Lessons from the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant Still Working in the Classroom
Hi everyone! I’m Nicole. Emily invited me to write a guest post about my experience working as both an educator and digital marketing virtual assistant (VA). I jumped at the opportunity to share this hidden gem with others in the classroom! Here are all of the details you need to know about digital marketing as a side job for teachers.
I’ve been teaching in various capacities for almost twenty years, in everything from preschool special education to adult education in English for Speakers of Other Languages. I’m also a mom of two young kids. Currently, I work full-time as a school librarian in an elementary school. I love my work in the classroom and feel fortunate to get to do my job each day.
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I also know that so many teachers like me are looking for second jobs and extra hours to supplement our incomes. Between spending our own money on classroom supplies, to needing extra funds for our own family’s needs, it can be hard to survive on a teacher’s salary. Nearly every online professional teaching group seems to have regular posts about where to find a second job. It’s something we almost all will consider at some point in our education career.
That’s why I was so excited to start working as a VA. I first began working online about two years ago after talking to Emily about her work. I didn’t know anything about the VA world then. But when I saw her passion and excitement for her job, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. I enrolled in Emily’s signature course, the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School, to get a foundation for everything that I would need to know to be ready to work with clients. Since then, I have successfully worked with a variety of clients with their online businesses.
My Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Working as a Virtual Assistant (VA)
I’ve had a lot of questions about why I chose to start working as a VA. So, in no particular order, here are 10 of my favorite reasons why I think that it’s the perfect side hustle for a teacher!
1. Earn Extra Income
Let’s face it – one of the biggest reasons you’re probably reading this article is that you want extra money each month. It’s important to supplement your teaching salary and cushion your family budget. We’re not known for our high salaries, and don’t get me started about student loan debt and all those extra teaching expenses every year.
Being a virtual assistant allows me to have breathing room in my checking account. Plus, it provides “extras” for my family without guilt. From after-school sports to family getaways, my online work from home has given my family the opportunities for so much extra every month.
2. Easily Take Advantage of School Breaks
Most teachers here in the U.S. have some well-deserved breaks built into their school calendar every year. We all know, of course, that there is always extra school work to be done and PD opportunities to attend. But working as a VA is so flexible that I can take full advantage of my time away from school during school breaks and summer months.
Personally, I use my time off in the summers to ramp up my work as a VA. I find new clients and get acquainted with their business needs. I also work with my existing clients to focus on new goals and plans. And, I touch up on my technical skills and revisit some of the topics from Emily’s Marketing Assistant course. Then, by the time school begins again, I’m ready to move into a new schedule that fits the school year routine. The nice thing, of course, is that this extra time translates into extra $$ every summer!
3. Fit the Niche
My current clients run businesses that do everything from furniture painting to craft clubs. But until I started working as a VA, I had no idea how prosperous the education business could be! From Teachers Pay Teachers to education blogs and teacher support groups, there are lots of educators who are building small businesses based solely on their education background. And we are in a unique position to help with these business ventures. We know the audience and the jargon, we understand the overall goals, and we’re passionate about the vision of these clients. It’s a perfect match.
4. Use the Strengths You Have
If you’re teaching, you know how to write short-term plans while also considering long-range goals. So you are probably used to being organized and methodical in your work. You know how to assess and capture data, and analyze your results to plan for the future. You’re able to communicate at a variety of levels. And, translate complex information into exactly what your intended audience needs to hear and understand.
Guess what? These basic skills are exactly what you need to be a successful VA. It’s easy to turn these strengths into business outcomes to help your clients get what they need!
5. Work With People
Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you’re probably in education because you like to work with people. You get satisfaction from helping people overcome obstacles, and you get joy from sharing in their success. And if you enjoy doing it with students, you’ll enjoy doing it with small business owners as clients!
6. Use Your Tech Skills
EdTech is a daily part of our teaching lives. We can navigate through Google’s myriad of services with our eyes closed. Or create and edit videos, input data into databases, design images for flyers, write newsletters and articles, and navigate social media every day for our PLN and professional growth. We are self-learners who aren’t afraid to jump right into new websites or applications after only a basic introduction. You and I know how to take advantage of online tutorials, podcasts and YouTube videos to figure out exactly what we need to do to add a new tech piece to next week’s lesson plan.
And that’s exactly why you’ll be able to find success as a VA. Take a look at these top ten services you can offer to clients as a unicorn digital marketing assistant. Whether it’s something familiar like Pinterest or Instagram, or a new platform for you altogether, you will easily pick up all the tech tips you need to succeed. As teachers, we are quick learners and fast adapters!
