Choosing between a part time or full time virtual assistant is simple for most owners: start at 20 hours a week and move to 40 as the work grows. Most Skale Bak clients start at 20 hours, which is $260 a week. Go straight to 40 hours, at $520 a week, when you have 2 or more areas ready to hand over that add up to well over 20 hours.
You built a business that keeps you busy, and the list keeps growing. So the hours question feels bigger than it is. Once the jobs are on paper, the number mostly picks itself.
Full time vs part time virtual assistant: what is the difference?
The difference is hours, and how much of your week that lets you hand over. Through Skale Bak, part time is 20 hours a week and full time is 40, both at $13 an hour for every role.
| Part time | Full time | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours a week | 20 | 40 |
| Cost per week | $260 | $520 |
| Cost per month, about | $1,127 | $2,253 |
| Best for | 1 clear area, such as the inbox and calendar | 2 or more areas handed over at once |
Those are the only 2 packages on our pricing page. So your cost depends on hours alone, because the rate does not change with the role. Billing is weekly, and a month is 52 weeks divided by 12. There is no overtime rate and no minimum term, and notice is 30 days. Here is what a virtual assistant costs and what the rate includes.
How many hours a week do I need from a virtual assistant?
Add up the hours of the jobs you would hand over, and that total tells you. Start from the jobs, because a number picked first is only a guess.
- List every job you touched this week. Include the small ones. This is step 01 of the free Handover Playbook.
- Cross out what should stay with you. Even Baklid, founder of Skale Bak: "An owner should never delegate their secret sauce, the thing that makes them so successful. Most of the time, that is the relationship with clients and future clients."
- Write the hours next to each job left. Use a normal week, and your honest time.
- Group the jobs by area and add them up. Groups might be admin, invoicing, marketing and client service.
Now read the total. If it comes to about 20 hours, start at 20. If it runs well past 20, across areas you could hand over now, look at 40. If it comes in far below 20, read whether a virtual assistant is worth it yet before you hire anyone.
Stuck on the list itself? Here is what to delegate to a virtual assistant first.
What can a part time virtual assistant do in 20 hours?
A part time virtual assistant can run 1 clear area of your business in 20 hours a week. That is about 11 working days a month you stop spending on work somebody else can do.
An executive assistant at 20 hours can take your inbox and calendar. A marketing associate at 20 hours can plan and post your content. The role changes what comes off your desk, and the price stays the same.
When is a full time virtual assistant worth the cost?
A full time virtual assistant is worth $520 a week when you have 2 or more areas to hand over at once. It is also worth it when a 20 hour assistant has run out of hours and work is waiting.
The second case is the usual route for our clients. As your assistant takes more on, the 20 hours fill up.
Why do most clients start at 20 hours?
Most Skale Bak clients start at 20 hours because it gives the assistant time to learn your systems while you see what they can do. In Even's words: "Most clients typically start at 20 hours and then move up to 40. It allows an assistant to get familiar with the systems and with what is needed."
The upgrade tends to come quickly. Even says: "As the work keeps growing and they take over more and more, owners typically call us within 2 months and say, hey, I need to upgrade them to 40 hours."
Part of that is the work, and part of it is trust. You start to see how capable your assistant is. As Even puts it: "It is almost like dipping your toe in the water. Then you are ready to take the plunge straight in, because the assistant has proven themselves."
Even's view is that the system comes first: "Systems first, then plug in the best talent. Get the system and the foundation right, and an assistant can do so much for you."
What happens after 40 hours?
For a lot of our clients, the next step after 40 hours is a second assistant in another part of the business. Even says: "A lot of our clients start at 20 hours. They grow to 40 hours, and then they are ready for their next virtual assistant, in another area of their business: marketing, sales, client service, really anything."
So the choice you make today is a starting point.
Where should you start this week?
Sit down today and list every job you touched this week. The free Handover Playbook walks you through it and shows the order to hand those jobs over in.
If you would rather do it with us, book 30 minutes. We go through your week together, and you leave with a straight answer on which 2 or 3 jobs should come off your desk first, whether or not you go ahead.
Questions people ask
How many hours do part time virtual assistants work?
Through Skale Bak, a part time virtual assistant works 20 hours a week and a full time assistant works 40. Those are the only 2 placements, both at $13 an hour for every role.
How many hours does a virtual assistant work in a day?
Spread over a 5 day week, 20 hours is 4 hours a day and 40 hours is 8. Skale Bak assistants work your working day, whatever time zone you are in.
Can I start at 20 hours and move to 40?
Yes, and most Skale Bak clients do. Owners call us, typically within 2 months, and ask to upgrade their assistant to 40 hours. The rate stays at $13 an hour, so the week goes from $260 to $520.
What's a good hourly rate for a virtual assistant?
A good rate is one that already includes what you would otherwise pay for separately, such as recruiting, training and equipment. Through Skale Bak, that is $13 an hour for every role, with recruiting, training, equipment and backup power inside it.