For aspiring Filipino virtual assistants (VAs) out there, there’s always one big roadblock that stops their journey. That is, answering the question of “Where do I start?”
It’s definitely not impossible to become a VA on your own. And you can always start from our guide on “How to Become a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines“.
But following the structure of a VA course may also help fast-track your journey. That’s why virtual assistant courses have become more popular in the Philippines.
However, with the increasing amount of virtual assistant training programs, it has become difficult to choose. In this guide, you’ll learn how to select the perfect program for you among the best virtual assistant courses available in the Philippines.
Table of Contents
4 Criteria for Choosing the Best Virtual Assistant Courses in the Philippines
Not all virtual assistant training programs are created equal. They need to be able to provide value to you, an aspiring VA, in order to be part of the best. You should be getting the benefit of any of the following:
- Industry or niche-specific knowledge. A VA course will be valuable if it can help you dive deep into a certain niche or industry. Specialized knowledge, like those from the experience of the educator, that you can use when you apply as a VA may help you get an online job faster.
- Coherent learning structure or roadmap. Lessons about being a VA are everywhere on the internet. If a VA course organizes all that information into an easy-to-follow roadmap, it could become much simpler for you to start your VA journey.
- Certifications should mean something to employers and clients. Getting a certificate will not give you an advantage if your potential client or employer doesn’t recognize it. So, don’t jump into a VA course without any research. Find out first if the certificate is in-demand or not.
- Community and accountability. Another advantage of VA courses is being able to join a community that will help answer any questions you might have. Great communities will help push you to work harder and will hold you accountable to your goals.
It’s also true that the benefits above are something you can choose to get on your own, but often through a slower process with a bit of trial and error. It’s up to you to decide if the benefits would outweigh the amount you need to pay for these courses.
6 Best Virtual Assistant Courses for Filipinos
1) Filipina Homebased Moms’ General Virtual Assistance Course
Overview: Filipina Homebased Moms or FHMoms is a social enterprise led by founder MK Bertulfo. Their General Virtual Assistance Course is perfect for beginner VAs since you can learn the basics of administrative work, social media management, website management, lead generation, email marketing, and CRM management.
While they don’t delve too deeply into each topic, they still introduce you to the tools you need to do each task properly. For example, they teach you how to use Hootsuite, WordPress, and Hubspot, among others. If you don’t know what kind of VA you want to be just yet, then this course might be for you.
They also have a strong community, the FHMoms Official Group, where you can ask for help if necessary. FHMoms also has free webinars available on their Facebook page if you want to try out their lessons first.
Price: ₱3,500
Best for: General VAs and aspiring virtual assistants who don’t know their niche
Advantages:
- Broad range of topics means you can try out different fields before you find out what you want to specialize in. They also have specialization courses available for eCommerce, bookkeeping, and social media management.
- Community of Filipina work-from-home moms can help with common concerns such as how to balance a VA job with mommy duties etc.
Disadvantages:
- You can probably get all this information for free on the web if you look for it, but not organized in a way that’s specifically for VAs.
Website: https://fhmoms.com/
Socials: Facebook | FB Group | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Linkedin
2) VA Bootcamps’s Complete Package
Overview: VA Bootcamp is an online virtual assistant education program founded by Filipino freelancer, Jason Dulay. Their complete package VA program covers a large amount of vital VA skills, from general English communication to specialized SEO skills. These are pre-recorded lessons that you can learn at your own pace.
Of course, the best thing about the package is the one-on-one monthly coaching with Jason Dulay himself. Personalized mentoring is a great way to solve any problems you might have in your VA career.
The package also has a 6-month moneyback guarantee if you don’t get hired within 6 months of completing the program.
Price: ₱14,990
Best for: Aspiring VAs who need a bit of personal coaching to reach their full potential
Advantages:
- One-on-one coaching is great if you need a more hands-on approach to resolving your concerns.
- Broad range of lessons means you can try many things and find your niche.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive for people who are just starting out and don’t have any income yet.
- Course coverage might actually be too broad. Any lesson that isn’t relevant to you might be wasted.
Website: https://vabootcamp.ph
3) Surge’s Real Estate Virtual Assistance (REVA) Course
Overview: Davao-based Surge (also known as FVA Consultancy) has a number of specialized courses available for aspiring Remote Filipino Workers. Their Real Estate Virtual Assistance course in particular is an excellent choice for VAs who want to get foreign clients that are real estate companies. These companies need to constantly market their properties for sale so there’s a constant stream of work available.
