UK Market Reality
2-4 months recruitment
Permanent EA hiring takes 2-4 months plus £25k-£40k recruitment fees, versus days-to-weeks for fractional placement.
Executive Support · Strategic Partnership
Fractional Executive Assistant
Senior executive assistant support, part-time. Strategic EA partnership for founders and leaders who need judgement and coverage without a full-time hire — what it costs, how it works, and how to find one in the UK.
Fractional EA cost
£1,500-£4,500/month
Market synthesisFull-time EA salary
£50,250 median
Robert Half 2026Fully-loaded cost
~£8,273/month
HMRC + benefitsMarket Reality
What fractional executive assistants actually do
A fractional executive assistant is an experienced EA who supports one or more executives on a part-time, ongoing basis — typically 10–30 hours a week — bringing senior-level capability without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.
Core responsibilities include
Inbox & calendar ownership · board/meeting prep and minutes · travel and logistics · project & vendor coordination · gatekeeping and prioritisation · light ops/process · investor relations support
Unlike virtual assistants, fractional EAs operate at C-suite level with discretion for confidential matters, board relations, and investor communications.
Senior EAs operate with autonomy and discretion, often as a proto–chief-of-staff. They handle confidential matters that require judgement, not just task completion. The 40+ hour test: if you can consistently delegate 40+ hours/week, consider full-time EA hiring. Fractional works best for strategic support that varies with business cycles.
Employment savings
40-60% Year-1 savings
Fractional EAs deliver 40-60% first-year savings versus full-time hire when factoring in loaded costs, recruitment, and ramp time.
Fractional vs virtual assistant capabilities
Responsibility comparison: fractional EA vs virtual assistant market data.
| Responsibility Area | Fractional EA | Virtual Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Board/investor prep | Full ownership | Limited capability |
| Calendar management | Strategic priority | Basic scheduling |
| Confidential matters | C-suite discretion | Not suitable |
| Travel coordination | End-to-end ownership | Basic booking |
| Project coordination | Strategic partnership | Task execution |
Responsibility Area:Board/investor prep
Fractional EA:Full ownership
Virtual Assistant:Limited capability
Responsibility Area:Calendar management
Fractional EA:Strategic priority
Virtual Assistant:Basic scheduling
Responsibility Area:Confidential matters
Fractional EA:C-suite discretion
Virtual Assistant:Not suitable
Responsibility Area:Travel coordination
Fractional EA:End-to-end ownership
Virtual Assistant:Basic booking
Responsibility Area:Project coordination
Fractional EA:Strategic partnership
Virtual Assistant:Task execution
Market DataRATE INDEX · v0.1 · MAY 2026
UK fractional EA rates and costs
$fq rate --role fractional-cfo --location uk
role fractional-cfo
location uk · remote-friendly
unit day rate · GBP · contractor-equivalent
p25 £950
median £1,200
p75 £1,500
sample n = 84 · trailing 12 months
source internal feed · PLACEHOLDER
$fq rate --explain
Fractional EA monthly retainers
Fractional/part-time senior EA: typically £1,500–£4,500/month for ongoing strategic support (~10–30 hrs/week), depending on seniority and hours. This is UK-specific pricing sourced from market synthesis of institutional data.
Cost and commitment comparison market data.
| Role Type | Monthly Cost | Setup Time | Employment Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Fractional EA | £NaN | Days to weeks | None |
| Full-time EA (loaded) | £NaN | 2-4 months | Full employment |
| Virtual Assistant | £NaN | Immediate | None |
Role Type:Senior Fractional EA
Monthly Cost:£NaN
Setup Time:Days to weeks
Employment Risk:None
Role Type:Full-time EA (loaded)
Monthly Cost:£NaN
Setup Time:2-4 months
Employment Risk:Full employment
Role Type:Virtual Assistant
Monthly Cost:£NaN
Setup Time:Immediate
Employment Risk:None
Full-time EA salary benchmarks
UK executive assistant salaries span £38,500–£64,500 across percentiles, with fully-loaded costs (including employer NI, pension, benefits) typically 25–40% higher once HMRC obligations are factored.
