How to Become a Personal Assistant
What is a Personal Assistant?
A Personal Assistant - or PA - is someone who helps with daily management such as setting up meetings, answering telephone and emails, note taking and etc. A personal assistant gives administrative and secretarial support to companies, managers and individuals who require assistance.
Your responsibilities as a Personal Assistant will vary and depend on who you work for and what daily tasks they will involve you in.
Get Qualified as a PA
There’s no actual degree or qualification for personal assistance. You can become a PA if you have the right skills and can show evidence of experience.
However, it is suggested that a degree can help you stand out from other candidates.
To make it easier when it comes to applying for jobs and out-shining other candidates you should have:
- Maths & English GCSE – Grade A*-C
- Business-related qualifications – Foundation degree, Business GCSE, Business BTEC Level 3-4.
- BA Hons in Business Administration – (can be completed online for a fee)
- Level 3 Business Management
- Level 4/5 Diploma in Management
- Level 4/5 IT & Computing Diploma
- Level 6 Diploma in Business & Administrative Management
Remember that you will be required to pay a fee if you wish to complete any of these qualifications.
Skills of a PA
- Organisational – Being organised is the main foundation of being a PA. Your organisational skills will be used every day throughout your PA career. Organising documents, booking business trips, organising contacts, emails, fax and everything you could possibly imagine.
- Time management – Having a good sense of time management is also an important part of being a personal assistant. Organising, scheduling and creating free time for the people you work with. You will be required to keep a calendar with notes and make sure nothing clashes.
- Verbal and written communication – Verbal and written communication skills will be used throughout your career. You need to have good verbal communication with others to be able to understand what is required. You also need to have great written communication skills as you will be required to write emails, letters and documentation which will be formal.
- IT skills – Using a computer will be a basic everyday task in your PA career. You have to know how to correctly use Microsoft Office including Excel, Word and Access. You will have to know how to use emails, electronic calendars and obviously how to use the internet.
- Reliability – Being reliable is another important skill that you will need to have. By getting things done on time and being able to do an excellent job, you will become a reliable and trusted person which means you are doing a good job.
What are the responsibilities of a PA?
- Maintaining office system – Maintaining the office systems will be one of your main priority tasks. Making everything in the office run as smooth as possible in terms of office equipment and other office necessities. You will also maintain office systems by keeping an office diary.
- Creating documentation – Creating contracts, invoices, forms and any other important document that may be required.
- Organising business trips – Booking flights, accommodation and transport for the people who are taking the trip.
- Setting up meetings – Setting up meetings and conferences is another important responsibility you will have. You have to make sure that you schedule them correctly, so they do not clash with other meetings or activities that may be booked. We recommend you to get ready for last minute organisations.
- Answering emails & calls – You will be required to answer emails and calls and direct them to the relevant person or department.
Career Progression
| Personal Assistant | Executive Personal Assistant | Senior Personal Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| As a personal assistant, you will do everything required with minimal assistance. When you achieve more experience you’ll be able to handle harder tasks. | As an executive personal assistant, you will be able to have more tasks under your control. You’ll have enough experience to handle more complicated tasks and solve problems, spot mistakes more quickly as you will learn and get used to it. When you have gained more experience you will move onto the next stage. | As a senior personal assistant you will be able to handle all the tasks and meet the requirements. You will have the authority to train staff and show them the in and outs of being a PA. |
Salary
(Source: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/personal-assistant#salary)
| Personal Assistant | Executive Personal Assistant | Senior Personal Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| £18,000 – £25,000 | £25,000 – £40,000 | £40,000 – £50,000 |
Next Steps
You can easily apply to for admin, secretarial and personal assistant jobs with Fish4jobs and filter your selection by location, sectors, salary band, hours, and contract type.
If you can’t find the one that suits you the best, you can sign up to the Email alerts and receive all the latest project manager jobs as soon as they are advertised.
What You Will Need
If you are new to Fish4jobs and career hunting, we can help you to write a perfect CV, cover letter and personal statement which will grab recruiters’ attention and make your job search easier.
You can copy and fill out our Administrative CV template to help you to secure your dream job - just be sure you change the job title to ‘Personal Assistant’.
A cover letter is also an essential document to have when applying for jobs. To get yours up to scratch, simply follow our guide on how to write a cover letter for Personal Assistant roles.
Some recruiters will also ask you to provide them with a personal statement. Do not panic, we have everything sorted for you. Simply follow our guide on how to write an admin personal statement.
