Access to work funded coaching for Virtual Assistants

If you’re a VA running your own business and living with a disability or a physical or mental health condition, there’s a decent chance you’re entitled to support you’ve never claimed. Access to Work is a UK government grant scheme that helps people stay in work, and that includes those of us who work for ourselves. It can cover conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism, anxiety, depression and long-term physical health conditions.

Most of the VAs I speak to have either never heard of it or assume it’s only for people with an employer. It isn’t. In 2024/25, Access to Work supported 7,080 self-employed people. That’s still a tiny number compared with how many of us are out there doing it on our own.

One of the things Access to Work can fund is one-to-one coaching. Mine included. So let’s talk about what that looks like, what it doesn’t, and how to get started.

Just to be clear. I’m not talking about VAs being paid through Access to Work to support clients. That’s a different conversation entirely. This post is about you as the business owner: getting coaching and mentoring for your own VA business, funded through Access to Work.

Sound familiar?

It’s Monday morning. Three clients want something by Wednesday, one retainer is already running over its hours, there’s an invoice you still haven’t chased and a shiny new service idea you’d much rather be building. By lunchtime you’ve answered forty messages across four inboxes, logged into six different client systems and rewritten your to-do list twice. Your own business, the work that would actually move it forward, hasn’t been touched. Again.

You became a VA for the freedom. Your hours, your clients, your way. And it is brilliant. But nobody tells you that freedom with no structure turns into chaos, fast. When you’re neurodivergent, or managing a health condition, that chaos costs you more: more energy, more overthinking, more evenings lost to catching up.

I see this every week. It isn’t a character flaw and it isn’t laziness. It’s a VA business without a battle plan, run by someone who spends all day organising everyone else and has nothing left for themselves.

Access to Work: yes, it covers the self-employed

Access to Work is run by the Department for Work and Pensions. It’s for people with a disability or a physical or mental health condition that affects how they work. Self-employed people can apply, as well as employees.

There’s a catch worth knowing before you get your hopes up. If you’re self-employed, you’ll need to show your business is viable and legitimate, which means it needs to be bringing in a reasonable level of turnover. Access to Work also won’t pay for the costs of setting up a business. So if you’re a brand-new VA still looking for your first client, you may not qualify yet. Get some paying clients on the books first, then apply.

It’s a grant, so you don’t pay it back, and there’s no fixed menu. What you’re offered depends on what you need. For some people that’s equipment or software. For others it’s practical help from another person. And for plenty of business owners, it’s coaching to help them build strategies for managing their work.

That’s where I come in. Access to Work usually calls it “job coaching”, and your paperwork might describe it as support with coping strategies when running a business. It’s about helping you work effectively and sustainably with your condition, not a bolt-on extra.

You’ll find the eligibility criteria and the application form on the GOV.UK Access to Work page.

What one-to-one coaching with me looks like

My one-to-one coaching can be funded through Access to Work. Same coaching, same me, whether you pay privately or through the grant.

I’ll be straight with you about how I work. I’m not pink and fluffy. I’m a former Royal Navy Logistics Officer and I’ve been in the VA Industry since 2012 and coaching, training and mentoring Virtual Assistants since 2014. However, my 23 years in the military has allowed me to adapt my styles and approaches to the person I am supporting.  I am a firm believer in servant leadership: my job is to serve you, which sometimes means telling you what you need to hear rather than what you’d like to hear. I’ll be honest, I’ll be kind, and I’ll hold you to account.

This is where my military background earns its keep. I’ve built up a toolkit of frameworks over the years, many of them adapted from my Naval Service for running a small business. They’re simple, they work, and they give you structure without a straitjacket.

We don’t pick one and force you into it. Different stages of business, and different seasons of life, need different tools. We’ll use what fits where you are now and swap as things change. A few you’re likely to meet:

Commander’s Intent. Before we plan anything, we get clear on what you’re actually trying to achieve and why. When you know the end goal, you can adapt when life gets in the way without losing your direction.

Battle Rhythm. We build your working week around your energy, not someone else’s template. Offensive time for growing your own VA business, defensive time for client work and admin, and off duty time that’s protected, not optional.

SITREP. A regular, honest situation report. Where are you, what’s changed, what’s blocking you, what’s next. No judgement, no spin. It’s the quickest way I know to cut through overwhelm.

Good, Better, Best. We decide what good enough looks like before you start, so perfectionism doesn’t stop you finishing.

