P.A. - old fashioned style secretary job

ixwood

downshifter wrote: »

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It sort of feels a bit like waiting on someone really, when they could just as easily do it themselves. I didn't realise companies still worked like that, especially small ones.
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It is like waiting on someone. Your time is less expensive than theirs, so you do the tasks that would be waste of their time.

And of course, it's a bit of a perk. These sort of people generally like to be made to feel special. Probably an ego thing.

Kirri

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 would never choose to work for a woman, in my experience of this type of work, they are always FAR worse and expect much more.

But in my last job for a very well known employer, I would do mainly office admin and PA things, I love organising travel as the point of my role was to get my managers to their appointments, they just had to turn up and wait for a taxi, train, flight etc. I did occasionally get sent to Sainsbury's for things though or asked to make tea and coffee or source something on the internet or book restaurants. You are very much a 'slave' type of person in these roles.

Raksha

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.

It's not the sort of thing that would suit everyone I suppose. I've always taken the 'if you want to pay me £x an hour to do A, and B happens to need doing to, I'll do it. I once had to drive across country with a camping trailer to pick up a load of pigs trotters (for consomme - I worked for a small canning factory which made high quality canned soups at the time), I've also cleaned cars, arranged gardeners and cleaners, and my current project is getting his broken back gate fixed.

My boss only got married in December, and I've not had to walk the dog or empty the dishwasher since then, but time will tell- at the moment he's not capable of loading or unloading it due to his back, and the dog hasn't been well (I also had to help him load her in the car to go to the vets and collect prescriptions for both of them)

But then that's why I love my job - I have such a low boredom threshold, knowing I can be called on at a moments notice to do these sorts of tasks keeps me going.

DKLS

My missis is an exec PA earning 40K plus bonuses and v good perks, the job is much more than admin/secretarial role, in a nutshell she is the MDs right hand woman, she organises him, including running personal errands, as well as project management and a whole host of other tasks.
She knows more about the organisation that anyone else there.

If you look at PA jobs online, even though the job titles are the same, the roles can be very different, a google last week showed starting salaries between 16 - 70k.

My missus's mate is a PA who is on 100k a year, but her life isnt her own at all, family events must be dropped at a moments notice to get her and the MD across the world, she has enormous responsibility and the perks are amazing, huge clothing expense account, meeting the great, the good and the famous, access to private jets/yachts etc, but like I say her life isnt her own at all.

downshifter

Hmmm, does anyone know any male PAs as a matter of interest?

Actually I used to have one, he was called a husband - if I thought I was too important/lazy to feed the dog or buy my own travel tickets I'd try to get him to do it. Most of the time it didn't work!!!

downshifter

DKLS wrote: »

My missis is an exec PA earning 40K plus bonuses and v good perks, the job is much more than admin/secretarial role, in a nutshell she is the MDs right hand woman, she organises him, including running personal errands, as well as project management and a whole host of other tasks..

So what does he do? It sounds to me as if the roles should be reversed, she should be the MD instead. Bet she could do what he does easily and he couldn't do what she does in a million years.