Copyright (c) 2010 Nick Clipton

If you want to hire a virtual assistant, there are several things that need to be considered. As a virtual assistant does most of the tasks just like any other in office employees, they are valuable assets to any company.

The benefits to hiring a virtual assistant include:

-They work under contract so the employer does not need to face paying taxes, benefits, medical insurances and others which a regular employee may expect

-They work on a deadline so they actually work much faster and more efficiently. If they fail to submit within the deadline, they may lose their pay or only receive the partial amount, but this really depends on the agreement made beforehand.

-They work on a schedule because they have to divide their time between other clients. They can work for up to a maximum of 40 hours of the month, or upon an agreed number of hours per week.

-They are multitaskers - they can do anything from answering calls to arranging schedules, even does some light bookkeeping if need be and write letters of communications. There are some who do more than this, again depending on what is agreed upon before the signing of the contract.

-They do not have holidays or days off. They work for the number of hours agreed upon per month and if they fall on a holiday then they still continue to work.

-They can finish more tasks compared to a regular employee because they are not bound by in office pressures and their deadlines keep them on track.There are also some negatives to hiring a virtual assistant:

-The language barrier is becoming a popular issue when it comes to hiring VAs. If the VA is from India, there are a lot of complaints when it comes to trying to verbally communicate with them

-The time zone element is the question too. Some employers in mainland USA cannot adjust to the difference of time of the VAs in Asia

-If the VA are not good in the English grammar they get reflected in the letters of communication which they may have to do

-There are some companies which are not reliable. The new companies sometimes has a fast turnaround of staff which may affect the schedule of work

-If the VA are not given any tasks, they still get paid to comply with the contract

-Invoices are not itemized in some outsourcing companies and only the number of hours is written. Also, they don't accept bi-monthly payments; some only accept monthly ones which may be difficult for some employers.