UK EA salary benchmarks with loaded costs market data.
| UK Percentile | Annual Salary | Fully-loaded Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | £NaN | £NaN | Robert Half 2026 |
| 50th percentile (median) | £NaN | £NaN | Robert Half 2026 |
| 75th percentile | £NaN | £NaN | Robert Half 2026 |
UK Percentile:25th percentile
Annual Salary:£NaN
Fully-loaded Cost:£NaN
Source:Robert Half 2026
UK Percentile:50th percentile (median)
Annual Salary:£NaN
Fully-loaded Cost:£NaN
Source:Robert Half 2026
UK Percentile:75th percentile
Annual Salary:£NaN
Fully-loaded Cost:£NaN
Source:Robert Half 2026
Strategic Timing
When to hire a fractional EA
Ideal scenario
Founder drowning in admin
Need coverage and judgement, but not ready for 40 hours/week of consistent delegation. Perfect for strategic support without employment risk.
Growth stage
Scaling leader
Variable workload that needs to flex up and down with business cycles, board meetings, fundraising periods, and growth phases.
First-time
Testing EA support
Never had executive assistant support before — no employment commitment while learning to delegate and structure the role effectively.
High-stakes
Need senior discretion
Board meetings, investor relations, confidential matters require experienced EA, not junior virtual assistant or offshore support.
Company stage and EA needs
Seed/Series A: Founder needs coverage but not 40+ hrs/week consistent delegation · Series B/C: Variable workload around fundraising, board cycles, scaling phases · PE-backed/mature: Senior discretion for investor relations, board prep, confidential project coordination · First-time: Testing EA support without employment commitment while learning to delegate effectively
Most founders discover they need strategic EA support around the £2M-£5M revenue range when calendar complexity and stakeholder management outgrow founder capacity. Fractional works best for 10-30 hours/week of strategic coordination rather than full administrative coverage.
Decision Framework
Fractional vs full-time vs virtual assistant
Engagement models comparison.
| Metric | Fractional EA | Full-time EA | Virtual Assistant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | £1,500-£4,500 | ~£8,273 loaded | £800-£2,000 |
| Time commitment | 10-30 hrs/week | 40+ hrs/week | 5-20 hrs/week |
| Seniority level | Senior, strategic | Senior, dedicated | Junior to mid-level |
| Setup time | Days to weeks | 2-4 months | Immediate |
| Employment risk | None | Full employment | None |
| Board/investor work | Yes, experienced | Yes, dedicated | Limited capability |
Monthly cost
Fractional EA
£1,500-£4,500
Full-time EA
~£8,273 loaded
Virtual Assistant
£800-£2,000
Time commitment
Fractional EA
10-30 hrs/week
Full-time EA
40+ hrs/week
Virtual Assistant
5-20 hrs/week
Seniority level
Fractional EA
Senior, strategic
Full-time EA
Senior, dedicated
Virtual Assistant
Junior to mid-level
Setup time
Fractional EA
Days to weeks
Full-time EA
2-4 months
Virtual Assistant
Immediate
Employment risk
Fractional EA
None
Full-time EA
Full employment
Virtual Assistant
None
Board/investor work
Fractional EA
Yes, experienced
Full-time EA
Yes, dedicated
Virtual Assistant
Limited capability
Fractional advantages:
Cost effectiveBalanced approachTrade-offs
**The seniority difference matters**: fractional EAs bring C-suite experience, discretion with confidential matters, and proactive partnership versus task-based virtual assistant execution.
Virtual assistants (typically £800-£2,000/month, 5-20 hours) work well for routine administrative tasks, email management, basic calendar coordination. Fractional EAs (£1,500-£4,500/month, 10-30 hours) handle board prep, investor relations, strategic project coordination, confidential matters requiring senior judgement.
Employment vs partnership model
Full-time employment brings dedicated capacity but requires 2-4 months recruitment, £25k-£40k fees, full employment risk, and consistent 40+ hour workload. Fractional partnership delivers senior capability immediately with flexibility to scale up/down around business cycles, fundraising periods, board meetings.
Common Questions
Fractional EA frequently asked questions
Fractional/part-time senior EAs typically cost £1,500-£4,500/month for ongoing strategic support (~10-30 hrs/week), depending on seniority and hours. This compares to ~£8,273/month for a fully-loaded full-time EA including employer NI, pension, and benefits.
Live Opportunities
Current fractional EA opportunities
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