Should I Hire a VA or Train Family & Friends?

I've heard several different teacherpreneurs ask whether they should hire a virtual assistant or train a family member or friend to work as a VA for them. Today I want to focus on the pros and cons to each of these options.

If you're a teacher blogger (or teacherpreneur), you've probably heard about virtual assistants at one point or another. Now the question is - should you hire a VA or are you better off training a family member or friend? This post goes into the pros and cons of both options, but you'll see a resource that can help you navigate the virtual assistant world. (There's even a FREE preview.) Click through now to see if a VA would help take your Teachers Pay Teachers business to the next level.

Should I hire a VA or train family and friends?

Pros to Hiring Family or Friends

  • You can train the person to do exactly what you want. You can even train them in person!
  • You'll be able to meet up to chat with the person about how things are going. This allows you to do more training or simply check in.
  • Your friend or family member may cost less per hour than the virtual assistant you find. 

Cons to Hiring a Family or Friends

  • Sometimes friends and family don't work as hard as we had hoped. You may need to do more checking in or even fire the person. #awkwardfamilygettogethers
  • You will spend time training the person.
  • The person you choose to train isn't going to bring anything new to the table. They'll be able to do what you want after training, but that will most likely be it. (Unless you're fortunate enough to have a social media marketing person in your circle. Then that's an entirely different story!) 

Pros to Hiring a Virtual Assistant

  • A virtual assistant is typically an expert in some area or another. Your business can grow because of this expertise without you actually having to learn the platform yourself. 
  • Many times you can find a virtual assistant who is also experienced in the teacherpreneur world. This VA just "gets" what's going on, and you won't have to train her on various platforms to help your business grow. 
  • A great VA is also someone you can bounce ideas off of to help your business grow. 
  • While a VA may cost more per hour than your family member or friend, this is their business and they may very well be more efficient. Therefore you may spend the same amount (or potentially less) than you're paying your family member or friend due to inefficiency.
  • A virtual assistant is treating this as their business. Therefore you can expect business-like interactions. If this is not the case, you can look at your contract (even before you sign it!) to make sure you know your "esccape route" - should it be needed. 

Cons to Hiring a Virtual Assistant

  • You and the VA may not be a good fit. A good virtual assistant will give you a "trial period" to ensure that both parties are happy with the way things are going. (We do a month here at The Academic VA.) 
  • Communication may not be as easy. Unlike the person you know well, your virtual assistant could be on the other side of the country or world. Getting in touch via e-mail, phone, or online chat isn't as easy as sending a quick text message. (This being said, a good VA will have in their contract exactly how long you should expect - at a maximum - before hearing back from them. Always make sure to check references and do your homework before hiring someone!) 
Regardless of the option you choose, know that hiring a virtual assistant can be a GREAT thing. It frees you up to do more of what you love. There are many reasons to hire a virtual assistant, so I hope you can choose the option that is the best for you. 

If you're new to the world of virtual assistants, I highly recommend purchasing the TpT Virtual Assistant eBook I have written. This will help you get started - whether you want to train a VA yourself or hire a VA. While the book itself is helpful, you'll also be granted access to a Facebook group where you can talk to other virtual assistants and teacherpreneurs about your virtual assistant journey and what steps to take.

Here is some of the feedback received about this ebook:
Are you a teacherpreneur who is looking for a virtual assistant? This book will help you out! Are you a virtual assistant who wants to work with a TpT seller? Then this book is also for you! Click through to see how this amazing resource can help you find OR become a virtual assistant! Plus you'll gain access to a secret Facebook group for collaboration! {There's a FREE preview when you click through.}
  • This resource was very helpful! I have worked with virtual assistants before but I still found this book to be useful and helpful. Thanks for creating this, Heather!
  • So much helpful info! This is all a new world for me, and I appreciate you breaking it down specifically for teacherpreneurs! Thank you! 
  • I learned so much reading all of this great information! I haven't found a VA yet but I know exactly what to arrange and decide on together! Thanks for all your guidance and support! This is an amazing resource and a must buy for anyone who needs a VA!
Interested in seeing even more feedback and checking out more details about the TpT Virtual Assistant eBook? Click here to see it all! Or check out the FREE preview here.

If you're a teacher blogger (or teacherpreneur), you've probably heard about virtual assistants at one point or another. Now the question is - should you hire a VA or are you better off training a family member or friend? This post goes into the pros and cons of both options, but you'll see a resource that can help you navigate the virtual assistant world. (There's even a FREE preview.) Click through now to see if a VA would help take your Teachers Pay Teachers business to the next level.

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