We’ve spoken often on how hiring a PA isn’t just for the rich and famous, but that’s not to say that they aren’t still some of the busiest people around town.
While the majority of our clients at ibLE keep our personal assistants busy with tasks like diary management, presentation creation and travel research, the life of a famous PA can be more of a diverse affair. Spending your working hours (however random they may be) getting to know the ins and outs of a famous person’s life sounds like a dream job to some. But, is that the whole story?
Take this quiz to see if you could become the next famous PA:
Could you be irreplaceable?
As anyone with a hectic life will tell you, surrounding yourself with people you can trust and who support you is super important. For most famous clientele, PAs act as their most reliable support system.
George Clooney actually built his assistant her own house on his land so she could be available and closeby at all times. When you’re that dependant on your PA, what other options are there?
Able to handle variety?
Most famous personal assistants deal with a lot more than just daily admin. The PA to Lord Harris of Peckham has talked about how she has been involved with “every facet of [his] life”, from his primary business Carpetright, to Arsenal Football Club, where he’s a Director. Jumping from carpet fibers to midfielders in the same day, is no easy feat we’re sure!
Strong disposition?
We all know how obsessive some fandoms can be, so you can imagine the amount of fan mail celebrities receive. It’s often the PA’s job to manage this area and sort the serious stuff from the more random, and even unpleasant, mail.
Politicians, in particular, receive an awful lot of the latter. One politician’s PA tells of how she can receive pages and pages of conspiracy theories, abusive letters, and sometimes even death threats. Without a strong disposition, those words could be hard to handle.
Flexible boundaries?
If you’re someone who likes their boundaries, then a celebrity PA may not be the role for you. One celebrity PA, who worked for a famous Hollywood actor, mentioned receiving a phone call at her grandfather’s funeral… expecting her to make a dinner reservation. Then there was that job advertisement from Jermain Defoe listing everything from picking up dry cleaning to creating a new iPhone app and starting a clothing line. This is a classic example of how the role of a personal assistant is so multi-faceted that you often end up going well beyond your remit into the role of multiple employees.
Room in your life for a new best friend?
Herein lies another role for the personal assistant: best friend. Despite not signing up for another set of baby showers, weddings and hen dos to attend you could find yourself invited. As well as doing everything for their boss, often, their boss would do pretty much anything for their PAs too.
Nate Berkus’s PA said that he was the first person in the hospital after she gave birth. Barack Obama’s assistant talked about the special moment he and his boss shared when gay marriage was legalised and how, as his close friend, he felt that he had influenced the President’s thinking.
It’s easy to form a tight bond with the person who is, essentially, organising your life and this can lead to a lifelong friendship.
So, did you pass the interview?
The life of a famous PA isn’t an easy one and the examples above show just how far from smooth it can be.
But, it’s a hugely rewarding job and nothing replaces the feeling of making someone else’s life easier and seeing how your work can influence even the most intimate parts of their life.
Surely that’s worth picking up some dry cleaning for and filming the birth of their child? (Okay, maybe not that last one.)
If you’d rather be the person hiring an assistant (you don’t have to be rich or famous!) get started by checking out ibLE.