Though they range between £7.00 and £125.00, the average rate charged by Virtual Assistants across the UK is £23.59 per hour. ⁽¹⁾ 

If this rate initially surprises you, please consider carefully the following:

EMPLOYED ASSISTANTS
A typical annual salary for an Executive PA in the Commercial/Industry sector in London is £30,000 (range: £28,000 - £35,000) ⁽²⁾

What annual salary would you expect to pay for an experienced, qualified Executive PA?

To this you will need to add National Insurance contributions, staff benefits, office equipment, desk floor space, insurance, and payroll administration costs.  You may also have to add pension contributions, car parking space and recruitment and training costs. 

What is the total cost of your employee?

Your PA will benefit from sick pay, holiday pay, lunch, tea and possibly cigarette breaks, trips to the water-cooler etc.  She/he may also deal with their own personal email correspondence and access their Facebook account in time that you pay for. ⁽³⁾

How much does each productive hour of work really cost you?

OFF-SHORE AGENCY ASSISTANTS
You could use the services of an agency abroad which will provide a VA for you at around $10 per hour.  They are usually technologically adept and able to undertake data inputting, for example, but you are advised to give a very clear brief and definite deadlines.   If, however, you want someone to work with in partnership - someone you can consult on administrative matters who understands your objectives and your business in its UK context, communicating imaginatively and competently with your contacts and clients - then you may prefer not to contract an off-shore agency  worker.

UK BASED VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
Your Virtual PA only charges you her/his hourly rate (plus any agreed expenses) for the work completed for you in that time.  You only pay for  your PA when you need her/him and yet there is continuity that is not found when hiring a temp.  You do not pay for any holidays, breaks or personal correspondence.  You will be invoiced (usually monthly) and make one simple payment by cheque, bank transfer or PayPal.  You may prefer to pay a monthly retainer for a set number of hours. 

Click here to see a comprehensive discussion on the comparative costs and attitudes of an employee and a contractor by Christian Knott.

Please contact me to request a copy of my brochure which gives my hourly rates for charity executives or church ministers, consultants to charities or businesses, sole traders, and commercial companies (please state which you are) and details how I can help you to emerge from your in-tray/in-box and concentrate on running your organisation.

Sources of information
(1) UK Virtual Assistant National Survey 2011 - for more information please visit www.societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk

(2) Randstad Financial and Professional: London's Secretarial and Office Support Salary Survey 2010 at www.randstadfp.com/candidates/salary-survey

(3) BBC report on study by employment law firm Peninsula, concluding that 233 million hours are lost each month by employees "wasting time" on social networking sites in working hours  Based on a survey of 3,500 UK companies. 11 September 2007  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6989100.stm