Freelancer Vs. Virtual Assistant- What’s the Difference?
The online outsourcing industry has grown at such a rapid pace that there is so much information and options that are available for those seeking to shift to a work-from-home career. And while this is generally a good thing, it can get a bit overwhelming at the start.
One of the common points of confusion is the difference between an online freelancer and a virtual assistant.
But aren’t they just different terms for the same line of work?
No, not really. While it’s important to note that the two terms are not necessarily mutually exclusive, because a virtual assistant may very well be a freelancer as well, there are some key differences between each engagement that you should consider before choosing the path you want to take.
Freelancer
The term freelancer is a portmanteau that was formed by combining the words free and lance. This is a term for people who are free or not duty bound to any lord (which, incidentally, was considered dishonorable in those days).
The term “lance” was also used to describe them since they were persons with valuable skills, namely weaponry (not necessarily lances) and hand to hand combat.
The freelancers we talk about today are not, of course, these people for hire. But there is a strong connection with the ideas of resisting a “duty-bound” existence and having “valuable skills” to trade for “compensation” of some kind.
Freelancers are independent contractors – they choose to sell their skills independently rather than becoming duty-bound to a single company or individual (a.k.a. being employed). Freelancers are usually employed on a project to project basis.
If your skills are highly specialized like graphic design, writing articles, white papers, etc. or even web design, then you may find more work as a freelancer. There are many online platforms that support this kind of online work such as Fiverr, Odesk, Task Bullet, and many more.
Pros of Becoming a Freelancer:
- You get to follow your own schedule (as long as you meet deadlines of course).
- You get to work with a wide range of people in different industries.
- You can take on as much or as little projects as you want.
Cons of becoming a Freelancer:
- You may experience” dry spells” or stretches of time without finding any projects.
- You run into people who will want to pay you less than what your work is really worth.
- You run the risk of people not paying you on time or at all.
Virtual Assistant
We are all quite familiar with an assistant and what they typically do in the workplace. They carry out multiple tasks that range anywhere from paperwork and answering phones to fetching a cup of coffee. A virtual assistant is practically the same (except for the coffee part). They handle a lot of the same tasks that an in-house assistant does, that doesn’t particularly require their physical presence.
Virtual Assistants can be independent (or freelancers) in that they are not attached to any agency or placement company and work directly with clients but these days, due to the rise in demand for virtual employees, the easiest way to get hired as a virtual assistant is to go through a remote solutions company like Scale Virtually.
March 25, 2020
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