7 Best Virtual Assistant Courses in 2025
From core administration skills to digital marketing, this guide covers paid and free options to help you break into virtual assistance. Launch your VA career in this $8 billion industry with hourly rates of $27.33.
Donna from Suits is one of my favorite TV characters. She’s not just an assistant, she’s a force of nature. She anticipates her boss’s needs, keeps unnecessary people away from him, and is an organized marvel.
In 2025, you can be a virtual Donna (unfortunately without the swanky workplace and a wardrobe full of stunning dresses). But the job description has changed, in fact, increased. It involves marketing responsibilities, designing graphics, reporting, analysis, along with the traditional tasks.
It has multiple roles that fit into one, which means the pay is decent ($27.33/hour) and the demand is rising (from $6 billion in 2024 to $8 billion in 2025). But you have to keep up with productivity tools, design skills, and management know-hows to succeed as a virtual assistant, and these courses are here to help.
The Best Virtual Assistant Courses
What is Virtual Assistance?
Indeed defines a virtual assistant as “a (self-employed) professional who provides administrative or technical services remotely, assisting with tasks such as managing schedules, conducting online research, and handling communications.”
Their responsibilities include scheduling appointments, managing interviews, making travel arrangements, managing email accounts, and helping out, or since recently, working on digital marketing.
Here’s how a VA’s job description looks today:
A VA has a wide range of skills, which means businesses can outsource a chunk of work to them. This is one of the reasons why demand is increasing; others being cost-effectiveness, constant support with micro-tasks, and the ability to take stress away from overwhelmed business owners.
So, learning virtual assistance means being the Jack (or Jill) of all trades. According to this eVirtualAssistants newsletter, some of the most in-demand virtual assistant skills today are digital marketing, customer relationship management, e-commerce management, content creation, and more.
Our selection of courses taps into each skill, pushing you to become a hardcore virtual assistant.
Why Trust Us and Why These Courses?
Class Central is a one-stop shop for online courses. Our database has 250,000 online courses, which range from emotional intelligence to content marketing. We even have 250,000 reviews to make selecting easier for you.
We are always on the lookout for new courses that keep up with current work trends like growth hacking, machine learning, generative AI, and much more.
Coming back to our list, I’ve chosen courses that offer:
- Diverse skills: Virtual assistance needs a wide range of skills, and each course covers different ones
- Level of learning: The courses are beginner-friendly since virtual assistance is a relatively new field, but existing VAs can learn specific skills from them
- Learner reviews: I’ve given the reviews more importance because I wanted to include courses that can help you apply the lessons in reality
- Certification: Most courses offer certifications, as virtual assistance isn’t an academic course. The certifications can make your job search easier
Pro tip: Since every course teaches (more or less) different skills, I’d recommend you take a combination of them to become a well-rounded VA.
Now, let’s get to the 7 best virtual assistant courses.
Must-Have Skills (Training) for Virtual Assistants (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Rating: 4.6 (7,238)
- Duration: 4 hours 42 minutes
- Cost: Paid
The instructor, Erin Booth, came up with this course after speaking to a business owner who wasn’t finding the right VA. They were either not a good fit, or she’d have to spend days training them.
This course is the solution to that problem. It bridges the gap between client expectations and the VA’s skills. It teaches you essential skills that VAs need before they start offering their services. They include calendar management, inbox management, travel arrangements, social media maintenance, and more.
It also helps you navigate tricky situations, for example, when the client asks you to do something that doesn’t fall within your job description, or handling unfamiliar tasks.
Since Erin is a VA, you get deep insights and clarity on what’s expected from you and how to deliver it.
What sets it apart?
- Every section has a downloadable resource, quiz, or checklist, etc, to help you practice what you learn
- Since the instructor teaches from her experience, it has real-time insights
- It teaches you back-of-office training too, such as sending invoices, keeping data safe, etc
What you might not like:
The course doesn’t teach you how to secure clients, it focuses on the skills needed to be a virtual assistant.
Who is it for?
- Individuals who want to pursue virtual assistance but have zero experience with it
- New virtual assistants who want to learn more core skills
- Existing VAs looking to expand their services
Working as a Virtual Assistant (Alison)
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 1.5 hours – 3 hours
- Cost: Free
This course explains the roles of a VA and the types of VA. It lays out the different skills you’ll need and helps you find your niche in the field.
While it doesn’t touch upon the core skills such as email management, social media marketing, it gives backend insights on setting up your VA practice. It introduces you to tools that will make communication, team management, and other admin tasks easier for you.
This course offers a paid Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Certificate, a credential that verifies a person has completed training or learning activities for professional development.
What sets it apart?
- It helps you choose a niche as a VA
- It also teaches you how to set up your business and take measures to succeed as a trustworthy VA
- It’s free to learn so you can take it up as a complimentary course along with one that covers technical skills
- It has a course assessment at the end (which isn’t easy, so learn well!)
What you may not like:
It doesn’t cover the core, technical skills of virtual assistance.
Who is it for?
- Freelance virtual assistants who want to manage multiple clients
- Individuals who are unsure whether to pursue virtual assistance
- Virtual assistants who want to explore different niches
Remote Management Skills for Virtual Assistants (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Rating: 4.2 (65)
- Duration: 3 hours
- Cost: Paid
Some aspects from the previous courses overlap with this one, but it has many uncovered yet crucial soft skills in virtual assistance. Those include communication and interpersonal skills, resolving conflicts, managing tasks, etc.
It also focuses on productivity and develops organization skills such as note-taking and diary management. The course also gets updated based on the learners’ reviews. For example, a ‘where to find remote VA jobs’ section is added after a learner suggested it.
If you want to pursue VA but lack management and organization abilities, this course will inculcate those in you.
