Nishilla McKeogh, PA to a European managing director at Spherion, a recruitment, outsourcing and technology services group
I have eight O Levels, four A Levels, a degree in English and a PR qualification, and I have also gone on various two-day MS Office courses. I don't believe that you need to have secretarial qualifications to do the job. This really depends on your boss, your role and the level at which you are working within the organisation. My role is more of an organisational one than a secretarial one. Typically, I will organise conferences, and produce presentations. The PR qualification I have has definitely helped me, as I deal a lot with the press. My degree, however, has not been of much use, but some employers do like you to have one.

Sue Weston, PA to a chief executive at one of the Virgin companies
I don't have any specific secretarial qualifications, but it hasn't prevented me doing my job in any way. For instance, I don't have shorthand skills; instead, I take bullet points at meetings. This said, my diplomas in marketing management and strategic marketing have been instrumental in my success. In my first job, the PR and marketing knowledge I had gained from my first diploma helped a lot with my communication. At Virgin, I have drawn a lot on my strategic marketing experience. It helps to have an understanding of the business and know where it is going. I honestly believe that if you have a good attitude and are a dynamic and proactive PA, then you can only but succeed.

Catherine MacRae, PA to a UK operations managing director at recruitment consultancies FSS and Crone Corkill
My studies definitely gave me a good head start. I took a two-year linguistic secretarial course at technical college. This included a French A Level and a Spanish GCSE, as well a wide range of secretarial skills and qualifications, such as RSAs Grade I, II and III; Teeline shorthand and audio-typing. After the course, I worked as a PA in Switzerland for six months and then in Spain for three-and-a-half years. Not only was I able to use and develop the language and secretarial skills that I had learned, but I found that my studies had prepared me mentally for the challenge. After that, my international experiences and my role at Morgan Stanley added greatly to my skill-set.

Annette Nason-Waters, formerly PA and marketing officer, Hawkpoint Partners
I started working as a PA after leaving school with O Levels and a Pitmans shorthand diploma. At the time, shorthand was very important if you wanted to reach the secretarial elite. Now it seems to be gaining popularity again, and certain directors will still look for it.

I didn't pursue further education, but this has never held me back. Had I gone to university, this would have meant losing four years of valuable experience in my PA career. I don't see a degree as necessary, even though some employers today will look for one for certain secretarial positions. For me, the most important thing a PA can have is common sense, which is something that cannot be taught.

Next: Part three: Which course?

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