Your main goal as a Personal Assistant (or PA) is to reduce the workload of your manager by taking care of office and administrative tasks. Many business managers rely heavily on their PA and will likely add other responsibilities, such as doing research, writing reports, and taking on projects with deadlines and deliverables.
PA Salaries
PA positions are available in companies that have an executive level of management, and in particular, in media, government, and education. The starting salary for a PA should be about £18,000-25,000 annually; annual salaries in larger organisations may reach £30,000-40,000. Realise, though, that these figures are not cast in stone, and are informational guidelines only.
General Skills
A potential PA must have a calm professional demeanor, along with excellent organisational, administrative, and computer skills. A PA must be a self-starter willing to work at whatever is needed in the office, but must also have tact and discretion. A good PA should have good writing and speaking skills combined with an ability to multi-task, and an attention to detail and accuracy.
Entry Qualifications
Youll need a good standard of general education. Additionally, youll have a better chance to be hired if you have some GCSEs (including English), or a recognised qualification in administration such as:
- 14-19 Diplomas in Business, Administration & Finance
- BTEC National Certificates (or Diplomas) in Business (Administration)
- City and Guilds Certificates in Business and Administration
- Work-based qualifications (for example: the NVQ Certificate & Diploma in Business & Administration at levels 1-4 (which replaces the NVQs in Business & Administration from 2010)
- Education Development International (LCCI) Awards in Business Administration, levels 1, 2, 3
- OCR Certificates & Diplomas in Administration (Business Professional), levels 2, 3
- EDI, OCR, City & Guilds, and other organisations also award secretarial qualifications such as awards in audio-transcription or audio-transcription.
Most colleges of further education offer many courses in administration, both full-time and part-time. Full-time intensive courses are offered by private secretarial colleges . Check with the colleges for the exact requirements for entry. Though not required, a foreign language qualification can be useful, as well as a business-related BTEC HND or degree.
PA Apprenticeships
You may also be able to get a PA position via an Apprenticeship scheme. Employers would be looking for a good general education, plus some GCSEs that include English, or a recognised administration qualification.
The online resource we recommend checking out is site that only offers schemes called Apprenticeships the Business and Administration area is worth checking out, you will be able to search for schemes in your area and get alerts as and when any become available.
PA On-the-Job
A PAs typical work-week is business hours Monday through Friday, with possible evening and weekend hours as needed. Though you will find yourself working mainly within an office, it is possible you may be required to travel locally, regionally, and, perhaps, globally, for business-oriented events.
As you gain experience, you will be given more responsibilities, which, besides leading to a larger salary, may also lead to promotions within the company. You may also find yourself being promoted into executive management itself.
Extra
You are in the place for UK Jobs see our adverts and partner offers as there are plenty of choices if you fancy being a PA.
For further information and support then there is the Institute of Professional Administrators and the Council for Administration (CFA) so you can see being a PA is a serious profession.