Becoming an Asset: Working as a PA in London

Big city PA’s (personal assistants) are often depicted in movies as frantically running around making coffee, taking abuse from their bosses and collapsing in a pile of nerves by the end of the day. Whilst the part about being busy is certainly true, the image of an uneducated PA is not. It’s a professional career path that requires hard work and dedication.

What is a PA?

A PA is the stable base that allows some of London’s top executives, actors, musicians and managers to operate efficiently on a daily basis. You’ll never know what each day will bring. One day you could be filtering emails to minimise the time your boss has to spend replying to junk mail, other days you’ll be arranging large scale meetings with foreign corporations. The importance of these tasks can vary; however, at times you’ll have the power to impact the success of these meetings, by ensuring they run smoothly and present your client in a positive light.

Do You Just Serve Other People?

As a PA you may also have the chance to work as part of the management chain, not just as a single asset. In larger firms a PA may have a team of admin assistants that all need to be trained as part of their professional development – a task that will often land with you.

Where Can I Get My Qualifications?

Whilst you can always begin working as a PA without any high level qualifications, this will limit your career progression potential. Many companies prefer PAs to have degrees that relate to the product they sell or the area of business they work in.

However, for general qualifications you can find some fantastic courses in London from companies like Souters who offer many different courses in business and office skills. These courses will usually train you in things like bookkeeping and communication skills, as well as offering career advice if you've been asking yourself "how can I become a PA in London." This will give you the basic skills to complete many everyday PA tasks and help you to search for you first job in a very competitive city.

What Can’t They Teach You?

Having a degree or a PA qualification is a fantastic start, but you still need to have the personal qualities that make up a worthwhile assistant. Fortunately experience counts for a lot, and these qualities can always be developed on the job. You need to be able to adapt your working day and private life around the person you are assisting, and know that it’s not uncommon for you to work all hours of the days and even travel at short notice. Be adaptable and prepared to up-skill yourself whenever you have the time.

How Much Can I Earn?

A PA’s wage can vary depending on where you work and the industry you're working in. However, in London where the living costs are higher you can expect to earn anything from £21,000 in sales, to £57,000 in telecommunications, with the average wage being £27,000.

Writer and humanitarian from London, England.