Sick of office work and being a glorified secretary

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Polarbeary
Polarbeary Posts: 251 Forumite
in Employment, jobseeking & training
I've been contracting as a PA for several years. It's a job that I can do reasonably well and it pays quite well but I'm really bored and fed up of spending my days playing Tetris with diaries (juggling them to fit in meetings) booking rooms, booking travel, expenses etc.

I tried to retrain as a healthcare professional by going back to uni to study for a Masters. However - I had a long commute to uni and found group work and presentations really really hard. I got good marks on written assignments and then failed a practical exam twice and had to withdraw from the course.

My self esteem is low now and not sure what job would make me happy. If I left London I could get by on less money and I was looking into other jobs like a beauty counter assistant in a department store or even a "first class host" for a train company! Or working for the NHS as a physiotherapy support worker or something similar.
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  • whitewing
    whitewing Posts: 11,852 Forumite
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    What do you do outside of work? I am wondering if you expand your personal life whether the benefits of salary and a relatively routine job would be better than the insecurity of a career change in a new area. Maybe try that for a year and then you may have a better idea of where your talents lie.
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  • Sncjw
    Sncjw Posts: 3,511 Forumite
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    What about admin roles in the NHS there's a lot of jobs which are patient facing such as receptionists or ward clerks
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  • Polarbeary
    Polarbeary Posts: 251 Forumite
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    Sncjw wrote: »
    What about admin roles in the NHS there's a lot of jobs which are patient facing such as receptionists or ward clerks

    I worked in the NHS as a student the first time around. I worked on the bank part-time. Started off as a nursing auxillary but didn't like that so became a ward clerk / outpatients receptionist then did data entry work before becoming an audio typist and then a support medical secretary. After uni, I worked full time as an NHS medical secretary and then moved into PA work in finance/banking - temping and contracting.

    Apart from admin/PA work and my brief nursing auxillary stint, I've been airline cabin crew. I've applied for a couple of airlines recently but got rejected after the assessment days. Like most other PAs I've just fallen into the job - it was never my dream to work in an office. It's a nice enough job and I can work from home too but I just feel bored and unsatisfied.

    If I lived outside London I would apply for NHS patient facing roles but the money isn't enough for me in London. :( Same with working on a make up counter for say Clinique or Est!e Lauder - that looks more interesting and people focused but would be a massive pay drop.
  • Newdirections
    Newdirections Posts: 112 Forumite
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    I definitely know what you mean regarding office work. I couldn't stand the boredom, pretending to look busy most of the day, and doing a load of menial tasks for managers. Admin was bad for my self esteem.

    It's a shame you had to drop out of your course. Can you not use some of your credit, and then top-up the rest with an OU course, or course at another university, so you can at least finish your masters?

    From the jobs you have stated, it seems as if you would enjoy a customer service based role? What was your bachelor degree in?
  • t0rt0ise
    t0rt0ise Posts: 4,278 Forumite
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    Would you earn enough in the NHS outside London? Don't forget you'd lose the 4 to 6 grand plus London uplift. How about university admin. There are many different roles there and it's usually better paid than the NHS.
  • Polarbeary
    Polarbeary Posts: 251 Forumite
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    Degree is an English BA Hons. But not sure how I can use that either. Maybe I could look at healthcare jobs again in the future. I like working in hospitals and the idea of being a healthcare professional really appeals to me in practice it didn't work. Working as a PA also pays more than a band 5 in the NHS.

    Not sure what I want to do ultimately. At least as a contractor I'm not stuck in my current job and can move onto something else - but that will be more of the same
  • missbiggles1
    missbiggles1 Posts: 17,481 Forumite
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    What sort of "healthcare professional " were you training to be by doing an MA?

    I assume you've thought of training as a nurse and have discounted that because you didn't enjoy working as a nursing auxiliary, otherwise it could be something to consider.
  • greenbee
    greenbee Posts: 16,156 Forumite
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    Polarbeary wrote: »
    Degree is an English BA Hons. But not sure how I can use that either.

    I've got one of those. Totally useless :)

    Although obviously the process of studying for your degree gives you research and analysis skills and an ability to write coherently.

    Think about your skills rather than your knowledge. What are you good at? What are you interested in? What do you enjoy? Ideally you would look for something you are good at and enjoy... but there might be things you enjoy but aren't good at which you could think about developing to help improve your options.

    So if you enjoyed the research and analysis aspects of your degree, then maybe look for a research role. Ideally in something you have an interest in and knowledge/experience of.

    Do you speak any languages? Those always improve opportunities, so if so, maybe spend some time getting them up to interview standard (we interview anyone who says they speak another language in that language as well as English).

    Use your network too. Get your linkedin profile up to date (including interests, as a career change means these are more important) and start connecting with people as the more visible you are the more recruiters you are likely to find contacting you.

    If you want to improve presentation skills, try something like Toastmasters.
  • DKLS
    DKLS Posts: 13,459 Forumite
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    What level of PA?, there are various levels of PA and duties, some of them can get very interesting, usually indicated by salary, from the companies who don't know what a PA is and pay 16-25k, those that value PAs up to 40k and this that earn 50k++
  • Polarbeary
    Polarbeary Posts: 251 Forumite
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    missbiggles1 wrote: »
    What sort of "healthcare professional " were you training to be by doing an MA?

    I assume you've thought of training as a nurse and have discounted that because you didn't enjoy working as a nursing auxiliary, otherwise it could be something to consider.

    I was doing OT. Thought about a PGDip in nursing but then I didn't enjoy nursing auxillary work. I looked at radiography, speech therapy and physio too but seems pointless to start yet another course!
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