Working as a PA
What does a PA do?
As a Personal Assistant, your role is to support your employer with various aspects of their daily life, to help them live as independently as possible. The role is extremely varied and no two jobs will ever be the same because each employer will have different needs and ways that they would like you to support them.
Ways you might support your employer include:
Ways you might support your employer include:
maintaining relationships with family and friends, including supporting them with childcare
meeting new people and developing new friendships
getting about in the community, by providing transport, driving their car or using public transport
maintaining hobbies and interests, like going to the cinema, gigs, swimming or going on holiday
providing personal care, including support to dress, wash and bathe (although not all PA roles involve personal care)
communicating their wants and needs
carrying out household tasks like cooking, cleaning, meal preparation, shopping, organising paperwork, and, in some cases, pet care
going with them to their hospital and other appointments
living a healthier lifestyle, for example, through a better diet or more exercise
You can either be employed by the person you support or you can be self-employed. It is important to make sure you understand the difference as self-employed PAs should be registered with HMRC and are responsible for their tax and national insurance responsibilities.
Who can be a PA?
Anyone can be a Personal Assistant as long as they:
enjoy helping people to live their life in the way that they choose
would like to support others to make a real change to their life
are comfortable working on their own or with other personal assistants as part of a team
have the ability to develop a strong, trusting relationship with their employer
understand that they are an employee and not a friend
understand that they do not direct the work, but that their employer does
When employing a personal assistant, employers often look for someone who is a good personal fit. It’s not always about previous experience and qualifications – what’s really important is that you have the right values and skills to do the job.
Skills for Care offers lots of information and advice about working as a Personal Assistant. Do take a look at their website skillsforcare.org.uk
The Skills for Care Personal Assistant Information & Guides can be found HERE
This video produced by Ruils and funded by Skills for Care, gives a great overview of the working relationship between Employer and Personal Assistant.
The benefits and value of working as a PA:
“ I am proud to be able to offer the support that I do. ”
“ I am there to assist not take over which is a skill in itself. ”
“ For us, communication is key, and, if things are not going so well, which is rare but does happen, we will always talk it through. ”
“ We have a mutual respect for each other and our respective roles - we also share a sense of humour which helps!! ”
