A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent professional who takes on organisational projects and tasks just like a full-time employee would, but without the same employment procedures.

Just like an employee, a VA is expected to completed all assigned responsibilities within given time frames, and deliver quality results, though hiring a VA is generally considered to be a much easier process than hiring employees.  There are key advantages and disadvantages to both, so some of the things you should be aware of are:

• Hiring Process: Engaging a virtual employee can be an easier and simpler process, but you should still do some research, and make sure that the VA is a person that you can work with.   You will need to agree on a rate, and terms.  You should always ask for references, and/or examples of previously completed work.
• Rates & Costs: The hourly rate of a VA can be more expensive than the hourly rate of an employee, however, there are costs associated with employees that aren’t there when you hire a VA.  There is no salary tax, benefits or superannuation to be paid.  Any good VA will have their own office set up, including all internet etc, so you will not have the overheads of providing a desk, computer, phone etc.  Your VA will only charge you for hours worked, or for the project being completed.  You won’t be charged for lunch breaks, coffee breaks, or anything that isn’t directly related to the work being completed for you.
• Quality of Work: This is a highly debatable topic, and one that can go either way on the scales.  The quality of the work you get will directly relate to how well you manage your hiring process.  A professional VA, who has years of experience will come at a higher rate, but will provide a high quality of work, in a shorter period of time, and is more likely to be committed to the quality of work than a less experienced full-time employee.  
• Communication: Having open levels of communication is important in any working relationship.  This doesn’t change when you engage a VA, or hire an employee.   Just remember if you hire outside of your timezone, you need to communicate when you need your VA to be available.
• Training: There are so many VA’s out there, that if you need someone with specific experience, you can advertise and they will apply, saving you some of the time required to train new employees.  Don’t forget, if you have new software, both a VA and an employee will need training.

There is nothing wrong with hiring more than one VA.  Most of us specialize in differing areas, so, it would make sense to outsource projects or tasks to people who are experts in what they do!  If you want to engage a team of outsourced, but don’t want to manage them all yourself, consider getting a VA to manage the entire process for you!