The course itself covers everything; from the types of real estate VA tasks to how to use social media to market real estate properties. The course also includes two live coaching sessions with Surge co-founder Jay Locsin.
Price: ₱4,000
Best for: People who want to specialize as a real estate virtual assistant
Advantages:
- Industry knowledge about real estate and the role virtual assistants play.
Disadvantages:
- If you are a total beginner to VA work, then you might need a basic VA course to supplement the niche lessons.
Website: https://academy.surgedigital.agency/
4) AmazoNation PH’s Amazon Seller VA Course
Overview: Amazon is the largest eCommerce company in the world. Thus, you can earn a huge income as a VA for successful sellers on the platform. So, it’s no surprise that being an Amazon virtual assistant is one of the more popular niches for Filipino VAs.
One of the most popular courses in this niche is from AmazoNation PH. The Amazon Seller VA course promises to help you become a highly paid virtual assistant. Of course, such as premium promise also comes with a premium price tag.
The course deeply covers the topic with lessons on researching products to sell, using the Helium10 software, creating content for Amazon, managing and forecasting inventory, and setting up promotions. AmazoNation PH also has a Facebook and Discord community, as well as, one-on-one coaching available if you need assistance.
Price: ₱22,897 for the Elite Package
Best for: Virtual assistants who want to specialize on the Amazon platform
Advantages:
- Deep industry knowledge about the Amazon platform as well as being a VA for sellers.
- Community and coaching are available for anyone needing an extra push.
Disadvantages:
- Price tag is very steep.
- Not for people with little time since the course takes 8 weeks to complete.
- Being an advanced VA course of 195 pre-recorded videos, it might be hard for beginners to follow.
Website: https://amazonationph.com/
Socials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | LinkedIn
5) OFP eCommerce VA Training Academy’s Amazon FBA Certification Program
Overview: If you find it hard to follow along with pre-recorded videos, then this virtual assistant course might just be for you. OFP’s Amazon FBA program for VAs takes place over 4-weeks of actual live classes. And, if you are worried about missing a class, then you can also access the recordings of the live classes. But it’s probably better to attend so you can ask any questions you might have immediately.
The course goes over a variety of skills, from Amazon skills training to creating store logos using Canva. The price is a bit high but they sometimes have discounted rates for special events like company anniversaries.
Price: ₱6,999 or Early Bird Price of ₱5,999
Best for: Aspiring Amazon VAs who prefer live classes to pre-recorded videos
Advantages:
- Since you are attending live classes, you can ask your questions at any time for the host to answer.
- Comprehensive coverage of Amazon-related skills as well as other competencies that might be helpful for any eCommerce VA.
Disadvantages:
- Live classes are done as a group, so the classes might slow down if there are a lot of questions.
- It’s expensive but you can wait for discounted rates.
Website: https://amazon-va.yourofp.com/
6) The Freelance Movement’s 30-Day Blueprint
Overview: While not strictly a VA course, the Freelance Movement’s 30-Day Blueprint arms you with a very important skill for Remote Filipino Workers – finding clients on your own. This is something that a lot of people struggle with so there’s high value in this course especially if you don’t know how to do this yet.
This is a course by freelance copywriter and entrepreneur John Pagulayan. But honestly the response to his courses has been polarized. On one hand, those who’ve tried his courses generally say that they have been helped immensely by not only the program but also the opportunity to join the Freelance Movement’s Tribe community.
On the other hand, those who have not tried it are mostly turned off by the “guru-like” way his courses are marketed on the website and parroted by his followers. They also promote that you can find clients even if you have no skills or experience by getting clients first and finding other people to do the job later.
Our opinion on this is simple: if you’re okay with that mindset then it’s probably worth a try.
Price: ₱1,500
Best for: Online freelancers who want to learn how to find clients independently
Advantages:
- Reasonably priced course for finding clients, an essential skill for any freelancer.
- Strong community that keeps its members accountable for their success.
Disadvantages:
- If you’re very busy, the 30-day blueprint can be hard to follow.
Website: https://thefreelancemovement.com
How to Choose the Best Virtual Assistant Training Program for You
Step 1: Determine What Kind of VA You Want to Be
To help you select the best virtual assistant program for your needs, you actually need to understand first what it means to be a VA. What exactly is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is… complicated.
