How to hire an executive assistant · hire a private EA · full-time, part-time, fractional or virtual

Hire an executive assistant · or a part-week EA

To hire an executive assistant, write down what they will own (diary, inbox, travel, board papers, projects) and how much of the week that fills.

Then choose full-time, part-time, fractional or virtual, test candidates on a real week of your diary, and check discretion through references.

We recruit permanent, part-time, temporary and fractional executive assistants.

On every brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.

Brief us on an EA hire →See the roles

How a brief runswhat we undertake

01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

3–5

Shortlist · with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 set out

Vetting · stages before a candidate reaches you

£50,250

EA median salary · Executive Assistant, 2026

Robert Half, 2026

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire an executive assistant

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Executive Assistant candidates, their day rates and availability.

0115 minutes, video or phone
02We scope the role and the days a week
03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs

Prefer email? Use the booking page →

Pick a day that suits · live availability

Open the booking calendar →

On the board · last 3 months

Executive assistant roles jobs on the board

0 on the board · 0 confirmed open

No Executive assistant roles roles on the board right now.

We only show real vacancies from the last three months, each marked whether we could confirm it is still open — we never pad the board. New Executive assistant roles roles appear here as our pipeline finds them.

Browse every role on the board →Talk to us about hiring

Current executive assistant and support roles

Fractional recruiting starts with the brief, not the CV pile. Send a Executive Assistant brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five candidates, each through five-stage vetting.

01/ the role

Hire an executive assistant: what the seat covers

An executive assistant runs a senior person’s working week: diary, inbox, travel, meetings and the papers that go with them.

A good EA also chases actions, screens requests and keeps small projects moving.

People who search "hire an EA" usually want time back.

Say in the brief which decisions the EA may take alone, because that is what turns an assistant into an executive assistant.

EA or PA

A personal assistant mostly handles administration for one person; an EA works on that person’s business priorities and often deals with the board and investors.

For admin support on part of the week, hire a fractional PA instead.

Access is part of the job

An EA will see your inbox, your calendar and often board papers and payroll.

The NCSC’s small organisations guide to cyber security covers protecting accounts and devices, which is worth doing before day one.

02/ scope

How to hire an executive assistant: the steps

1. List what the EA will own

Write down the tasks, the people the EA will deal with for you, and what should be off your desk after three months.

A search phrased as "hire executive assistant" returns every level of candidate, so the list is what narrows it.

2. Choose the pattern

Full-time, part-time, fractional or virtual: the section below sets out which fits which week.

Decide this before you set pay, because the contract differs.

3. Test on a real week

Give each candidate the same exercise: a week of your diary with three clashes, a long email thread to summarise and a trip to plan.

A specialist is shown by how they handle the clash, which is what most people mean when they search "hire a EA specialist".

Acas notes there is no set recruitment process in law, but it must be fair.

The ICO’s guidance on recruitment and selection sets out how to handle candidates’ data.

4. Check references and the right to work

Ask referees about discretion and judgement, not only organisation.

For an employee, you must check their right to work before they start.

What we do on an EA brief

We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

Every candidate goes through our five-stage vetting first.

03/ comparison

Private EA or corporate EA?

The work overlaps. What differs is who employs the EA, whose life they run and where the duties of an employer land.

Private EACorporate EA

Employed byAn individual or family, or their family officeThe company

CoversBusiness and personal affairs: homes, staff, travel, family diaryThe executive’s working week and the business around it

Works fromHome, office or travelling with the principalThe office, with agreed home days

Employer dutiesFall on the individual if they employ the EA directly: PAYE, pension, insuranceFall on the company

04/ vetting

How we vet executive assistants

What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.

01
Qualification screen
Verify Executive Assistant tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING
02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING
03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY
04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5

05/ hire a private EA

Hire a private EA: private or corporate, plainly

To hire a private EA is to hire someone who works for a person rather than a company.

A private EA often runs homes, household staff, travel and family diaries alongside the principal’s business.

A corporate EA is employed by the company and supports an executive in their job.

The skills overlap; the employer, the hours and the confidentiality do not.

If you employ a private EA yourself, you are the employer.

GOV.UK’s steps for employing someone for the first time cover registering for PAYE, workplace pensions and Employers’ Liability insurance.

The Pensions Regulator is plain about it: whoever employs a personal care assistant or a nanny is an employer, with legal duties from the first day.

The same applies to a private EA.

Put confidentiality, travel and out-of-hours expectations in the contract before the offer.

A private EA will know more about your life than most of your staff.

06/ full-time, part-time, fractional or virtual EA

Full-time, part-time, fractional or virtual EA: choosing the pattern

Full-time, part-time, fractional or virtual EA is a choice about how much of the week the work fills and where it is done.

A full-time EA suits an executive whose diary, inbox and board work fill five days.

A part-time executive assistant is an employee on set days.

Part-time workers must not be treated less favourably than comparable full-time staff, and some benefits are pro rata.

A fractional EA works agreed days on a contract, often for more than one principal.

A virtual executive assistant works remotely, which is what a search for "hire executive assistant online" usually means.

A fractional or virtual EA may be self-employed or supplied by a firm.

GOV.UK says to check status in both tax law and employment law, because getting it wrong can mean unpaid tax and penalties.

On pay, Robert Half’s 2026 salary guide puts an executive assistant at £38,500 to £64,500, with a median of £50,250.

More is on the executive assistant salary page.

If you want to hire an EA London-based, Robert Half’s London figures run from £52,250 to £87,750, with a median of £68,250.

For the London market in detail, see executive assistant recruitment London.

07/ questions

Hire an executive assistant FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in an executive assistant.

List what the EA will own and how much of the week that fills, then choose full-time, part-time, fractional or virtual. Test every candidate on the same real exercise from your own week, ask referees about discretion, and check the right to work before an employee starts.

Robert Half’s 2026 salary guide puts an executive assistant at £38,500 to £64,500, with a median of £50,250; in London, £52,250 to £87,750, with a median of £68,250. On every brief we set out each candidate’s pay or day rate on the shortlist.

Four: list what the EA will own, choose the pattern of the week, test candidates on a real week of your diary, then check references and the right to work before the offer.

Decide who employs them. If you employ a private EA yourself, you are the employer, with PAYE, workplace pension and insurance duties from the first day. Put confidentiality, travel and out-of-hours terms in the contract.

A private EA works for an individual or family and often covers personal affairs as well as business. A corporate EA is employed by the company and supports an executive in their job.

Full-time if the work fills five days. Part-time for an employee on set days. Fractional for agreed days on a contract, and virtual if the work can be done remotely: see fractional EA and virtual executive assistant.

A PA mostly handles administration for one person. An EA works on that person’s business priorities, takes some decisions alone and often deals with the board, investors and senior staff.

Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5

Bring the brief. We architect the team.

A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.

Book a call →Submit a brief