Alongside the structure, there’s space. And for a lot of neurodivergent VAs, that’s where the magic happens.

Brainstorming brilliance. Your brain throws out ideas faster than most people can write them down. That’s a strength, not a problem. Some sessions are simply about getting it all out on the table and working out which ideas have legs.

A safe space to think out loud. No judgement, no eye-rolling, no “here she goes again”. Just someone who’s been there, who’ll listen properly and tell you the truth. You set the agenda. I make sure it’s time well spent.  This is probably one of my clients favourite things about coaching with me.

Somewhere to park the shiny pennies. That brilliant new idea that turned up on Tuesday? You know the one – the one where you want to forget everything else and implement!  It doesn’t get binned. We write it down, give it a home and save it for the right time. This week, we finish what matters. Next month or next quarter, we come back to the parked list and decide what earns its place to become a current area to work on.

And yes, I’ll notice when you’ve gone quiet or are hiding from me!

What it is, and what it isn’t

Access to Work funds coaching that helps you work effectively with your condition. So when the coaching is funded, that’s the focus: how you plan, prioritise, decide, communicate and look after yourself while running your business.

It isn’t a sales or marketing programme, and I won’t promise to double your income. If running your business well means you earn more, brilliant, but that’s a by-product, not the brief.

I’m also not a therapist or a medical professional. If you need clinical support, I’ll tell you, and I’ll encourage you to get it. Coaching works alongside that, not instead of it.

Next steps

1. Apply early. Complete the application on the GOV.UK Access to Work page. Applications can take a while to come through, so don’t wait until you’re on your knees or struggling to run your business.
2. Be specific. When you speak to Access to Work, explain how your condition affects you day to day running your VA business. Juggling clients, switching between tasks, focus, overwhelm, communication: say what actually happens.
3. Mention coaching. Tell them you’d like one-to-one coaching as part of your support, and that you have a coach in mind.
4. Talk to me. Whether you’re waiting on a decision or want to start privately now, book a call and we’ll work out the right route for you.

What happens after you apply

Every application is different, but this is roughly what to expect:

1. You apply. Online or by phone, through the GOV.UK Access to Work page. The grant is yours, not your coach’s, so you do the applying.
2. Someone gets in touch. Access to Work will contact you to talk about your business, how your condition affects your work and what’s getting in the way.
3. An assessment. You may have a needs assessment, often by phone or video, to look at what support would help.
4. A recommendation. The assessor recommends support, which can include coaching. This is the point to say you’ve got a coach in mind. I can give you a quote for my one-to-one coaching to support your application.
5. An award letter. If approved, you’ll get a letter confirming what’s funded, for how long and how to claim. You may need to pay invoices yourself and claim the money back.  Or I can invoice you – you submit the invoice to Access to Work and I get paid directly by them.

It can take a while, so keep running your business as normal in the meantime.

One important point: Access to Work won’t pay for sessions you’ve had before your support is agreed. If you start privately, those sessions are on you.

Book a discovery call here or drop me an email on amanda@vact.co.uk

Your questions, answered

I’m a VA. Is this about getting paid through Access to Work for supporting my clients? No. This is about you as the business owner. If you’re neurodivergent or living with a health condition, you may be able to get coaching and mentoring for your own business funded.

Is this business coaching or something else? It’s coaching for you, in your business. Funded sessions focus on how you work: planning, focus, decisions, workload and communication. Growth tends to follow, but it isn’t the brief.

I haven’t got a formal diagnosis. Is it still worth applying? It can be. Access to Work looks at how your condition affects you at work, so be ready to explain that clearly. They may ask for more information.

What will it cost me? My one-to-one coaching is £200 a month. If Access to Work agrees to fund it, the grant covers what’s in your award. If you start before your funding is agreed, you pay for those sessions yourself.

I’m struggling now. Do I have to wait for a decision? No. Applications can take months, so some clients start privately and switch once funding comes through. We’ll talk it through and you decide.  Access to Work will not back date sessions.

Where do I start? Apply through the GOV.UK Access to Work page, then book a call with me. Do both this week rather than next month as it takes a little time to go through the process.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Access to Work
• DWP answer to written question on self-employed Access to Work support, 22 October 2025
• GOV.UK: Access to Work holistic assessments provider guidance (self-employed viability)
• Disability Information Scotland: Access to Work factsheet (setting-up costs)