So where are they going right, and where are they going wrong? There may be several reasons why one arrangement could have been considered as "couldn't be better", while another was simply "stress and aggravation". It could be the VA and it could be the hirer, or the situation could be caused by both. If you are thinking of hiring your first VA, be sure to follow these basic rules of survival.

Rule # 1 - Evaluate your work. Start considering the bigger picture, and ask yourself, what can you outsource which keeps getting put to the bottom or your 'To Do' list? What causes you the most frustration? What tasks do you enjoy and what do you usually avoid? With every project you deal with, always ask yourself this one question, "Could a VA be taking care of this instead of me?"

For example, if you are marketing your online business and submitting articles, this can be time consuming, and you are far better off outsourcing this job while personally working on something which only you are capable of completing. Other outsourced tasks may include networking, managing affiliates, research, web development, email marketing, bookkeeping and much more... Before hiring, verify that you're absolutely sure about what you want to accomplish. Finalise your rules and the methods of your work before bringing a VA into your organisation.

Money Saving Tip: While evaluating, it would be wise to consider not only what you can delegate, but also eliminate. Are all of your tasks essential? Could you potentially automate some of your work? A good VA should be able to assist you with automating your business. I know - as a VA myself, when working on several projects and clients at the same time, a VA can quickly develop a multi-tasking frame of mind!

Rule # 2 - Go for it and begin hiring (we usually charge by the hour). If you have little or no experience with commanding a virtual worker - there's no time like the present! Most VA's work on a "pay as you go" hourly rate. Begin by assigning trivial or repetitive tasks which need getting done, and test out - at the very least, a few VA's before making any real commitment to one.

Rule # 3 - Know how to assign your tasks. Many VA's will have their own systems and methods for working with their clients. Go over these methods carefully from the beginning, and verify that their habit of working fits in with your goals. If you are someone who likes to deal with your VA on the phone, and he or she prefers to deal with clients through email, then that VA is not the best match for you. Generally, when assigning any tasks to your VA, delegate only one task at a time, for example, send individual emails rather than 6 tasks on a single email. This way each task can be completed, responded to and closed.

A good task assignment should be made up of 3 things. 1) A title or reference. 2) A project brief or task description. 3) A timescale and deadline - e.g. spend a maximum of 2 hours, to be completed on dd/mm.

Try to set your deadlines before you begin, and when working with a solo VA, make this your golden guideline - one person can only do so much. If you hire a VA who has a small support team, it's more likely that they will have greater flexibility with meeting tighter deadlines. If assigning multiple tasks, always set an order of priority.

Rule # 4 - Common fears - and how to overcome them.

- Confidentiality. All good VA's will have a Privacy Policy and/or Confidentiality Agreement. When dealing with a VA, electronic business is the usual practice. Make sure your VA has sufficient security measures in place to keep your valuable information safe.

- Finance. Never give your VA your debit card for online transactions. Credit card charges can usually be easily reversed, although debit cards function a bit differently, resulting in problems being much more difficult to deal with.

- Passwords and Logins. If your VA will be accessing websites and online systems on your behalf, then wherever possible, create a unique login for your VA. Issues can be better identified and dealt with from knowing the exact user who was logged in. Also, if you're one of those people who tends to use the same passwords for various applications, these passwords can remain undisclosed.

- Leap of faith. Usually, letting go is the most difficult thing of all. You understand how you like to get things done, you've perfected your work methods, and now you're looking at just handing it over to someone new. There are only so many hours in the day, and unless you want to spend the entirety of every day working, outsourcing is the most cost effective way to stay productive while freeing up your time to do other things. Hiring a good VA who can understand your business, your work, and above all understand you, can be one of the most rewarding decisions you ever make.