To be annoyed about this salary...

[damejudydench]

I was approached by an agency today for a short term PA role. Job is for a FTSE 250 supporting the CEO, CFO and management team just outside London. It looks like a full on role and I have a LOT of experience at that level.

Salary is £22k.

I have just looked at the company's Annual Report and the top three directors earn a total in excess of £5m (including pensions and incentives).

I'm wondering just how much bigger the pay gap is going to get.

They'll either get applications or they won't but if the wages are too low for you, don't apply - you don't have to.

If I advertised a job for specific wages & then spent time interviewing chancers that were trying to get them raised I wouldn't be impressed.

The laws of supply and demand mean that if you don't apply for it, and no one of a good enough calibre does, they will have to either take someone who is prepared to work for that, or up the salary and readvertise.

But it is irelevant to compare their salaries with those of the PAs. It is a totally different job market and a totally different skill set.

A FTSE company has a legal duty to maximise returns to shareholders, and that includes ensuring costs are appropriate. They will have a remuneration committee as part of the board who will look at director pay, but will also have HR reporting to them that they are appropriately benchmarking the pay of all employees to make sure it is appropriate.

PA to 8 people in a part-time job? You know they'll each think you are theirs and full-time too.

I can if the role is advertised at a certain rate & she has no intention of working for that amount.

Rather than waste everyone's time she should apply for jobs that are offering a wage she is willing to accept. Might be an idea to let the agency know this too, to prevent further "offence".

To me it sounds like the employers are chancers too.

But it's not worth the OP getting bothered about....

If it's supporting that many people I would expect a team of admin support tbh. Are you sure it's the main senior PA rather than an assistant PA type person, so supporting that team but not on your own and secondary to the main executive PA?

That really isn't much for the job or location!

When I was job hunting after my first office junior role there were 20k secretary jobs being advertised for London companies (2002).

Thanks everyone. Good to get some feedback (and check I am not going completely mad).

It is the only admin support for that group of directors. It's a PA job description but I was told it was more of an admin job really (i.e. doing things when asked). Knowing how busy and forgetful directors are, I should imagine you would be hopping about like a mad flea!

I haven't applied. I'm not interested. They obviously don't value or understand the role. No doubt some poor soul will take it.

It is a shame that the role of a PA has been devalued. A PA traditionally was a Miss Moneypenny type - highly efficient and usually a formidable woman of whom everyone in the company - from the most senior manager to the junior typist - was terrified, or at least very respectful towards.

Now a PAyyyyyy covers a multitude of sins and even someone fresh out of college has this title.

Also in many firms there aren't secretaries any more. There aren't in dh's company (meedja). I don't know about the civil service. It used to be the case that even the filing clerks had secretaries.

Are there still dollybirds? In some ways the role seems so 1960s.

It's crap, but it's the way of the world. I have worked in Credit for nearly 20 years, and the wages being offered for credit controllers today are pretty much the same as when I started doing it 20 years ogo. I'm about to be made redundant and I am bricking it. Will probably have to take a 50% pay cut from my not quite full time job and have tp take a full time role.

For the role, location and business, the salary is shite and YY to them wanting a young dollybird type who can easily get by on that much.

There's surely no way you can be a part-time PA in that situation, unless you are part of a bank of PAs in which case the job sounds bloody hellish anyway. I was a PA for a small vol sec org and it's hard work. That salary is a joke.

Yes, there are still dolly birds about. My last company employed two; one as a temp and another full time. Both were early twenties. They were both lovely girls but completely clueless because they didn't have any experience and needed direction all the time. Director concerned was a sucker for a pretty face/sharp suit.

No, you can't be part-time HopALongOn but if you asked a director how long they thought it took to find and book a flight they'd probably tell you about 10 seconds. Same as shifting a meeting (for the twentieth time). So...

25 hours ÷ 8 directors = 3.125 hours per director

lainiekaza Yes, there are still secretaries of one form or another including Legal Secretaries and Medical Secretaries. Salaries average out at roughly £25k p.a. depending on location and experience. A PA is a different kettle of fish all together though with salaries ranging from £20K to £80k.

I think I know which company you may be talking about
Sadly they assume they will get a quality top PA (working 60 hour week at the very least I guess) for that money whilst they spend more than that a month on entertaining and refreshments for their meetings.

And a 60 hour week probably works out at about £8 per hour.

It's looking more and more appealing...

As a teacher I received less than that last year. Yes I think YABU.

My friend's DD is a PA for someone in the media. Her salary is around 50k.

Historically, teacher salaries have always been on the low side. You can also see the payscale before you apply for training so you know what you're letting yourself in for, Wispy.

This job is paying the same as the doddly one I was doing 12 years ago, for seven more people in a multi-million pound business. They want a graduate with experience. That sort of PA doesn't just make the tea and type a couple of letters.

You can also see the payscale before you apply f77777777777777ntion (as stated in the contract)or training so you know what you're letting yourself in for, Wispy

Unless the conditions change after you train and begin the job of course.

Incidentally I deliver employability advice in a criminal justice setting for prolific offenders and Class A drug users. The intervention (as stated in the contract) can only be delivered by someone with an IAG qualification above L4 who is also a qualified teacher. I get just over 22K. I'm currently working on convincing my company that if I were to leave they would never fill my post on that money.

I'm basically saying I suppose that everything is down to supply and demand. If the OP knows her skills are worth more than the money on offer the company is the loser if they fail to attract the best.

Sorry about that. Cat on keyboard.

ilovesooty, that's so true. It wasn't that long ago a friend was telling me that when an employee left they had to pay well over and above her salary to even find a replacement (let alone a decent one!).

I guess you can vote with your feet but it depends on what else is out there.

I'm not even actively looking for a job at the moment thankfully.