Our company interviews many candidates looking for a private PA in London. Pearl Lemon Outsourcing’s response is always the same – the answer is not straightforward at all!
The Truth behind Myths
Contents
In general, PAs are portrayed as living the glamorous life of jet setting to the south of Italy in the summer, staying in luxurious hotels or on their boss’ yacht. There are occasional instances where these roles come up, but they are extremely rare. You’ll find many PAs in private practice who complain about the lonely, isolated, and administratively-intensive nature of their jobs.
How does it Work?
If you already have a private PA job, it’s easiest to get one. Getting experience as a Private PA is the next best thing if you don’t have any experience in that field.
You must move into a role where at least 20% of the work is related to the private sector if you are not currently in such a role.
You’ll typically find that hybrid PA positions (i.e. those that combine personal and professional work) offer 1:1 support to senior management. It is understandable that those who have succeeded have a lifestyle that calls for a private PA.
Without prior experience, finding a Private PA position is very difficult, so the above approach is recommended.
What other options are there for Me?
However, before I go into more detail, let me distinguish between the various types of people who need a personal assistant. These include the following:
Entrepreneurial success
Vip members
Celebs
• High-net-worth individuals
These Categories overlap in a Number of Ways.
In any case, not all clients will require previous business experience as a PA in a corporate environment. It might be more appealing to a celebrity to hire someone to work on their show who comes from a TV background, has a strong travel background, has experience dealing with influential people within the creative business, and is logistically strong.
Private experience may not be needed by such an individual. Similarly, a fashion mogul may want someone who has experience organizing shows and events, rather than someone who has little or no background in the fashion industry.
The same goal can be reached in a variety of ways, so it is worth investigating what kind of individual you are seeking to assist, and then tailoring your response accordingly.
Consider the type of individual you support as well as what additional experience you will need to land the job based on the experience you already have.
Getting a private PA, what will the impact be on your career?
This is a smart decision if you are aware that you will be following the private PA route long-term.
Nevertheless, you may need to consider this move if you eventually wish to return to the business PA world, particularly if you have worked in the private PA world for many years.
In short, the longer you are a private PA, the more difficult it will be for you to transition into a business PA role, since employers will be concerned with how committed you will be to changing tacks and how you will react to the new pace of business.
How much Salary can I Expect?
We have seen employers look for candidates with 1-3 years’ experience in private PA roles, although most PA roles in private practice tend to target those candidates with a good level of experience.
Typically, these positions range between £25k and £39k. In today’s market, senior private PA roles typically pay between £40 and £100,000.
You may or may not be paid more depending on the company you work for, where it is located, and how many hours you work each week. Several employers require their PAs to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is understandable that they would need to be compensated in some way.
Additionally, bosses can be overbearing, either through the workload they assign to their staff or by how they interact with their staff. These factors also influence salaries.
To conclude, while the role of a private PA can be very rewarding, it may not be the career path for everyone. Taking this career path will have implications for how you will go about moving into this industry. Make sure you think this through carefully.