AssistU

Founded in 1997 by Stacy Brice, President, and Chief Visionary Officer, and headquartered in Baltimore, Assist University ( [http://www.assistu.com AssistU)] offers training for Virtual Assistants (VAs). AssistU was the first virtual assistance training organization. Stacy has been awarded the [http://www.pr9.net/business/assoc/4013june.html VACOC InnoVAtive Award] for the past 2 years (2006 and 2007) for her pioneering work and leadership in the virtual assistance profession. Additionally, the VACOC, an international membership organization for virtual assistants, recently named AssistU as their preferred educational provider.

AssistU does not grant diplomas or degrees, so it is not an accredited university. However, its [http://assistu.com/va/vtp_faq.shtml Virtual Training Program] (VTP) is one of the most rigorous in the industry. To successfully graduate from the VTP, students must write and pass a comprehensive exam and have their performance over the life of the VTP evaluated by both their trainer and AssistU. Once established their own VA practices, graduates may seek [http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/businessideas/article71516.html certification] . There are two levels of certification, the second of which is progressively more demanding:

♦ Certified Professional Virtual Assistant (CPVA)

♦ Certified Master Virtual Assistants (CMVA)

AssistU was the first organization to create an online community for VA’s, and the first organization to train, certify, and coach VAs. It was also the first institution to offer a [http://assistu.com/client/registry.html referral service] to prospective clients. AssistU is written up in several publications¹, and New York Times Best Selling author Timothy Ferriss mentions the organization as a place to find well-trained VA's.²

The goals of AssistU and the VTP are to produce virtual assistants who partner with entrepreneurs, solo-entrepreneurs (solopreneurs), business owners, and busy people. To be fully prepared to assist their clients, AssistU students communicate with their trainers in their distance-learning classrooms through both synchronous and asynchronous learning, using a variety of virtual technologies. The in-the-moment technology includes instant messaging (IM), traditional business tools such as the phone, fax and e-mail, and collaborative software such as [http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/groove/default.aspx Groove] , [http://www.bluetie.com/ BlueTie] , and others.

Successful VA's know that maintaining a thriving practice takes hard work and planning³, but can be immensely rewarding. Since its founding, AssistU has trained more than 1,000 graduates, half of whom continue to be supported in their Virtual Assistant businesses by AssistU.

References

1. [http://www.assistu.com/news/news_books.shtml Books That Have Featured AssistU]

2. Timothy Ferriss discusses AssistU in [http://fourhourworkweek.com/ The 4-Hour Workweek]

3. [http://content.monster.com/articles/3472/18751/1/home.aspx Start Your Own Admin Business] (a Monster.com article by Anya Martin)

External links

* [http://www.assistu.com AssistU]
*MSNBC© mentions AssistU in its [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14718260/ Web Site of the Week] feature
* [http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/ Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce] (VACOC)
* [http://www.vanetworking.com/ Virtual Assistant Networking Association] (VANA)