Difference Between an Executive Assistant and a Personal Assistant
Difference between an Executive Assistant and a Personal Assistant In the corporate world, efficiency and productivity rely on the seamless coordination and support provided by assistant roles within an organisation. Two commonly misunderstood positions are the Personal Assistant (PA) and the Executive Assistant (EA). While these roles may appear similar, there are distinct differences between and Executive […]
Setting Boundaries: A Guide for PAs
Welcome, my fellow Personal Assistants. We are a unique group of professionals who often go above and beyond to support our bosses and teams. But amid all this demanding work, it’s easy to forget about ourselves. That’s why setting boundaries is not just a nice-to-have, but an absolute must. It’s the key to preserving our […]
Re-Introducing the Smile!
A short story on how personal development skills can help change your perspective on lifes ups and downs. Having recently visited my doctor – and feeling a little nervous – I was greeted with a very solemn face and told to come in. Sitting on the edge of my seat as if I were in […]
Interview Tips: Make the Job Interview Work for You!
A few handy interview tips to help you in your next job. Overview An interview is a meeting between two parties in order to determine whether or not they are suited for working together. The interviewer has a job that they need extra support in running, and the interviewee has the relevant skills and experience […]
Stress Management: Dealing with Stressful Decisions
Stress management and dealing with stress in general is a skill and something we all need to learn. This will be even more apparent as we all make major adjustments to our working habits. One of the key ideas of dealing with stressful situations and where decisions needs to be made, is to park it. […]
Become a Personal Assistant: Can I Study a PA Course Online?
Although many courses that have traditionally been delivered in the classroom are now available online. You may be wondering if it is possible to study for a career as a Personal Assistant online. The answer is yes, and this option is becoming increasingly popular. Many of us do not have the luxury of time to […]
Executive Assistant: What Course Should I Do To Become an EA?
A short blog on which course is right for an aspiring Executive Assistant. Knowing what course you should do to become a executive assistant is an important step in creating a path to your ideal career. Executive assistants play an important role in any business where good communication and organisation is the key to success. […]
5 Benefits from Providing Training for Your PA
I can think of at least 5 benefits to your organisation in providing training for your PA. • Saving money – your PA will be able to do more tasks and share more responsibility. This in turn will enable them to cover a wider workload. • Time saving – you will have more time to […]
The QWERTY keyboard – here to stay?
A few years ago I was invited by BBC Radio 5 to carry out an interview on touch typing – just a topic to fill a few minutes on their live show. It was quite an interesting experience seeing how a radio programme was put together – but I had to be there for 5 […]
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Accreditation
A short bog on our continuous professional development accreditation. In January 2019 we became a CPD accredited centre. In addition to NCFE CQ accreditation, we now have CPD points/credits accredited to our top courses as well as to some new shorter courses. CPD stands for Continuous Professional Development and is used to recognise professional training […]
Personal Assistant job: How to cope!
It is one thing to get a personal assistant job – but quite another to cope with it and feel on top of your role. Once you start to lose confidence because day after day you do not feel you are coping, you start to go into a downward spiral. So making sure you feel […]
Shorthand: Career boost or bust?
Shorthand has been part of the PA role for decades and with the development of the digital world, many may think this is a skill no longer needed. Origins of Shorthand But it is still going strong! The original Pitman New Era shorthand system (which is the one I learnt) is complicated and has a […]
4 Tips for Starting a Business as a Mum
Having watched the article released this week from Mumsnet Founder, Justine Roberts, “Why you should always wear trainers to work” – I couldn’t agree with her more. BBC – Why you should always wear trainers to work (Justine Roberts, Founder of Mumsnet) I highly endorse the 4 points she makes about starting and running a […]
5 Ideas for a Positive Working Day
One of the first lessons we cover in the Personal Development/PA Skills section of our courses is to help our students to take a step back from their working week and identify how they can increase the number of positive working days. The lesson is part of a series we cover in conjunction with Sue […]
CV Tips – 5 things to avoid
Writing a CV is not easy, and it takes time to get this right. Checking is the key as it is such an important document. As part of any course, we provide free CV tips which include design and support. Here is a short list of 5 things to avoid: 1. Typing errors – this […]
7 Tips on Starting a Virtual Assistant Business
Last week I was asked by one of our students to help them with some tips on starting a Virtual Assistant business which they plan to do once they have completed their course. Having a Virtual Assistant business is a great way to work from home and especially useful for those with a family and […]
Little acorns and all that…
When I started my business in the 1980s from my dining room in our 1930s semi – sitting round our 1930s dining table we had bought from a second-hand shop (having just got married), the last thing I would have imagined is that it would have turned into a business with nearly 400 students and […]
Social Media Mistakes You’re Making
Are you unwittingly scaring off potential employers because of basic social media mistakes? Social media is a fantastic tool for connecting with people and finding work. It’s no secret that many prospective employers check the social media platforms of potential candidates before offering them interviews. However, it’s all too easy to let yourself down and […]
Reasons Not To Study – Lack of Time!
Well, it is true that the world and our lives seem to get ever busier. Juggling work, family, a social life and everything else that goes on isn’t always easy but when we say we don’t have time are we really being honest with ourselves? Do any of us really know how much time we […]
The Benefits of Home Study
If you’re thinking of retraining or developing new skills the prospect of returning to conventional education is quite daunting. The thought of going back into a classroom environment, the potential for lost earnings and a disruption to your schedule all provide good reasons to be wary. This is an especially big concern for people who […]