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Job description: PA
As a personal assistant or 'PA', it is your job to work closely with senior managers to help them juggle their workload and free up their time. As you prove yourself you'll become indispensable as your manager's 'right hand man' and are likely to be given a high level of responsibility.
No day is ever the same in the life of a PA, but your typical daily tasks will include:
- Working closely with your manager
- Screening telephone calls and handling enquiries
- Organising your boss' diary and making appointments
- Dealing with letters and emails
- Using a computer to produce letters, reports and presentations
- Organising and maintaining office systems
- Taking minutes of meetings
- Looking after visitors
Once you become more senior and trusted, you might even be given responsibility of the following types of tasks:
- Standing in for your manager in their absence
- Acting as office manager and supervising other administrative staff
- Organising your boss' diary and making appointments
- Dealing with accounts and budgets
- Project work, like research or writing reports
- Implementing new business procedures
As a PA you'll get a great understanding of how the business works and all the people working there.
Hours and environment
Most PAs work 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, but are happy to put in a few extra hours when the chips are down to meet deadlines. If you get on well with your boss, you might be able to claim back some overtime as time in lieu, once things calm down again.
The job is usually office based, but there will be occasions where you accompany your boss to meetings and events or are asked to run errands.
Flexitime, job sharing and part-time work may be available, but this depends on the organisation and the demands of your boss.
Skills and interests
Your personality and skills are the most important thing potential employers will be looking for. To be a good PA you'll need to be super organised to plan your manager's day as well as your own, an expert in the art of multi-tasking and have a calm, professional manner.
If you want to stand out from other candidates there are plenty of other qualities that will help you get noticed:
- Good written and spoken communication skills
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Be able to work to tight deadlines
- Be able to prioritise
- Cool under pressure
- Excellent administrative skills
- A flexible and adaptable approach to work
- The ability to work on your own initiative
- Tact and discretion, for dealing with confidential information.
It helps to have an interest in business as you'll be able to offer your manager advice if and when it is needed. And it goes without saying you have to enjoy working with people as this makes up a large part of your job.
Entry
Although there are no formal entry criteria, employers do generally want their PAs to have a good standard of general education and ask for a minimum of five GSCEs (A to C grades and preferably including maths and English). If you've got a business-related BTEC HND or degree you can use this to your advantage to help find a job with a higher level of responsibility.
Some employers will ask for a recognised qualification in administration or secretarial skills. Before you look for PA work, you may find it useful to have NVQ level 2 and/or 3 in Business and Administration, or a secretarial qualification from City & Guilds, OCR (RSA) or Education Development International LCCI. Full and part-time courses are available to fit round your lifstyle and commitments.
Proven experience is also really important. You'll usually need a year or two's administrative or office experience to make it as a PA. If you have been working before then you will probably have skills that will stand you in good stead. If you are just starting out in the job market or need to build some more specific skills, temping as a secretary or typist can be a good way to build up your experience, or you can look at roles in admin or clerical work as stepping stones to greater things.
A great way of learning whilst you earn is to consider an apprenticeship. There are secretarial, administrative and PA apprenticeship schemes on offer, but opportunities do vary depending on where you live. Check out www.apprenticeships.org.uk to find out more.
Training
Most of your training will be on the job. As soon as you start you'll be trained on company procedures and systems. If you want to do more training to help you progress there are some recognised courses which you could take part-time these include:
- OCR Higher Diploma in Administrative Procedures
- City & Guilds Advanced Diploma and Higher Professional Diploma in Business Administration
- NVQ levels 3 and 4 in Business and Administration.
Your employer won't necessarily offer you the chance to go on these but you could ask for help in funding them.
You may also find it useful to join the Institute of Qualified Professional Secretaries (IQPS), for the chance to meet and learn from other PAs and to look for new opportunities.
Opportunities
There are opportunities for PAs in most organisations - both the private and public sectors, particularly in larger companies, education, local authorities, central government and the media.
Career prospects are good and working as a PA you'll have plenty of options to consider for your future. Typically you'll get to work with more senior managers, will get responsibility for a team of PAs and/or administrators or can move on to work for a larger company.
Alternatively if you get a reputation for being a great PA some completely new doors might be opened. More and more people are using their role as PA as a spring board to becoming a manager themselves. You might also be able to use your communications skills to move sideways into another department such as marketing, PR or HR or you could work freelance as a 'virtual PA'.
Annual income
Salaries vary according to where you work but the starting range is usually around £18,000 to £25,000 a year. High-flyers with a good track record and proven experience can enjoy earnings of £30,000 to £40,000 plus benefits.
If you're looking for the big bucks then you're best looking for a job in the London area where salaries are usually slightly above the national average.
Skills such as shorthand or audio typing, and foreign language ability can also increase your earning power.
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