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The differences between virtual assistants and project 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 project assistant. Additionally, a virtual assistant has an average salary of $39,915, which is higher than the $38,564 average annual salary of a project assistant.
The top three skills for a virtual assistant include data entry, customer service and email management. The most important skills for a project assistant are data entry, powerpoint, and customer service.
| Virtual Assistant | Project Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $39,915 | $38,564 |
| Hourly rate | $19.19 | $18.54 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 49,508 | 59,664 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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 project assistant's role mainly revolves around assisting a project manager. The responsibilities may vary upon the industry or organization. Still, most of them will be administrative tasks such as preparing reports and documentation, responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, and coordinating with various offices and personnel. Furthermore, a Project Assistant must also ensure the department's efficient workflow, proper utilization of budget, review documentation and schedules, attend meetings, and maintain an information database.
Virtual assistants and project assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Virtual Assistant | Project Assistant | |
| Average salary | $39,915 | $38,564 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $54,000 | Between $25,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Portland, OR |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Oregon |
| Best paying company | IBM | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a virtual assistant and a project assistant in terms of educational background:
| Virtual Assistant | Project Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between virtual assistants' and project assistants' demographics:
| Virtual Assistant | Project Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% |
| 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, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |