Not everyone uses being a PA as a stepping stone to another career. We talk to four PAs who did very different jobs in a previous life
Before deciding to become a PA, Sara Jalovaara, 51, was a high-level holiday rep. She’s now a virtual business assistant
‘I’ve always enjoyed travelling, so a job as a holiday rep suited me perfectly when I was in my twenties. My work took me from Greece to Portugal and I loved it, particularly all the families, who were always so nice.
‘Eventually, I decided to work, at least some of the time, in England and got a job at an old period house in Warwickshire that had been converted into time-share apartments. The guy who owned it also had a resort out in Cyprus, so I still got my travel fix.
‘Surprisingly – for me, at least – the job evolved and I became PA to the owner. As luck would have it, I’d done a hotel management course at college that had included shorthand, typing and book-keeping, so I found myself pretty well sorted with skills.
‘Then there were the things I’d learned as a holiday rep, which turned out to be unexpectedly transferrable. For example, things like having to placate someone if they wound up in the wrong hotel, or contacting relatives of someone on holiday who had ended up in hospital taught me unrivalled people skills. Then there was all the organising, juggling and problem solving that I’d learned in that role.
‘Out in Cyprus, I met my husband. We decided to set up home in London and I felt confident enough to apply for a job as PA to the marketing director at IBM. When the company upped sticks to Basingstoke, I became PA to director of strategy and planning at PepsiCo.
‘When my son started school – about seven years ago now – flexibility was important so I became a virtual business assistant. Now I have three or four clients at any one time and I do everything from updating their social media profiles and websites to writing PowerPoint presentations for them. Other tasks include calendar organising and writing blogs and newsletters.
‘I used to think being a PA was all about answering phones and it sounded so dull. But I love the responsibility and I'm continually updating my skills to further my career. For example, I now have a Webmaster certificate from Richmond Business School.
‘At some point in the future, I’d like to go back to full-time work with a regular income and Reed PA & Secretarial – which has found me posts in the past – is helping me. That’s probably the best thing of all about being a PA – the sheer variety on offer, especially at a high level.’
Susannah Gill, 30, started her career in PR. She’s now PA to the executive board at marketing agency Golley Slater
‘I studied psychology at university and when I looked at my skills and personality – notably, being good at communications and enjoying being around people – a career in PR seemed an obvious choice.
‘Even though I was up against lots of graduates who’d actually studied PR, it was quite easy to get a job. Those graduates could quote chapter and verse from the PR textbooks, but I’d got some real work experience in a press office. Employers seemed to value that practical experience more.
‘I worked in a graduate position in PR at John Lewis for a year, then moved to a charity and again to a large international agency. But after two-and-a-half years, I hit a brick wall. It was 2005, and I’d had enough of the pressure. In PR, you’re pulled in so many directions all the time, and in the big agency I felt I had no support in career development.
‘I did some temping in admin roles to tide myself over and a few people said I should become a PA. “You’ve got me all wrong,” I’d reply. “I’m not an organiser.” But one company said I should try it for a week and offered me a permanent job. I’ve never looked back.
‘I love the close contact you have with the people around you when you’re a PA. It’s such a constructive relationship because you not only build a relationship, which is nice in itself, but it helps you understand exactly what they need from you so you can do a really good job. The fact that I’m a senior PA also means I’m working with the top guys. I love that feeling of being at the heart of what’s going on – really understanding what’s driving the business.
‘One of the biggest differences from PR work is the level of autonomy I now have in dealing with my workload. It used to be a case of one client wanting x by 11am, another wanting y by 2pm, and another wanting it right now – as a result, I would be constantly stressed. Now, I come in to the office and plan my day and really make my job my own.
‘It’s been a steep learning curve, though. A lot of people perceive PA work as easy, but I find myself challenged daily.’
Sanna Jordannson, 31 (pictured above), is PA to the head of UK operations at global bank Handelsbanken. She used to be a recruitment consultant
‘It was when I was placing multilingual PAs and secretaries into jobs as a recruitment consultant that I thought, “Actually, these jobs look great. I wouldn’t mind one myself.” I knew what it entailed – probably better than anyone – and felt I could be good at it. I took a big chance by just leaving my career anyway, but it was right before the Lehman crash, so dreadful timing. Still, I managed to get a junior PA job for a telecoms company, where I built up some experience and then moved onto my current role. I haven’t looked back.
‘Right at the start of my working life, I was in retail. But I decided to go to university, where I studied geography. Then I went off travelling round Europe for a year, where I wound up doing a bit of admin work, before moving to London where I got a job as a recruitment consultant for a multilingual company. My role was to place the PAs and secretaries into jobs in the financial and legal sector.
‘Considering that while I was at university I liked the idea of a career in a not-for-profit organisation like the Red Cross, I found myself surprisingly well-suited to a job a world away from charities. Recruitment is fast-paced, very driven and sales focused, and I loved it. I enjoyed meeting so many people – both candidates and clients – and building up my communication skills. I loved the variety too – one minute you’re talking to someone looking for their first job, the next you’re speaking with the CEO of a global company.
‘Still, I kept thinking about what it might be like to be a PA and I must say it suits me even better than recruitment. I cover everything from events to organising meetings and PowerPoint presentations and I really enjoy the autonomy and the fact that I work with my boss, not for him. This bank isn’t hierarchical and it’s very friendly, and I like that too.
‘It can be super-busy and there are days I feel like I’m drowning, but for the most part I like juggling 20 things at the same time. It keeps me stimulated. I’d hate to be in a job where every day is the same. I get a kick out of the unexpected and coming into work never quite knowing what’s in store.’
This year, Lucy Moss, 35, became office and facilities manager at Calvin Klein. She used to be an English teacher
‘Having done a masters in English at St Andrew&rsquo