On average an executive personal assistant earns £30,000, this is a little bit over the average wage of most workers in the U.K. An executive P.A will offer company executives administrative and clerical support. An experienced executive P.A will be able to find work in a wide spectrum of industries, his or her duties will include: arranging travel, looking after budgets, managing expenses, documentation and databases, depending on the size of the organisation an executive P.A may also be asked to keep company accounts and provide customer service.

Based on C.V samples and job descriptions that can be found online the role requires a diverse skill set. An executive P.A may need to demonstrate he or she can pay attention to detail, has enthusiasm, good communication abilities, is computer literate, has a good telephone manner and general administrative abilities. Many employers will prefer candidates who have obtained a relevant degree but university education is not usually essential.

An Executive P.A May Perform Such Tasks As Below:

Provide administrative support to senior partners, senior managers and company directors. Duties will vary but be likely to include the screening calls, the monitoring of e-mails, the opening of mail, the management of diaries to schedule meetings and teleconferences; prepare expense report, an executive P.A may need to keep weekly spreadsheets of his or her bosses activity.

An executive P.A may need to manage the bosses professional and personal calendar.

Organize the daily schedule and keep the boss on track to attend appointments, client lunches and meetings or to meet with travel arrangements.

Maintain personal and business records such as; banking and tax.

Communicate on behalf of the boss via phone and email. Enter into written correspondence with clients and company employees. Arrange office parties.

Serve as a point person for the general management of the office; order office supplies, arrange the photocopiers and other office machinery.

Organize, maintain and assume sole responsibility for their employer's files, business records and even personal documents.

Answer and screen all phone calls directed at the boss.

Depending on the size of the company an executive P.A may need to manage the company's finances.

An executive P.A may be asked to manage his or her employer's household, getting appointments for family members and to contractors working on the employer's property.

He or she may need to arrange childcare for the employer's children and even pet care for their animals.

The above is just an outline of what you may be expected to do as an executive personal assistant, the role will vary greatly from employer to employer. An executive personal assistant will be employed to help high-level executives with their day-to-day work and even social arrangements and ensure that they can navigate their day efficiently.

An executive personal assistant will work with one individual, rather than as a shared assistant among st a pool of executives. This will mean that they are greatly relied upon and expected to know the schedule of the person they are working for inside and out. An executive personal assistant will help to plan their employer's days and work with them to coordinate their travel and may even need to arrange dry cleaning and pick up gifts for the boss's family.

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This post was written and supplied on behalf of The Institute of Executive Assistants and Administrators, a not for profit organisation that supplies executive assistant training.