Episode 39: Why Teachers Make the Best Freelancers/Virtual Assistants

Full Episode Transcription:

(00:07):
With so many teachers ready to leave the education system, ditch the classroom, I hear this time and time again, that they don’t think that they have skills that will apply to other careers. Specifically today, we’re going to be talking about why teachers make the best freelancers and virtual assistants, even if they don’t have previous experience in these areas. When I was a teacher I taught kindergarten. I taught five and six year olds how to stand in a line, use a glue stick, not push each other. This was nowhere in my wheelhouse of things that I thought I could do. Yet, I have now offered over 90% of the different services you can offer as a freelancer or a VA. And I did that with no prior experience. So if I can do it, you can do it too. And I want you to understand that. So the first reason why teachers make the best freelancers or virtual assistants is that they have a willingness to learn. Most of the adult community, they’re content to just stay where they are and not continue learning, progressing.

(03:10):
But with teachers, we always have to have that willingness to learn because we teach our students how to learn, and we have to make sure we’re up to date with everything new in each subject. So having that willingness to learn and figure out things as a virtual assistant shows your clients that you’re willing to get things done, even if you’ve never done them before you’re willingness to figure it out is what can set you apart from other people who are not teachers who need a lot of handholding. I always say, Google’s your best friend. So if you don’t know how to do something, I mean, be honest with your client, but let them know I will figure it out. And if you already know how to do it, is it okay if I ask some questions, but I promise that I can figure things out.

(03:59):
The number two reason why teachers make the best freelancers / virtual assistants is your ability to adapt. So when your client has a new project idea that they’re throwing at you, you have the ability to take that on, adapt and figure it out again. When we’re teachers, we’re all, all the time being thrown new curriculum, to teach a new student, to integrate into our classroom community. We’re always having to figure out and nothing ever goes to plan. So that’s a really, really awesome skill to have as a freelancer, especially if you have a client who, you know, is going through a launch and they have things come up that they’re not expecting. You’re able to take that on without even being phased. And they’re like, “whoa, where has this lady been all my life?” So that ability to adapt and to figure things out as they come at you, that is crucial as a freelancer and virtual assistant.

(05:02):
Now, number three is your customer service skills. I did never realize that I had customer service skills, but now thinking back on it, to my teaching career, 75% of my job was keeping the kids happy and parents happy. We all know we have these parents that are a little too much. And so you have to learn how to speak to them, and be clear with them, and set boundaries and all of these things. And that is something that’s very, very important as a freelancer. So we have to be able to communicate with potential clients and show them that we can help them. If we have a client, we have to set clear boundaries with them. We have to know how to communicate that. If there’s an issue that arises, we have to figure out gracefully and respectfully. These are all customer service skills, and these are all something that teachers have. So there is so much more that teachers – different skills that teachers have to make them amazing freelancers/ VAs.

(06:17):
But these are just the top three. So again, a willingness to learn, the ability to adapt when new things are thrown at you, and customer service skills. So I want you to feel confident in yourself and understand that even if you’ve never done something before, you can figure it out, because you’re a Rockstar teacher. You know how to figure things out in your classroom and you can take those skills outside of the classroom. So I wanna just take a moment to pray for us. Father, thank you so much for all of the amazing women listening to this show. I know that You’ve placed them here for a reason, and I pray that You just help them take that leap into virtual assistance or freelancing if that’s what’s on their heart. God, you never place dreams on our heart for no reason. Just show these amazing, amazing women that they can do this. They already have the skills they need to, they can figure things out and that You have their back. Father, we love you so much. Amen.