ActiVAte for military partners
Build a career that moves when you do
ActiVAte is a live, mentor led course that helps partners of serving personnel set up a professional virtual assistant business. Your skills, your clients and your income can come with you to every posting.
Change of address
- Catterick Garrison
- RAF Brize Norton
- Episkopi, Cyprus
- HMNB Portsmouth
- Wherever you're posted next
Your business stays open.
You shouldn't have to start again every time you move
Many military partners have built real careers, only to leave them behind with each new posting. Employers can be wary once they hear a move is likely, and working while posted overseas brings its own questions.
A virtual assistant business puts you in charge. You choose your clients, set your hours around family life and deployments, and take everything with you when the next assignment order arrives.
What military partners told us
- 20 of 21said service life had affected their career or earnings
- 16 of 21had left a job because of service life
- 14 of 21had accepted work below their experience or qualifications
Advance Pathways survey of military partners, August 2026.
What you'll cover
ActiVAte takes you from your first idea to a business ready for clients, one live session at a time. Specialist guest trainers join for finance, AI and mindset.
- 1Welcome, your why, vision, mission and values
- 2Research
- 3Branding
- 4Business structure and compliance
- 5FinancialsWith a specialist finance trainer
- 6Working with clients
- 7Marketing your virtual assistant business
- 8Policies, processes and automation
- 9Tools and technology
- 10AIWith a specialist AI trainer
- 11MindsetWith a mindset coach
- 12Your one to one progression session
- 13Your success path and celebration
How ActiVAte works
Live and personal
Most of ActiVAte is delivered live, so you can ask questions, get feedback on your own business and learn alongside others in your cohort.
Guided by a mentor
You'll be guided by someone who runs a successful operations business, not a generic trainer, with a one to one session to plan your next steps.
Support that lasts
When the course ends, you keep access to Advance for life, so you can come back for support as your business grows, wherever you're living.
Meet your mentor, Paula Edwards
Paula founded Advance Virtual Assistants in 2017 while living abroad. She built it to be a career that fitted around family life and didn't depend on where she lived.
Today she works as a Director of Operations for growing businesses, leads a team of virtual assistant and online business manager associates, and runs the Advance Virtual Assistant Academy. She has delivered ActiVAte to 11 cohorts, and the Academy has held CPD accreditation since 2020.
Advance Pathways is the community interest company Paula set up to bring that experience to partners of serving personnel.
Working together
Advance Pathways works closely with the Forces Employment Charity, so partners who want employed roles as well as, or instead of, their own business can be connected to the right support.
Your questions answered
Who is ActiVAte for?
This course is for partners of currently serving members of the UK Armed Forces, both Regular and Reserve. It suits you if you'd like to build your own virtual assistant business that can move with you from posting to posting.
Do I need to have worked as a virtual assistant before?
No. Many people come to ActiVAte with experience from administration, office management, customer service, teaching, the NHS or their own careers before military life. The course helps you recognise the skills you already have and turn them into services clients will pay for.
What exactly is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is a self employed professional who supports business owners remotely, with anything from inbox and diary management to systems, projects and client communications. You work online, so your business isn't tied to one location.
Can I run my business if we're posted overseas?
Often you can, but the rules depend on the country and on your status there. We'll always encourage you to check what applies to you with your unit welfare team or the relevant service information office before you start working for clients abroad.
What if a posting or deployment happens during the course?
Military life doesn't wait for a course timetable, and we understand that. If your circumstances change, talk to us and we'll work out the best way for you to keep going.
What if I'd rather be employed than run my own business?
ActiVAte focuses on building a virtual assistant business. If employment suits you better, we work closely with the Forces Employment Charity and can point you towards the right support.
What happens after the course finishes?
ActiVAte graduates keep lifetime access to Advance, so you can return for guidance and support as your business develops, through every future move.
When does the next cohort start, and how much does it cost?
We'll share dates and details of how places are offered as soon as they're confirmed. Tell us you're interested and you'll be among the first to hear.
How do I find out more?
Email info@advancevirtualassistants.co.uk with a little about you and your situation. We'd love to hear what you're hoping to build.
What could you build if your career came with you?
Tell us a little about yourself and we'll let you know when the next ActiVAte cohort opens.