The role of a private personal assistant is often misunderstood. You’re not a secretary, you’re not a personal shopper and you’re not a lady’s maid, but what you are is indispensable.
Also sometimes called a personal secretary (despite not strictly being a secretarial role), a personal assistant or a VIP personal assistant centres around an individual, while a private personal assistant can also be responsible for a family or household with their daily business and/or personal tasks.
It’s largely an administrative role, requiring fantastic organisational skills, a cheerful demeanour and absolute discretion.
Generally required by managers and executives, though also by individuals and families, personal assistants fall into three categories – Corporate PA (also called Executive PAs or Executive Assistants (EAs)), Private PA and Family PA (sometimes also called a Household PA or Children’s PA).
Corporate personal assistants have a very different role to fulfil, so here we’ll be focussing on private and family personal assistants.
“So, Why Do I Need A Private Personal Assistant?”
Small, straightforward tasks are not a problem, but whether you’re running a business or a household, there is never just one task, there are plenty. Then before you know it you’ve wasted a significant chunk of your day on small matters and not actually got on with doing what you do best. That’s where a personal assistant is invaluable.
A private personal assistant is there to lighten your load, make your day-to-day life significantly easier and act as a point of contact for all your friends and/or colleagues, a PA means you’re effectively never unavailable especially in the cases of a live-in personal assistant. Ever wish you could be in two places at once? Now you can.
A talented private personal assistant for personal individuals knows your preferences without asking and allows you to regain a work/life balance, so you can be twice as productive.
Irrespective of your level of seniority, delegating some of your tasks to a personal assistant can be life-changing. Having a PA by your side will maximise your productivity.
What Is The Role Of A Private Personal Assistant & Their Day To Day Duties?
Typical tasks can include any of the following:
- Project management
- Running errands
- Making travel arrangements
- Event organisation – a corporate event or a family celebration
- Scheduling a diary – organising appointments, meetings, travel itineraries
- Handling budgeting and managing personal finances
- Attending business meetings
- Office management
- Dealing with invoices and handling bill payments
It is also possible to hire a Nanny PA, Virtual PA, a VIP personal assistant or even a Live in Personal Assistant – the first of which also cares for your children, while the latter manages your affairs remotely.
What Are The Responsibilities Of A Family Private Assistant?
Operating as part of your household, a family PA provides domestic support – this can be to an individual, a couple or a family. Some private PAs also perform family personal assistant tasks – as with so many domestic staffing roles, every position is unique.
Family personal assistant duties typically involve the following tasks:
- Pet care
- Grocery shopping
- Laundry
- Filing, emailing, bookkeeping
- Running errands
- Light housekeeping and various projects
- Maintaining calendar
- Running personal errands
- Household and organisational projects
- Occasional meal preparation
- Scheduling household maintenance
What Skills Are Required To Be A Successful Private PA?
The following list is by no means exhaustive but gives you an idea as to whether a private personal assistant role might be for you:
- Immaculate presentation
- Honest, with a good sense of humour
- First-class organisational skills
- Proficient with most IT packages
- Friendly, a ‘people-person’
- At least two years of experience working in a busy office or administrative environment
- Ability to multi-task and stay calm under pressure
- Positive and flexible ‘can-do’ attitude
If you would like to take on a private personal assistant, please contact Melissa Offer Private Staffing on +44(0) 207 101 3173. The same number applies if you are considering a career as a private, family or executive personal assistant. We look forward to hearing from you.