What sets it apart?
- It focuses on both the core skills and the soft skills needed as a VA
- It also teaches communication and etiquette (spoken and written) in depth
- The course is by WriteWow Solutions, which consults companies in content, documentation, and tech, and their courses have had 20000+ learners worldwide
What you may not like:
Initially, the instructor’s voice may seem monotonous and difficult to understand
Who is it for?
- Personal and executive assistants who want to communicate and collaborate better
- Potential virtual assistants who want to learn the foundational VA skills
- New virtual assistants who want to focus on their professional skills like resolving conflicts, managing time, and fulfilling tasks effectively
Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate (Coursera)
- Level: Beginner
- Rating: 4.8 (31,607)
- Duration: 240 hours
- Cost: Free to audit
Okay, this course doesn’t cover pure VA skills, but it does tackle one of the most important VA functions—marketing, ecommerce, customer satisfaction, etc. This seven-course program is a masterclass in diverse functions such as copywriting, social media strategy, lead generation, marketing analysis, and much, much, more.
Business owners, founders, and entrepreneurs are looking for basic marketing skills in virtual assistants, and you can instill those skills with this program.
Since each course is long (at least 12 hours), you can choose and audit courses depending on your need. For instance, if you’re catering to e-commerce businesses, you can take the E-commerce course.
Please note: When you click on ‘Enroll for Free’ to start a course, you’ll see the cost of the course. To audit the course for free, click on ‘Audit the Course’ below ‘Continue’. See How to Sign up for Coursera Courses for Free.
What sets it apart?
- The instructors are senior Google employees
- It teaches micro-skills that are essential in marketing and sales
- It also covers tools such as Canva, Google ads, Hootsuite, that will help you excel as a virtual assistant
- It can help you develop a niche as a virtual assistant in marketing or ecommerce, or both!
What you might not like:
It isn’t a virtual assistance course. It only focuses on digital marketing and ecommerce; two skills that are crucial for VAs.
Who is it for?
- Virtual assistants who want to help their clients with lead generation and growing the business
- VAs who have sales and marketing responsibilities
- Potential or new VAs who want to work with marketing agencies or help brands grow online
Must-Have Tools for Virtual Assistants (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Rating: 4.7 (1,530 ratings)
- Duration: 3 hours 17 minutes
- Cost: Paid
Being a virtual assistant means multitasking, time management, and organization. Leveraging technology can make setting processes and automating time-consuming tasks easier. This course introduces you to websites and apps that make virtual assistance seamless.
From time tracking and payment software to guided meditations, this course cares for your VA needs. But it’s not a theoretical course. Think, a database of tools for every skill.
What sets it apart?
- It has 30+ tools for managing projects, payments, onboarding clients, and other responsibilities
- It’s a no-fluff course that matches a task with a tool
- The tutorials are in-depth and simple to follow
- Erin Booth, the instructor, has 13 years of experience as a VA
What you might not like:
- It doesn’t cover soft skills, it only introduces you to tools and tutorials
- The tools may seem outdated, but Erin swears by them as a VA. If you’d like more updated tools, feel free to mention that in the reviews (Erin is very receptive)
Who is it for?
- Freelance virtual assistants who have (or aim to have) multiple clients
- VAs who want to go from part-time roles to full-time stints
- Virtual assistants looking to enhance their productivity by automating tasks
Virtual Assistant Training – CPD Certified (Reed Courses)
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 1.5 hours – 3 hours
- Cost: Paid (around $125, which can be paid in three monthly installments)
This course hand-holds you toward a virtual assistance career. It’s made for beginners and for individuals who are getting into the workforce as a virtual assistant as it has sections on conducting Zoom meetings, learning Outlook, and creating a productive work-from-home setup.
It also covers traditional topics such as data entry, which other courses in this list don’t. And as a bonus, it has a section on finding opportunities in the field.
You also get a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certificate with it!
What sets it apart?
- It has an assessment at the end of the course
- It has a section on learning about Upwork and getting opportunities there
- You get lifetime access to the course
- The course is by Skill Up, a platform helping you obtain industry-relevant skills certified by the most reputable academic institutions with accredited courses
What you may not like:
It doesn’t teach productivity skills, and focuses more on admin skills.
Who is it for?
- Individuals who want to pursue virtual assistance
- New virtual assistants who want overall knowledge about the field
- UK-based individuals willing to become virtual assistants
New Virtual Assistants: The Comprehensive Business Launch (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Rating: 4.5 (796)
- Duration: 2 hours 14 minutes
- Cost: Paid
Do I need a contract as a virtual assistant? Should I make a website? Which online payment platforms should I use?
If these questions keep buzzing in your mind as you embark on your VA journey, take this course. It deals with the minor questions that distract you from learning the essential skills—How to set rates? How to set up insurance? What to name the business?
This course is by Erin Booth (a hat-trick on this list!) whose courses reflect her VA career lessons. She prepares you for the profession, “…as if I were getting advice from a friend”, a learner said.
Again, this course needs to be taken as a complimentary one to a technical skills one.
What sets it apart?
- It helps in setting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as a VA
- It covers other background issues such as dealing with bad clients, being wary of common mistakes as a VA, etc
- Again, Erin, the instructor is eager to make you a successful VA and she is proactive with suggestions and offering an insightful experience
What you may not like:
It doesn’t teach technical or soft skills, so you can simultaneously sign up for another course that does.
Who is it for?
- New virtual assistants who want to set client-facing systems and processes
- Those who want to go from part-time virtual assistants to full-time VAs
- Freelance VAs who want to onboard multiple clients
The key to excel as a VA is to juggle different roles without dropping the ball. When you take these courses, I urge you to develop an organized and open mind that will help you be productive and channel your inner multitasker.
