Balancing Part-time Teaching and Virtual Assistance Work
Building a successful, profitable Virtual Assistant (VA) business is MORE THAN achievable for teachers … but, as with starting anything from the ground up, it can also take time to establish.
That’s why I completely understand those niggling doubts that you might be experiencing as you weigh up this decision, questioning:
How can I survive financially whilst I build up my business?
Is there a way to ‘test the waters’ to find out if this is really for me?
What if I want to take things slowly?
The perfect solution to all this, and a path that I have seen many ex-teachers walk whilst launching their new VA businesses, is to teach part-time whilst you’re in the early stages of setting up.
In this blog, we’ll look at how to balance part-time teaching and virtual assistance work to ease that transition out of the classroom and grow your confidence in pursuing your new venture.
Why Virtual Assistance is an Ideal Transition from Teaching
There is a huge core skill overlap (organisation, communication, and problem-solving skills - plus many more!) between teaching and VA work so pursuing these two roles alongside one another works well, without any need for further training or qualifications. You may find that you also have some specialist skills (relating to your own interests, previous work experience, or a subject specialism) that can form part of your VA services niche. Unlike teaching, VA work is incredibly flexible, making it easy to fit in around other work or family commitments, and can be done completely remotely.
If you haven’t read my previous blog post ‘Why Teachers Make Amazing VAs!’ I'd encourage you to head over there now for an in depth look at the incredible transferable skills you have, the possible niches that you could specialise in, and the benefits of working as a virtual assistant.
The best part is that you don’t have to leave teaching right away. Unlike teaching, VA work is incredibly flexible, making it easy to fit in around other work or family commitments. It can also be done completely remotely so there is no need to factor in additional commuting time … all you need is a strong internet connection and a laptop!
Teaching part-time can provide you with financial security whilst you build up your virtual assistance business on the side, so that you can maintain a steady income and slowly make the transition into full-time VA work as and when it suits you.
How to Pursue Part-time Teaching
If you are already teaching part-time, you may be able to get started on building your VA business right away. But if you’re currently teaching full-time, with no time to spare to work on your business, here are a few options that are available to you:
Request part-time hours - The first step, if you’re happy to stay at your current workplace part-time, is to put in a request for part-time hours. Visit your union website for more advice on how this process works, and the best way to go about this.
Apply for new roles - If working part-time in your current workplace is not a possibility, you may want to browse and apply for new teaching opportunities that are advertised as part-time roles. It’s probably only worth pursuing this option if you are planning to balance teaching and VA work in the longer term, otherwise you could consider part time work outside of schools.
Supply teaching - An option that gives you the most flexibility around your teaching hours is to register with some supply teaching agencies and choose which work to take on. This gives you much more autonomy around the hours that you work, plus you’re more likely to have your evenings and weekends kept free!
Use the holidays - If none of the above work for you, but you’re keen to get started on launching your VA business, try using the school holidays to get set up. I would only recommend this if you feel that you have the physical, mental and emotional energy to do so - it’s so important to take care of yourself and ensure that you get the rest that you need if you are experiencing exhaustion and burnout.
Before you take on any VA clients, it’s important first of all to check your teaching contract to ensure that it allows you to take on additional work (or if you just need to have a quick word with HR before you do). If you’re unsure at all about this, it’s worth speaking to your union for advice.
Balancing Teaching and Building Your VA Business
Balancing part-time teaching and virtual assistance work requires some organisation and juggling … but as teachers you are fantastic at this already! Here are a few tips to get the balance just right:
☆ Use Time-Management Strategies - Take care with how you allocate your time for different tasks. You could do this by implementing time-blocking, dedicating certain days for hours for specific VA tasks outside of your teaching schedule.
☆ Productivity Tools - There are a range of different productivity tools out there (e.g. Google Calendar, Asana) that can help you to keep track of all the projects that you’re working on, allocate your time effectively, and prioritise different tasks.
☆ Set Boundaries - It’s important to set clear boundaries between teaching and your VA business. When teaching part-time, it’s easy to get drawn into working additional hours of your time off, so try to protect that time as much as you can.
☆ Be Realistic - Take care with how much you are taking on to avoid overcommitting, being realistic about how many additional hours of VA work you are able to fit into your schedule. It can help to map out your part-time teaching hours (including commute time etc), family commitments, downtime etc first … and then calculate exactly how many hours you have free for client work. Remember to leave hours spare to work on your business too - this should include initial setup time, ongoing marketing and regular admin tasks such as invoicing your clients.
☆ Remember: It’s Not a Race! - It can take time to get the balance right when you’re working on two roles, and it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of your new business! That early excited energy is a fantastic way to give yourself a boost to get started, but be careful not to burn yourself out too soon. The great thing about teaching part-time is that it will give you the financial security to take time to build the business that you want … there’s no need to rush ahead unless you’re ready to.
When to ‘Make the Leap’ to Full-time Virtual Assistance
How do you know when it’s time to leave teaching altogether, and make the leap to working in your virtual assistance business full-time?
Firstly, it’s important to ensure that, as far as possible, you have a stable client base. Clients will come and go in your business - that’s to be expected and is completely normal. However, if you’re going to become a VA full-time it’s important to ensure that you’re not relying too much on the income of any one client. The way to do this is to ensure that you have multiple clients that make up your income stream, so if any one of those clients moved on you could cope financially whilst you sought to replace them.
Secondly, I’d recommend taking a look at your finances. Work out your financial baseline (the minimum amount of monthly income you can live on) and explore whether or not this is being met by your VA business alone yet.
Finally, consider how you are coping with balancing both roles. If you are feeling burnt out from the juggle, and able to make the move financially, it could be a good time to commit to focusing on your VA business full-time. If you’re not able to make the leap financially yet, it might be worth returning to the options for part-time working - perhaps supply teaching or a lifeboat ‘job for now’ would give you a little more space and flexibility to keep building your business?
Need Help Getting Started?
Balancing part-time teaching and virtual assistance work is a great option to give you the time and space to set your new business up, whilst maintaining financial security until you’re established.
If you are interested in crafting your transition plan and begin this journey to get started as a virtual assistant, I have a NEW VA Startup Success Mentorship Programme which will help you do this while still working.
Over the course of 6 months we’ll break down the knowledge, the tools and mindset needed to build a successful business and step-by-step get you ready to take on your first clients with confidence. There are even bonuses including my CV and LinkedIn courses to support you if you want to find work outside of schools while you build your business.
If this sounds like a good fit for you, have a look at the VA Startup Success Mentorship Programme for more information.