7. Have Flexibility in Your Schedule
As a busy mom and teacher, I don’t have much “down time” in my daily schedule. It would be very challenging for me to show up for a routine shift at a local business, or to keep regular hours logged into an online work console. And the thought of teaching at 5:00 am or midnight to students in China, like the infamous online tutoring jobs like VIP Kids, is overwhelming and not enticing.
However, I do have an hour here or there almost every day – hanging out at the kitchen table while my kids do their homework, sitting in the bleachers at swim lessons, watching yet another Disney cartoon on Friday movie nights at home, or waiting at one of many family doctor’s appointments.
Working online as a VA means that I can knock off a few tasks for my clients whenever I have the time, whether it’s 30 minutes each night while my kids are in the shower, or killing time in my classroom before an evening school event. I set my own hours and create my own schedule every week. It’s mobile work that I can take on the road, with no extra childcare expenses required!
8. Do Something Different
I never realized how much I needed to work after school in a field away from my young students. As much as I love my kids at school and my own kids at home, it is so refreshing to do online work that fuels my creative side and gives me adult interaction. I can easily get burnt out when I’m doing after-school tutoring or coaching extracurricular activities because I already give so much of my time and energy to young people each day. But VA work gives me a whole different world of tasks and accomplishments with adults.
9. Gain a Valuable Professional Path
Let’s be honest. As much as I love teaching, there’s always the little thought in the back of my head that maybe my career path could venture into totally new territory. Between pink slip uncertainties and school district budget cuts, it is nice to have a solid footing in a different professional career. Options are always a good thing.
Whether you’re considering an early teaching retirement or just want to remain marketable outside the field of education, this is the way to keep your foot in the door of a separate, profitable career that is only growing in future potential. If you’re a teacher, starting this as a side job could lead to brand new opportunities.
10. Make It Whatever You Want
We all have a basic idea of what a virtual assistant does each day. (If you’re not exactly sure, check out this article!) But in reality, it can become whatever you want it to be. There are so many opportunities out there, and the only one who gets to define your limits is you. Find your tribe, grow your network, and build your own online VA business to make something that fits exactly what you need at this place in your journey.
Get excited about your next adventure!
Nicole Morgan, Elementary School Librarian and Digital Media VA
⚡Stories of Teachers Just like YOU!
A couple of episodes about teachers becoming freelancers…
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Listen Notes
Why Teaching Skills Make You a Rockstar VA
1. Planning & organization: If you’ve ever organized a field trip or planned a weekly lesson plan, you’re skilled at time blocking, scheduling, and coordinating—exactly what clients need.
2. Communication & patience: From parent emails to classroom management, you’ve honed your ability to explain things clearly and calmly—plus you know how to adapt your tone depending on the audience.
3. Tech-savviness: Whether you’ve used Google Classroom, Canva, or Pinterest for classroom decor, you’re already familiar with the tools many online business owners use daily.
How to Become a Virtual Marketing Assistant
What Clients Really Need (and Aren’t Saying Out Loud)
Most small business owners aren’t looking for a full-time employee—they need smart, reliable, proactive help in a fractional role. That means someone who can jump in, take initiative, and own a few key areas of their business without needing their hand held.
That’s where YOU come in.
You don’t need 10 years of corporate marketing experience.
What clients actually need is someone who:
- Shows up consistently and communicates professionally
- Can manage tasks, timelines, and tech without constant reminders
- Follows through and figures things out
- Brings calm energy and creative solutions to the chaos of business
Sound familiar?
Teachers have this in spades. You already run your classroom like a project manager, adapt to new tools on the fly, and hold people (students, parents, and admin!) accountable every day.
Business owners crave that kind of dependable, detail-oriented support. And in a freelance or contractor setup, it’s exactly what makes you indispensable.
How to learn in-demand, higher-paid VA services
If you’re motivated and excited about a new career opportunity, now is the time to learn how to become a VA.
Take your next step now, and get on the waitlist for the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School. It’s an info-packed online learning opportunity that’s all about honing your skills and learning the basic online business fundamentals. You can hit the ground running after the course and be ready to be hired right away by business owners who want the elusive unicorn VA!
How to Find Clients as a New VA (Especially as a VA)
One of the biggest questions I hear is, “Where do I find clients?” Here’s a snapshot of the simplest, most effective strategies:
- Start with your school community
- Share your VA journey in the teacher’s lounge or school newsletter—someone might know a friend who runs a small business and needs help.
