VA Awareness
Naghahanap po ako ng part-time job kanina sa FB when someone told me na need niya daw ng VA for a restaurant business. Interested sana ako kasi naghahanap ako ng legit part-time remote job. Pero from the start, medyo vague na yung details and defensive na agad siya kapag nagtatanong ako.
Una, VA role daw for restaurant. Later on, naging kasama na rin yung pagtuturo ng basic Tagalog/Philippines info kasi pupunta raw siya sa Philippines. Nag-mention din siya ng mataas na offer, around $1,200–$1,700/month, plus $500 for 5 days na Tagalog/Philippines sessions. May training, contract, and advance payment daw. Indeed, I already have a hunch on what she is implying and the offer is too good to be true. Of course, I still asked and wanted to see where the conversation is going (i’m a psych major btw).
So syempre, nagtanong ako ng basic details:
• business name
• location or official page/listing
• exact tasks
• schedule
• salary setup
• payment method
• contract details
Normal lang naman ito itanong as VA, especially remote work. Hindi naman ito pang-iistorbo. Due diligence lang.
Pero instead na sagutin nang maayos, naging defensive siya. Sabi pa niya hindi ko raw kailangan ng exact location unless pupunta ako sa restaurant. Then later, sinabi niya na nagsasayang daw ako ng oras and dapat nag-attend na lang daw ako ng interview — pero wala naman siyang sinend na interview link. Ako pa talaga ginaslight and pinagmukhang masama😵💫
For me, red flag na yun. If legit yung client, dapat kaya nilang ibigay kahit basic business details before interview or training. Hindi dapat magalit kapag applicant is just verifying the opportunity.
As much as I want to curse her, hindi ko ginawa kasi I still have work ethics and professionalism so I sent her a reply in a professional tone pa rin. Blocked already for my peace of mind. Sharing lang para maging cautious din ibang VAs. Always verify muna before giving your time, personal info, or accepting any work setup.