City PAs work harder than ever

May 10, 2012 - PRLog -- http://www.isepartners.com


A new survey by city recruitment agency ISE Partners (http://www.isepartners.com) amongst investment firms in London shows that PAs (personal assistants) are working harder than ever, but that in the right setting, they can reap high rewards.

Despite the stylish, cigarette smoking, long lunch taking image of the PA suggested by Mad Men (which recently returned to our screens on Sky Atlantic), the research shows that less than 10% of PAs ever take a full lunch break. They are also working longer hours, with 75% working well over their contracted time for no extra pay.

Isobel Burns of ISE Partners said: “It’s a tough job. This study not only shows that the hours are long, but we also discovered that almost a third of PAs do not usually take their full holiday entitlement.”

ISE’s research also revealed that firm’s attitudes to their PAs are still relatively traditional with just over half stating that they would not want to see more men taking on the roles.

However, the rewards within the sector are high with the average salary being over £30k (89% of PAs working for managing partners are earning over £30k), of which 44% are earning over £40k. Furthermore, PAs in the city can expect an added bonus, on average being 5 to 10% of basic salary.