Secretary

Typical Salary

£14,000 To £25,000

Typical Hours

37 to 39 a week

between 8am and 6pm

How To Become a Secretary

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly

College / University

You may find it useful to take a course in administration or secretarial skills. Colleges offer full-time and part-time courses, including awards, certificates and diplomas. Useful subjects include:

business administration
typing
audio transcription
computer skills
shorthand

Apprenticeship

A common way to become a secretary is to do a business administrator advanced apprenticeship.

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

Routes into this Career

You could start as an administration assistant and work towards this role.

Employers may be more interested in your computer, telephone and office skills than your formal qualifications, although you may be expected to have some GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) including English.

You could apply directly if you've got relevant skills and experience from working in an office.

You could also do a temping job to get into this kind of role. Temporary jobs can help you to build up your experience and could lead to permanent employment.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

administration skills
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
the ability to work on your own
sensitivity and understanding
to be flexible and open to change
excellent verbal communication skills
customer service skills
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

In your day-to-day tasks you could:

be the first point of contact for visitors, phone calls and emails
arrange meetings and take minutes
manage an individual or team diary and make travel arrangements
produce letters, reports, spreadsheets and invoices
update records on IT systems
photocopy, print and file documents
handle confidential information

Working Environment

You could work in an office.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could become a personal assistant or office manager.

You could also move into human resources work, or train as a legal or medical secretary.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering, for example with a charity, could help you to get some relevant experience. It's a good way of developing IT and office skills that are valued by employers.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a secretary from The Institute of Administrative Management.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.