UK based Virtual Assistants form new organisation

02/June/06
The Virtual Assistance industry is growing rapidly. But the networking organisations for VAs are mainly US based, and therefore very US specific. To help new and established VAs in the UK, and their clients, a new organisation, the Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA), has been formed.

The SVA offers their members resources, free website listing, help with starting a VA business, online networking forum, advice, tips and help for new and established VAs. Many of the resources for VAs today, are tailored for US VAs, but with the SVA we now have an organisation that can help us with the problems we face, as business owners in the UK. Things like taxation, starting up in business, phone companies, postal services, and computer programmes, that differ from the American way.

The SVA's website has an area for clients, where they can search for a VA with the services they require. All listings have the VA's complete contact details.

A VA offers business support, and specialised services for busy people, like small and medium sized businesses, entrepreneurs, executives, managers, or anyone else with a hectic schedule. They make use of the latest advances in modern technology and utilise the existent communications infrastructure to the fullest: phone, fax, postal services, couriers, and Internet-based tools, such as e-mail, VoIP and Instant Messaging. VAs are skilled, independent contractors, working from their own office. This means the client avoids many of the extra expenses of hiring an employee or temp: taxes, N.I. contributions, office space and equipment, coffee breaks, non-productive hours, advertising for and hiring the staff, vacation and sick leave. VAs only charge for the time spent on each project. To add to that, VAs are only hired when needed, and they are very flexible, many working out of regular office hours or subcontracting to fellow VAs they know well on the other side of the world!

As the word about the VA industry has exploded the last couple of years, there are some bogus VAs out there too. True VAs are skilled professionals, concerned with the continued development of their businesses and betterment of the industry. But there are also hobbyists or less than skilled persons, who think they can make some money, in spare time, just because they own a computer. The SVA wishes to weed out these, and keeps only serious VAs in the directory.

For more information:
www.societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk