Your VA Return on Investment
Are you a teacher sitting on the fence about making the leap to becoming a Virtual Assistant? Let's talk numbers – because the return on investment might surprise you.
The Teacher's Dilemma: You've Already Tried Everything Else
You've reduced your hours, hoping a few days at home would help you catch up on marking and life admin – only to find yourself working the same full-time hours for less pay, feeling disconnected at work.
You've moved schools, chasing that "fresh start" feeling, only to discover by Week 5 that the workload follows you everywhere, leaving you wondering why everyone else seems to cope when you're struggling.
You've tried setting boundaries, especially after having children, desperately wanting to leave work at the door. But that uncomfortable reality hits: there's no area of life where you feel like you're winning.
Sound familiar? Here's the thing – you've been investing time, energy, and sometimes money into solutions that don't address the real problem. The system isn't broken; it's working exactly as designed. And it's not designed for the lifestyle you want.
Why Teachers Make Exceptional VAs
Your Creativity – You're a "think outside the box" solution finder with amazing ideas. Not everyone can create engaging presentations, captivate diverse audiences, or bring concepts to life like you do.
Your Project Management Skills – You excel at mapping solutions from start to finish, identifying risks, planning timescales, and managing resources. Most VAs don't have your level of project management experience.
Your Communication Expertise – Where else do you persuade, excite, placate, humour, and expertly direct all before your morning tea? You're a communication professional who anticipates needs – the most valued skill in a VA.
The Hidden Cost of Staying Put
You might imagine starting your own business but then, like so many teachers, fall back on that old saying “better the devil you know”. But is it really better staying in the known? Before we talk about investment, let's talk about the cost of doing nothing. Every year you stay in teaching while dreaming of being your own boss, you're paying:
Opportunity cost: Missing out on uncapped earning potential
Energy cost: Continuing to drain your creativity and enthusiasm
Time cost: Spending evenings and weekends on work instead of life
Health cost: The physical and mental toll of an unsustainable workload
Now, let's look at what it actually costs to set up as a VA – and why the numbers work in your favour. 🧡
The Investment: Breaking Down the Real Startup Costs
I wanted to share with you the real-world costs of getting your business off the ground, so here's exactly what it costs to set up a professional Virtual Assistant business:
Monthly Subscriptions (Smart Money Saves More)
Squarespace Website
Monthly: £16/month (£192/year)
Annual: £144/year (Save £48 by paying annually)
Google Workspace (Professional email, calendar, storage, AI support)
Monthly: £14/month (£168/year)
Annual: £141.60/year (Save £26.40 by paying annually)
Professional Indemnity Insurance
£9/month (£108/year)
Annual Fees
ICO registration: £52/year
One-Time Setup Costs
Legal contracts: £75 (50% discount applied!)
Your Investment Summary
If paying monthly: £468/year + £52 + £75 = £595/year
If paying annually: £393.60/year + £52 + £75 = £520.60/year
Total annual savings by paying upfront: £74.40
To get started right now, you need just £166 (first month's subscriptions + one-time fees). You can begin with monthly payments and switch to annual billing later.
The Return: What VAs Actually Earn
We’e looked at the outlay, now let’s explore your earning potential, starting with what the average VA earns each year. According to the 2024 UK Virtual Assistant Survey, VA hourly rates vary significantly based on experience and specialisation. But here's what makes this exciting for teachers: your transferable skills can put you ahead of the competition from day one.
The ROI Calculation: When Numbers Tell the Story
Let's look at realistic earning potential. The average hourly rate for VAs in the UK ranges from £30-35 per hour – and as a teacher, your premium skills position you at the higher end of this range from the start.
Working just 10 hours per week at £30/hour:
Weekly income: £300
Monthly income: £1,300 (£300 × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months)
Annual income: £15,600 (£300 × 52 weeks)
Your first-year profit: £15,600 - £596 (annual business costs) = £15,004
Return on initial investment: Your £166 startup cost is recovered in just over half a week of work.
Including the £777 mentorship programme (6 months of expert guidance and community support), your total first-year investment is £943. Even with this comprehensive support included, you'll recover your entire investment in just over 3 weeks of VA work at £30/hour.
At £35/hour working 15 hours per week (very achievable as you build your client base):
Weekly income: £525
Monthly income: £2,275 (£525 × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months)
Annual income: £27,300 (£525 × 52 weeks)
First-year profit: £27,300 - £596 (business costs) - £777 (mentorship) = £25,927
ROI on total investment: 2,749%
Here's the eye-opener: At just 15 hours per week, you're earning 61% of a full-time teacher's £45,000 salary – but with complete control over your schedule, no evenings marking, no weekend planning, and no holiday work.
Want to match your teaching salary? Work 20 hours per week at £35/hour and you'll earn £36,400 annually (£35 × 20 hours × 52 weeks). Work 30 hours at £35/hour and you'll earn £54,600 – perhaps more than your full-time teaching salary while still having significantly more flexibility and freedom.
The Next Level: Building a Team
Here's where it gets really exciting. As your client base grows, you can start hiring associate VAs to work under your brand. For example, if you charge clients £35/hour and pay an associate £25/hour, you earn £10/hour profit on their work while they handle the tasks and you focus on client relationships and business growth.
Just like Sophie, who went from idea to "fully booked and growing my own team" in seven months, you can scale beyond trading time for money. With three associates working 10 hours each per week, that's an additional £1,560 monthly profit (£10 × 30 hours × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months) – all while you focus on the strategic work you love.
Beyond the Numbers: The Lifestyle ROI
The financial return is just the beginning. Consider the lifestyle returns:
Greater Flexibility – Work around your family, not despite them
Increased Energy – When you love what you do, work energises rather than drains you
More Creativity – Space to breathe means space to innovate and inspire
Uncapped Earning Potential – Your income grows with your skills and client base
Autonomy & Freedom – Be your own boss and make decisions that align with your values
The Risk of Waiting vs The Risk of Acting
Risk of waiting: Another year of the same cycle, missing opportunities while costs remain the same
Risk of acting: A £943 total investment (including 6 months of expert mentorship) that could transform your entire career trajectory
The mentorship programme isn't just an add-on – it's your roadmap to success. The structured guidance, community support, and proven frameworks help you avoid costly mistakes and accelerate your progress. That's the power of expert mentorship combined with your existing teaching skills.
Your Next Step: The July 2025 Opportunity
The Teacher to VA mentorship programme is opens June 2025 to only 30 places. This isn't just about learning how to become a VA – it's about joining a community that understands your journey because they've walked it themselves.
You have everything you need to succeed as a VA – the creativity, project management skills, and communication expertise that make clients say "I don't know how I managed without you."
The path is clear. The community is waiting. Your skills are ready.
The only question left is: are you?
Your future self – the one working from home while the kids play nearby, the one who finishes work at 3pm and actually switches off, the one earning more than your teaching salary in fewer hours – will be forever grateful you invested in yourself.
