SVA came into existence in 2005 to:
- Promote best practice in the virtual assistant industry;
- create industry wide VA standards; and
- Help UK VAs find clients.
As part of this we run a FREE listing for all VAs who abide by the following criteria.
More information on how to comply can be found on the links below. All these conditions must be met BEFORE applying.
VAs wanting to be an Approved SVA Member should comply with the following VA Standards:
- Have been a VA for more than one year or been an SVA Community Member for longer than three months.
- Have professional and legal contracts in place purchased from a UK-based solicitor/contract provider – we will ask you where you purchased them from.
If you don’t have any, you can purchase contracts here.
- Be ICO registered. Have registered on the Data Protection Register via the Information Commissioner’s Office.
- Have suitable Professional Indemnity Insurance in place – we will ask for your Policy Number and the name of your insurer.
- Back up data securely off-site.
- Have a website of professional quality.– A secure server (your website address starts with https://)
– Privacy Policy
– Cookie Policy
– Website T&Cs
– Acceptable Use Policy
– Including a UK mailing address
Address on Website Note: Sole traders do not need to adhere to this rule, but it can be a good idea to have a means of postal address on your website (even if it is a PO Box or virtual office address). So, sole traders do not need to answer this question if you don’t have one on your website. If you are a Limited Company or you have e-commerce on your website you must have a mailing contact address on your website in an easy to find place (e.g. not hidden in a privacy policy) – see more info https://www.societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk/2019/05/20/do-i-need-an-office-address-as-a-virtual-assistant/
Website Policies:
Please ensure you have a legally up-to-date version of your Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Website T&C’s / Acceptable Use Policy on your website and ideally a link to your privacy policy also on your contact page below the ‘Send’ button. If you are not sure if your policies are legally correct, please speak to or order your policy packs from KoffeeKlatch , Suzanne Dibble the FSB (If you are a member) or a solicitor who understands the VA industry – please don’t assume your website provider has added a legally compliant policy pack to your website, this may not be the case. Please get in touch if you are not sure and we can signpost you to someone who can advise.
- Have professional email addresses. These must be domain-specific and no @gmail.com/@btinternet.com.
- Be professional– Only take on tasks which you are fully capable of completing.
– Please don’t offer paid training/mentoring/coaching for other VAs without having appropriate experience and knowledge of the role and the industry.
– Answer phone calls or emails received within office hours next working day or to have an answerphone or autoresponder giving further information about when you will respond to the query.
- Be based in the UK. We do not list offshore VAs.
- Collaborate This is not a must, but we would encourage you to contribute and collaborate within the UK VA Industry by interacting with our Facebook Group, Discord Server, attend events and engage with other VAs. We very much believe in collaboration not competition and know that those who collaborate within the industry grow their businesses and become successful far quicker than those who don’t.
- SVA Logo & Link. Once approved you must display our Approved VA logo and link back to our website.
The SVA reserves the right to remove any virtual assistant and ask that you link back to our site (include approved logos sent in your approval email). If you comply with all of the above, please fill in the form below. Please note: that we do carry out random checks.
Please note, this is a free service, but as a not-for-profit organisation we do ask you to consider a donation – this is used to ensure we bring you the best service. If you feel you would like to donate, please click here
By signing up, you will receive email alerts on any relevant jobs, and your details will be listed publicly on the FIND A VA page. If you wish to unsubscribe from emails or change your listing at any time, you can do so by emailing info@societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk