virtual Assistant does not need to reside in the city of the company who is using her or his services. Because the VA and her / his clients work through the aid of technological advances, they stay in touch via email, phone, fax and instant message.

Qualities to look for when searching for the ideal Virtual Assistant:

The typical background to look for in a VA would include experience as an administrative or executive assistant, office manager or customer service rep. But because the kind of work VAs do varies, you also want to look for someone who has experience in doing the specific tasks you need help with.

Virtual Assistants usually charge a higher hourly or daily rate than other office-support professionals because they often do more complex tasks. Expect to pay $30 to $45 per hour or more for more specialized assistance such as medical or legal transcription.