P.A. - old fashioned style secretary job

loulou123

When i was a legal secretary (read unofficial PA!) i used to get sent on all kinds of personal errands-such as collecting his kids xmas presents (in fairness he had picked them out etc, just needed them collecting.) picking up dry cleaning and even going to the shop for cigarettes! But i didnt mind at all, i just saw it as part of my job role.

I had various qualifications, including alevels, a high level secreterial qualification, audio typing, computer skills and a course in business administration.

wontfallforit

I've never worked as a sec/PA, but when I used to work as an assistant manager (dogsbody!) in a shop, I used to run all kinds of personal errands for my boss. I didn't mind - I was getting paid the same wage, and it got me off the shop floor from time to time

The buck stopped, though, when I got asked to track down 2 x 38GG bras for my manager during working hours! :-D

MichH

wontfallforit wrote: »

The buck stopped, though, when I got asked to track down 2 x 38GG bras for my manager during working hours! :-D

Made me smile!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Been asked to do some strange things in my time (working for very small companies) but never that!

SandC

One boss I had got me to source his daughter's car insurance for him - now think of the questions you get asked (before doing it online) and what a task that was!

The last one that drove me bloody mad was my boss's daughter, at uni in Cambridge. He would have me book her car in for service/MOT in Cambridge then inform her of the details!!!! I also had to purchase all her books for her from Amazon and get them delivered to her!!!! No wonder she passed her degree with daddy's pa doing everything for her, lol!

Raksha

I am a PA/Administrator, and most of the time I love my job, which can include anything from emptying the dishwasher (the office is based in my bosses house) to walking his dog (and feeding it), helping organise his wedding recently - giving opinions on colours of sashes! to the normal filing, book keeping, phone answering, booking travel arrangements, doing taxi runs to get him to the station etc. Probably my oddest task is taking him a cup of tea, particularly the last couple of weeks as he's had a very bad back, and works from his bedroom, so many times I go up and he's only wearing his dressing gown!

I hasten to add, he's 14 years my junior, newly married and a gentleman through and through

I love being a 'real' PA and the variety

downshifter

Goodness me, I'm really surprised! I definitely won't be applying for this job then. I'd be saying 'do it yourself' all the time for these personal or family things so would probably be out of the door sharpish!! Though I would've taken tea to the guy working in his bed - that's just kind, not being taken advantage of. Does he not share the dog-walking, dishwasher emptying etc etc with his wife? I'd love to know if anyone is a PA for a woman boss, these examples all seem to be men, - wonder if it's any different?

I can see it would make for a varied working life though - but with the sort of high level qualifications and experience that some of you have mentioned, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with it.

SueC_2

It's horses for courses really.

I've worked in huge corporations, where everyone other than the most senior of senior people type their own letters and make their own travel arrangements, to small family businesses where taking the boss' dry cleaning in, and tracking down a copy of a book that went out of print 8 years ago as a present to his father are all part of a day's work.

For me the small family company wins hands down. In any large corporation everything is dicatated by standard procedures and by seeing to treat everyone fairly. In the family business, you become one of the family - everything cuts both ways. You may have to do things that aren't stricly business driven, but in return, if you need half a day off to let the washing machine repair man in, no-one minds. If you break your arm and can't drive into work - they come and collect you (and make allowances for the fact that you're working at half speed once you get there!). They buy everyone a turkey at Christmas. If you get ill, they are genuinely concerned for your health, and not just about when you will be back at work. They know you, and what makes you tick, not just what you achieve for them.

All in all I find that environment a whole lot more comfortable than one that's completely target driven. And no, I don't find the 'personal' duties demeaning, they show me enough respect in other ways that I couldn't begin to feel demeaned.

Horace

downshifter wrote: »

Goodness me, I'm really surprised! I definitely won't be applying for this job then. I'd be saying 'do it yourself' all the time for these personal or family things so would probably be out of the door sharpish!! Though I would've taken tea to the guy working in his bed - that's just kind, not being taken advantage of. Does he not share the dog-walking, dishwasher emptying etc etc with his wife? I'd love to know if anyone is a PA for a woman boss, these examples all seem to be men, - wonder if it's any different?

I can see it would make for a varied working life though - but with the sort of high level qualifications and experience that some of you have mentioned, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with it.

I was once a PA for a woman boss and she was worse admittedly it was a small company and we all mucked in. I had to help build exhibition stands, arrange for goods to be siezed from leisure centres (large items that hadnt been paid for) - I rang up and booked the items so that customers werent turfed off, I also had to clamber up onto a log sauna in a gym once because they hadnt tightened it and it was warping. I had to do her shopping, sort out her dry cleaning, ring her husband every day to make sure he was out of bed and had taken his meds.

I used to quite like being a PA with a busy and varied job and now I work for myself and have recently approached a company who are outsourcing audio typing work with a view to getting another income stream by being paid by the minute to do audio typing...quite an easy peasy job for me as I have a typing speed of 80wpm:D

PAs have to do a variety of things such as booking flights, accommodation, cars, keeping diaries, sorting out expenses, typing, filing, ordering catering, sorting out presents for the wife etc. etc. What makes me smile is that sometimes you get a PA who has a PA (that seems to happen in the civil service I have noticed:rotfl:).

notisis

The term PA means different things in different organisations. After A levels many years ago I 'qualified' as a PA (RSA diploma) which means as well as typing and shorthand, you had to pass 5 exams in stuff like law, economics, accounts, business, press releases etc and you didn't get on the course unless you had A levels and the success rate was only 40% ever passed. This was aimed at high level PA work for huge companies at CEO level. I ended up working for a law firm and really did stuff that legal executives do before leaving to do a degree.

Nowadays many companies class what used to be a standard secretarial role as a PA. You really need to find out what is expected of the role and ignore the job title. For example many secretary jobs nowadays don't necessarily include lots of typing and/or shorthand! Each job is different. Check the job description before deciding. You might find the job is really interesting and you learn lots even if you do end up taxing and arranging the MOT for your boss's car as part of the role!

mqandy

SandC wrote: »

when we last advertised we asked for 5 years experience at senior level.

You are the one reason for a young person like me not to hate Hattie Harman! :j

Saying things like that can be seen as 'age discrimination' against younger workers, because really - no offense to experienced PAs - but it can't possibly take 5+ years to learn the ropes...