If you’re looking for a rewarding and well-balanced business administrative role, secretarial or personal assistance work is for you. Provide critical support to an organisation’s senior staff member by completing an accredited training course.
Secretarial and PA Courses
Personal assistants provide essential one-to-one administrative and secretarial support to senior staff. A good PA has a long list of competencies and can handle the majority of organisational, individual and planning tasks. This enables senior staff to better focus on the strategic direction of business operations.
PA duties and responsibilities
A PA’s specific duties will vary depending on the:
- Industry
- The company
- The senior or executive member of staff
Most personal assistants, however, will:
- Coordinate daily activities (meetings, appointments and deadlines)
- Manage emails and phone calls
- Book and organise all travel arrangements
- Book, plan and coordinate events, meetings and presentations
- Record meeting minutes
Career outcomes
Most PAs have either previously worked or have an interest in working in business administration.
Business administration professionals need a diverse skill set. Task and time management skills, organisation and exceptional communication skills are all integral to thrive in this occupation.
As technological developments continue to automate the workplace, advanced technology skills are highly beneficial. Having an understanding of email and online calendar platforms and Microsoft office suite skills (Excel, powerpoint, Word processing) are common must-haves.
Most personal assistants in Australia work within the corporate sector. Common career pathways people embark on after completing specific secretarial or personal assistance course include:
- Secretary
- Personal assistant
- Administrative assistant
- Office coordinator
- Human resources officer
- Office manager
- Administration support office
With experience, it’s possible to progress into an executive assistant role (EA). An EA works for an executive member of a larger corporation. They take on larger responsibilities, including minor project management tasks. EAs generally earn a higher salary and have better benefits.
Job prospects
A personal assistant’s average salary varies depending on experience. An entry-level PA earns an average of $55,443. A mid-tier PA earns an average of $70 324, and a senior PA can earn up to an average of $82,875.
Most PAs work full time (72%), with an average of 41 hours per week and the profession is very female-dominated (97%).
It’s important to note that as AI continues to transform the workplace, the PA’s role (and other related business administration roles) will shift. Professional development in digital skills is fast becoming essential. Future PAs should prepare for a mixture of both face to face and virtual work for this career path.
Online learning
Getting accredited in business administration and personal assistance has been made easy, with the option to enrol in online training courses. Online courses are perfect for students who need constant access to course materials and need a more flexible alternative to in-class study.
If becoming a qualified personal assistant sounds like the perfect fit for you, take the next step and enquire or enrol in a business administration course now!
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