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Secretary

Do you want to become a Secretary? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:

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Secretaries provide administrative support for a manager or team of people in an organisation. They are likely to do a wide range of tasks including:

• producing letters, invoices and other documents on a PC
• answering the phone, meeting visitors and dealing with the post
• making appointments and travel arrangements, and arranging meetings, seminars or conferences
• looking after budgets, filing systems and office supplies.

Some secretaries do research and work on projects.

Most secretaries usually work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Flexitime, part-time, temporary work and job sharing are often available. They usually spend most of their time sitting at a desk in an office, using a PC and telephone.

Salaries for secretaries range from around £8,300 to £20,000 or more.

A secretary should:

• have good spoken and written communication skills
• have an excellent command of English grammar, spelling and punctuation
• have good keyboard skills and be confident using a range of software packages
• be able to prioritise different tasks and keep to deadlines
• enjoy organising things.

Secretaries work in wide range of large and small organisations. There are opportunities all over the UK, mostly in towns and cities.

There are no minimum qualifications to become a secretary but some GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) or equivalent qualifications may be required. There are opportunities to enter at every level up to graduate and postgraduate, and candidates with higher level qualifications are more likely to find a challenging job with greater opportunities.

Most entrants take a secretarial course before applying for work. Courses are offered by many colleges throughout the UK. It is possible to train for this career through an Apprenticeship.

Most training is done on the job, but there may be internal or external courses in skills like the use of new software packages. NVQs/SVQs in Business and Administration are available at Levels 1 to 4.

As secretaries are promoted, they are likely to provide secretarial support for a busier department or more senior manager. Secretaries, working in small companies, may have to change employer if they want more pay and responsibility. Experienced secretaries may move into office management. With further training they may be able to teach secretarial skills or become farm, medical or legal secretaries.

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