Personal assistant

 

What is a personal assistant (PA)?

A PA works alongside senior members of staff to provide administrative support and to help organise their day.

You would be trusted to deal with enquiries and make decisions to enable the managers you are working for to make better use of their own time.

 

What sort of tasks would I be doing?

  • Organising appointments and travel arrangements
  • Attending events and meetings to write minutes (notes about the meeting)
  • Writing letters and reports
  • Answering the phone, emails and post
  • Ensuring the office is well organised

You would take on more responsibility as you get more experience.

What qualifications would I need?

To be a PA you will need GCSEs in English and Maths. Studying one of the following subjects would also be useful:

  • The Diploma in business, administration and finance
  • A private secretarial course
  • NVQ Level 2 and 3 in business and administration
  • A secretarial or administration qualification from City & Guilds, OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA examinations) or EDI, such as a Level 2 and 3 Award/Certificate/ Diploma in administration (business professional).
  • Some employers might offer Apprenticeship programmes in business, administration and law.

Getting some work experience in an office would be really useful. Get in touch with some local businesses to see if there’s anything available.

Showing a passion for the role and the ability to be organised are also really important.

Would I suit it?

Are you...

  • Organised?
  • Able to work under pressure and multitask?
  • Confident using a computer and on the phone?
  • Confident when making decisions?

If so, then working as a PA could be just your thing!

 

Career Prospects

The great thing about being a PA is that you are not tied to any specific company, industry or location. Almost all companies need PAs working for them so you can pick somewhere that you think would suit you. Working as a PA would also be a stable profession as they are always needed.

The skills you will learn as a PA will also be useful if you want to move into other areas such as marketing, compliance or human resources.

 

 

As a PA you
are not tied to
a particular industry - you can pick something that suits you

 

 

Where can I go for more information? 

 

 

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