Based on the name, you would think that virtual assistants are mainly tasked to do administrative work to support a company’s boss or executive. However, even for Generalist VAs, a jack-of-all-trades type of virtual assistant, it’s not uncommon for the VA to find themselves assigned a task that they may need to do research first to finish successfully.
There are also VAs that need to do specialized tasks, called Specialist VAs, that need certain skills to do the job well. For example, an Amazon VA would need to be trained on how to use the Amazon platform to become successful.
Frankly, it seems that the term “virtual assistant” is just a buzzword that companies have attached for hiring remote workers to help with various tasks. And because every VA job is different, you need to know what kind of VA you want to be before you choose which virtual assistant training course to take.
Do your research by looking at the various job postings for VAs that are available on platforms such as Upwork and Onlinejobs.ph. What kind of tasks do you think you would excel at? Prioritize taking a VA job in that niche and supplement what else you need to know by upskilling through a VA course.
Step 2: Do Your Research on the Virtual Assistant Course
Before paying for any VA course, you should do your research first. Even if they are listed among the best virtual assistant courses, it doesn’t mean they are automatically the best for you.
First, go to their website and check the preview of the content. Do you think the VA course will be a good fit for your needs? Is the content also available somewhere else for free? Does it match what you need to know to upskill?
Find out all you can about it to decide if it’s a good fit for you or not.
Next, check the schedule and time needed. You won’t be able to make the most out of the course if it doesn’t match your own schedule.
Lastly, check reviews and community feedback. You can go to online freelancing groups or forums, such as r/buhaydigital, to see what people thought were the valuable things they learned from each course.
Step 3: Make the Most of the Virtual Assistant Course
After enrolling in a virtual assistant training program, make sure you put your full effort into it. Take the course schedule seriously so you can get the most value out of what you paid for.
Give enough time for every section of the module. You should apply what you’ve learned to real life before moving on to the next lesson. In fact, if you can turn what you’ve practiced into a portfolio, then you’ll have a better chance of getting hired in the future.
Lastly, be active in the community. You can get valuable lessons from the experiences of others. People in the same VA course as you can also become your accountability buddies. So, you can push each other to become successful virtual assistants together.
Are Virtual Assistant Courses Worth It?
If the VA course cannot give you any sort of value, whether it’s in the form of niche knowledge or a robust community, then it’s not worth it. But ultimately, this is a very subjective question and only you will be able to answer it.
For example, some of the best virtual assistant courses only provide a roadmap as their main value. If you are the kind of person who can create a VA roadmap for yourself, then this course might not have much value for you as it would have for others.
Also, if you plan to enter the industry through a virtual assistant agency, then it’s better to get training directly from these companies. They usually have their own training program so you can fit the agency’s own requirements for becoming a virtual assistant.
Does Taking a Virtual Assistant Course Guarantee That I Can Get a Job?
No. A virtual assistant training course only provides you with lessons that you need to apply in reality so you can find work. Even certificates don’t mean you can automatically land a job.
You need to be the one to find potential employers or clients, wow them with your VA resume, ace the job interview, and land a job all on your own.
In fact, it’s a good idea to stay away from any VA course that guarantees you can get a job. You need to be wary of anything that sounds too good to be true.
When in doubt, do some research. Any money saved from not joining a low-quality virtual assistant program can instead be invested in your work equipment, such as a laptop for virtual assistants.
Pro Tip: Noise-cancelling tools are essential pieces of remote work equipment for virtual assistants that are not talked about enough. As an applicant, you don’t want to be embarrassed by barking dogs, banging construction equipment, or the ‘tiktilaok‘ of roosters during a video call.
We personally use the ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Mic Adapter for important calls. You just need to plug your existing headset into it and it’s ready to go.
But of course, you might be hesitating to invest in equipment this early on. Instead, you can try out the free, limited access noise cancelling tools available today.
Conclusion: Virtual Assistant Training Courses Are Great Starting Points…
The best virtual assistant courses in the Philippines are excellent starting points, especially for beginners who want a more structured way of learning the essential skills of a VA.
However, once the VA course is over and you’ve landed a job, you must remember that the requirement to learn and upskill never stops. Your clients may sometimes ask for the most random things. And eventually, you’ll encounter a roadblock that no VA course can solve.
You can enter the VA field as a generalist, but to protect your livelihood, you need to specialize in the future.
The process of learning new things, becoming resourceful, and finding solutions are all hallmarks of a successful VA. These are all skills you need to learn if you want to eventually earn big in your virtual assistant career.
