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The differences between executive assistants and virtual assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an executive assistant, becoming a virtual assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an executive assistant has an average salary of $50,539, which is higher than the $39,915 average annual salary of a virtual assistant.
The top three skills for an executive assistant include powerpoint, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for a virtual assistant are data entry, customer service, and email management.
| Executive Assistant | Virtual Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,539 | $39,915 |
| Hourly rate | $24.30 | $19.19 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 93,116 | 49,508 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.
Virtual Assistants are remote workers who work with clients that need assistance. They usually do administrative or clerical activities such as managing soft copies of a document, writing e-mail correspondences, managing calendars, scheduling appointments, and other activities. They manage the e-mail of their clients and respond to inquiries and other messages. They also manage phone calls by answering calls, taking messages, and dialing for their clients. Virtual Assistants may also be asked to handle travel-related tasks of their clients, such as creating itineraries, booking flights, and booking hotels.
Executive assistants and virtual assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Assistant | Virtual Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,539 | $39,915 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $71,000 | Between $29,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between an executive assistant and a virtual assistant in terms of educational background:
| Executive Assistant | Virtual Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between executive assistants' and virtual assistants' demographics:
| Executive Assistant | Virtual Assistant | |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |