Admin, HR, legal

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• working your way into the role
• specialist courses run by private training organisations

University

You could do a business-related foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

For more information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
• university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

College

You could take a college qualification to help you get a job as a junior personal assistant. Courses include:

• Level 2 Diploma in Business Support
• Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration
• T Level in Management and Administration

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

For more information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
• guide to T Levels|https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/
• search for courses|/find-a-course

Apprenticeship

You could do an advanced level apprenticeship in business administration and work your way up to a personal assistant position.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

For more information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Work

You could find a temporary job to get administration experience. You could then apply for permanent roles.

If you're already working as an administrator or secretary, you could become a personal assistant through company training and promotion.

To get work, you'll usually need GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths, A levels, or equivalent qualifications.

Volunteering and work experience

While you are studying towards qualifications, it's helpful to get some paid or voluntary experience to develop your administration and organisational skills. This could be through agency work, or volunteering in the office of a local charity.

You can find volunteering opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Do IT.

Other routes

You could do training courses with a private training provider or through a professional body like the Institute of Administrative Management.

More information

Career tips

Knowledge of the main IT office software packages, typing and shorthand will give you an advantage when applying for this role.

You may find some useful courses in The Skills Toolkit.

Further information

You can find out more about working and training in business administration from the Institute of Administrative Management.

View all vacancies in this region

With experience, you could move to a larger organisation or work for a more senior manager.

You could also move into an executive assistant (EA) role with more responsibility.

You could supervise and train junior admin professionals.

If you have specific industry knowledge like legal, medical or financial, you could take on specialist PA roles.