Lovely Girl   +  writing

Open Thread: Have You Used a Virtual Assistant or Intern?

The other night I complained to my brother about how hard it is to juggle writing projects and accounting and marketing and computer trouble-shooting and tweeting and everything else.

"You need an intern," he said.

"But what's in it for them? I've thought about getting a virtual assistant, but I'm not sure I can justify the expense."

"Just find a college student who wants to learn about freelancing and take her under your wing. She can help you with paperwork and marketing, and you'll help her build a network and a writing portfolio."

Huh. Not for nothing that my brother has an Ivy League degree. He's a smarty-pants all right! I'm still not totally sold (after all, freelancers don't get much practice in delegating), but I admit I'm intrigued.

Have you used a virtual assistant or an intern? How did you find this person? What sort of tasks did you assign them? Any tips or suggestions?