- Join VA and teaching-related Facebook groups
- Engage actively by offering tips and answering questions. Position yourself as both a teacher and a helping hand, not just another VA.
- TPT Virtual Assistant Finder Facebook Group
- Leverage your existing network
- Tell family, friends, and former colleagues about your new path. Personal referrals are gold and often catch on fast.
- Use online freelance platforms with purpose
- Create a compelling profile on sites like Upwork or Fiverr. Highlight your teaching background—attention to detail, communication skills—so clients can immediately see your strengths.
- Apply to join our referral-based Workgroup
- Once you’re trained and ready to serve clients, the next step is getting in the room where jobs get shared daily. The Digital Marketer’s Workgroup is my curated community of freelance marketing assistants. It’s where qualified pros get referred, collaborate, and land clients—without cold-pitching.
Turn your teaching skills into paid work—ASAP
I took everything I kept repeating to teachers and new freelancers—how to get started, what services to offer, how to price yourself, and where to find clients—and put it all into one clear training. This $47 mini-course is the shortcut I wish I had when I started. You’ll walk away with direction, confidence, and a real plan to land paying work using the skills you already have.
Free Resource: VA Podcast Playlist for Teachers
Curious about the VA world but not ready to dive into a full training just yet? I curated this free podcast playlist just for teachers like you who want to explore the possibilities of working online—on your own terms.
Each episode was handpicked to give you behind-the-scenes insights, confidence boosts, and a realistic look at what it’s like to use your teaching skills in the digital space.
▶️Click here to add it to your Spotify account.
The Takeaway
If you’re a teacher looking for a smart side hustle—or even an exit strategy—I want you to know this: you already have what it takes. Your classroom skills translate beautifully into the online space. You know how to communicate clearly, stay organized, juggle a million things at once, and problem-solve on the fly (with a smile). Those are the exact traits business owners are looking for in a VA.
You don’t need to reinvent yourself—just reposition what you already do well.
And I can show you how.
💻 Start with my “How to Become a VA” mini-course if you’re ready for a step-by-step game plan.
🎧 Or save my free podcast playlist if you want to dip your toe in first and just learn.
And when you’re ready to start working with real clients?
Apply to join my Workgroup, the community where trained, go-getter VAs support each other and get referred for actual jobs.
You’ve got this.
-Emily, Digital Marketing Consultant and Implementer
Emily Reagan is a mom of four, board game pro, freelance digital marketer and Marketing Assistant Mentor who has helped over 450 go-getters, including military spouses, stay-at-home moms, and professional women learn in-demand skills and find flexible remote work as digital marketing assistants and specialists. She’s shared 3,000+ job leads with her freelancer community The Digital Marketer’s Workgroup.
Ask her any questions over on IG @emilyreaganpr
“I help smart women learn the in-demand digital marketing strategies and profitable tech skills to get hired as a unicorn digital marketing assistant.“
3 ways we can work together:
1. Join the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School. My signature course on digital marketing implementation will give you the confidence and teach you HOW to do the work that’s in demand and highly marketable. This is the secret weapon to getting booked out. Start learning digital marketing services and building your digital service business right now.
2. Already doing marketing work and have a few clients? Want a stronger referral network? Apply for our Digital Marketer’s Workgroup—a tight-knit community of freelancers just like you. Inside, you’ll get behind-the-scenes support, advanced trainings, and troubleshooting that every solo marketer needs. Plus, I’ve shared over 3,000 job opportunities with this group—exclusive leads you won’t find anywhere else. If you’re ready to grow your business and connect with a supportive network, join us here!
3. Looking to hire a Digital Marketing Assistant? If you want to expand your team & grow your business, submit your job opportunity here. I’ll share it with the skilled unicorn marketing assistants inside my workgroup totally free.
Not a course. A collective for marketers already doing the work.
Our Digital Marketer’s Workgroup is a vetted peer community where marketing specialists get real business support and talk shop with people who actually get it. Applications are open now ⬇️
Further Reading:
How to Become a Virtual Assistant
How to use your Administrative Skills as a Virtual Assistant
In-demand, Profitable Niches for Virtual Assistants
How to Rock your Next Discovery Call as a Virtual Assistant
Yes, you really can work online.
Feeling overwhelmed about how to start working from home or build your own digital marketing business? Take a deep breath — you can do this!
Start with my list of 10 in-demand tasks that online business owners are constantly asking for help with. These are the exact skills clients look for when hiring a virtual assistant. Grab your free download now, update your VA toolkit, and see where you might want to grow next as you build your freelance business with confidence and purpose.
