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The differences between virtual assistants and front desk administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a virtual assistant and a front desk administrative assistant. Additionally, a virtual assistant has an average salary of $39,915, which is higher than the $33,037 average annual salary of a front desk administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a virtual assistant include data entry, customer service and email management. The most important skills for a front desk administrative assistant are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Virtual Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $39,915 | $33,037 |
| Hourly rate | $19.19 | $15.88 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 49,508 | 95,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A front desk administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to support daily business functions and operations. Front desk administrative assistants assist guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate personnel for their needs. They also monitor office inventories, write purchase requests, and distribute mails across the departments. A front desk administrative assistants review business and financial transactions to generate reports, update information on the company's database, and sort documents for reference.
Virtual assistants and front desk administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Virtual Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $39,915 | $33,037 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $54,000 | Between $27,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | IBM | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a virtual assistant and a front desk administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Virtual Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between virtual assistants' and front desk administrative assistants' demographics:
| Virtual Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% | Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |