
This is the definitive VA Handbook review.
The VA Handbook is a virtual assistant course created by Joanne Munro.
We’ve spent several hours examining the training materials and going through the private community.
(Have you taken this course? Add your rating!)
If you want to know…
- If it can help you make money online
- How it compares to other VA programs
- The pros and cons
- Price and discount info
- If real students are actually getting results
Then you’ve come to the right place.
Jump to…
About the Author
Hey, I’m Niall Doherty.
I quit my last 9-to-5 job back in 2010.
Since then, I’ve earned my living online in various ways. Over the last 4 years (through 2023) I’ve earned $842,000 from my laptop.
I’m on a mission to accurately rate and review all the best online business courses. My team and I are spending many hours investigating these courses and getting feedback from real students.
All that to say: we know a thing or two about such courses and making money online.
The Best Virtual Assistant Course?
We’re on a mission to find the best virtual assistant course, based on our own extensive research plus feedback from real students.
The VA Handbook DIY course is decent but not the best we’ve seen…
🏆 Best Virtual Assistant Courses 🏆
How does The VA Handbook DIY VA Course help you make money?
The VA Handbook aims to help beginner virtual assistants make money online by clarifying best practices for being a successful VA.
A virtual assistant is a remote worker, or digital nomad, who provides skill-based client services.
For example, a VA could help a busy Facebook group owner moderate posts and comments to prevent spam. Or they could help a business coach manage their email inbox.
The course covers how to…
- Manage time efficiently
- Establish your niche and services
- Price your services and understand the legalities
- Setup a VA-centric LinkedIn profile
- Establish a brand
- Find work
- Manage your business
Who is The VA Handbook DIY VA Course for?
The VA Handbook appears to target people seeking time, location, and financial freedom and who excel at administrative tasks.
For example, a busy UK mom who works a 9-to-5 as a personal assistant and wants to spend more time with her family might be a great fit.
Here are some student quotes (from the sales page) on why they decided to join…
“I want to learn new skills and meet new people.”
“I want to be in charge of my own time and destiny.”
“I want to be paid at a rate that reflected my skills and worth.”
“I want the flexibility to do what I want when I want!”
“I want to be able to work around my young family.”
“I want to have a feeling of control and freedom.”
- 70+ ways how to make money online (including easy options)
Does Joanne Munro have a good reputation?
Yes.
Joanne appears to be well-regarded in the VA community.
She was named as one of the eight approved trainers on the Society of Virtual Assistants, a fairly popular website according to SimilarWeb…
Joanne also won an award for being the best VA training provider…
It’s worth noting the site that gave out the award isn’t particularly well-known, as far as I can tell. And I hadn’t heard of many of the other VA courses listed, despite having spent several months researching and reviewing VA courses.
Joanne cleared that up via email…
The VA Voice Award for Best VA Trainer was given by PA Assist. They are the organiser of the VA Conference and also run the annual PA Voice Awards.
Those awards were voted on by actual virtual assistants, so it’s definitely a good sign that Joanne’s students consider her an effective educator.
I also found no controversy or scam reports online related to her or VA Handbook.
Are Joanne Munro students getting results?
It’s easy to find people who praise the VA Handbook. But I found few students reporting significant results from following the training. And it’s unclear how old the testimonials are.
Here are a few reviews from the sales page indicating that some students are getting results…
“It’s three years today since I bought your DIY course and how things have changed since then! Best decision ever. Started the course in the September, left full-time work in the December and now have 3 members of staff and a thriving VA business! I think I love you a little bit.”
“A huggggggeee!! Thank you, the DIY course is amazing!! Not only does it teach you the skills required but also changes your mindset (in the most amazing way). It is just what I needed. I am nearly 70% through it and I have signed two clients, it’s bloody great! So if you are thinking about purchasing it, DO IT!”
“Signed 2 new clients and have a call with another one next week. Now I have far too much work so have calls with potential associates all lined up and booked for next week too. Got loads of the DIY VA course completed – the marketing email templates 💯 work 😁. And I even managed a cheeky day off on Wednesday!”
That said, for a course with ~1000 customers, I would have expected to see more testimonials speaking to actual student results.
How much does The VA Handbook DIY VA Course cost?
There are four pricing options for lifetime access to VA Handbook…
- £597 one-time (~$780 USD)
- 2 monthly payments of £300 (~$390 USD)
- 3 monthly payments of £200 (~$260 USD)
- 4 monthly payments of £150 (~195 USD)
Additional costs are minimal and include…
- Hosting (~$20/mo)
- Domain (~$10/yr)
The VA Handbook DIY VA Course Discount?
There are no discounts for VA Handbook, except for events like Black Friday.
So you’ll likely need to pay in full to get access now.
Refund Policy
Va Handbook offers a 14-day money-back guarantee if you’ve completed less than 20% of the material.
The official word for the sales page…
The only way you can decide if this course is for you is by being on the inside, not the outside. So if you sign up and decide it’s not for you, as long as you let me know within 14 days and you have completed less than 20% of the course, just ping me an email and I’ll give you a full refund.
This is a decent policy. Though I always prefer to see at least a 30-day no-questions-asked guarantee.
How is The VA Handbook DIY VA Course structured?
The VA Handbook is a text-based course.
(This is quite unusual; most of the VA courses we’ve reviewed are video-based.)
There are a few older over-the-shoulder videos scattered throughout, and more have been added since initially writing this review.
Joanne explained via email…
While the videos in the course are a little old, the course content is reviewed and updated each year and I don’t feel there is any need to re-record video content that is still relevant.
I prefer written content over videos. It’s easier for me to review and update (and so I don’t have to re-record stuff!). Also, the course was designed that way after polling my audience and using their feedback.
I counted 8 modules and 27 individual lessons.
Here’s what the training looks like once you login and open one of the lessons…
To go further in depth, many lessons link to free blog posts for more information…
There are a few over-the-shoulder screen recordings here and there.
For example…
I’d say the most valuable aspects of the program are the following…
- The bonus section
- The private FB group
- The social media marketing course
Here’s a look at some of the bonuses you get…
I found these items to be thorough and thoughtfully put together. There’s clear value here.
From what I’ve gathered, students seem to really enjoy the Facebook group as well.
It’s fairly active…
And Joanne is in there regularly…
Each Friday, students are asked to provide a weekly update, and Joanne gives personal advice to each commenter.
Plus, Joanne now includes a free Social Media Marketing course to help you find clients across popular social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram/TikTok.
Since I initially reviewed this course, Joanne also added material on leveraging AI tools as a VA.
This includes prompts and strategies for using AI in your VA journey.
Green Lights 🟢
Some positive points for The VA Handbook DIY VA Course…
- Active private community.
- Minimal additional expense.
- You pay once and get lifetime access with free updates.
- Decent training on VA fundamentals.
- Joanne Munro walks her talk.
- No misleading marketing tactics.
- A solid amount of bonuses.
- Periodic updates made to the material, including new videos.
Red Flags 🚩
A few things about The VA Handbook DIY VA Course that might give you pause…
- Few student success stories displayed publicly.
- Somewhat expensive compared to other VA courses.
- Lacking some advanced info.
Other things you should know
- Joanne’s training unpacks her strategies to building her successful VA businesses. By joining the course, this special material is yours to access.
- You’ll get access to a several useful downloads, including cheat sheets, scripts, templates, checklists, and workbooks.
- As mentioned, Joanne’s course is somewhat unusual nowadays in that it’s mostly text-based. So expect to do a lot of reading if you sign up.
Should you join The VA Handbook DIY VA Course?
The VA Handbook has decent content, but it’s not obvious the content alone is worth the price of admission.
That said, you also get lifetime access to interact directly with Joanne Munro – via the private Facebook group – who is an experienced and well-regarded VA trainer.
So, I consider it to be a decent investment if you want to be a VA and learn specifically from Joanne.
But you might already be familiar with a lot of the material if you have prior experience working as a VA.
There are other VA courses that…
- Are equally or less expensive
- Have a 30-day refund guarantee
- Offer more in-depth, video-based training
If you’re on the fence about The VA Handbook DIY course, remember that Joanne offers a 14-day money-back guarantee. So you can check it out risk-free.
The VA Handbook DIY VA Course Alternatives
We’re on a mission to find the best “make money online” course, based on real student feedback and our extensive research.
Here’s our top 5…
🏆 Best Courses to Make Money Online 🏆
Your Thoughts on The VA Handbook DIY VA Course
- Have you taken this course yourself?
Add your rating so others can see if it’s worthwhile. - Do you have a question about this course?
Let us know below and we’ll try find the answer.