Executive assistants · the career path
How to become an executive assistant
The short answer · updated
Most executive assistants start in administration or as a personal assistant and move up by supporting more senior people. A degree is not required. You can also get in through a college course or a Business Administrator apprenticeship. Employers look for organisation, discretion, clear communication and strong IT skills, and for evidence you have run a busy leader’s diary.
The usual route: administrator, PA, then EA
The National Careers Service lists five ways in: a university course, a college course, an apprenticeship, working your way into the role, and specialist courses run by private training organisations. In practice most EAs take the work route.
That route usually runs from a team administrator or receptionist, to a PA supporting one manager, to an EA supporting a senior leader. The National Careers Service notes that a business support administrator or secretary can move into the role through company training and promotion, and that temporary work through a PA or EA recruitment agency is one way to build administration experience before applying for permanent roles.
Each step up is about the seniority of the person you support and how much you are trusted to act for them. Ask for the board pack, the investor meeting or the project nobody else has time for.
Qualifications and training
No single qualification is required. For degree-level entry, the National Careers Service says employers usually accept qualifications in other subjects if you have the communication, organisational and IT skills they need. These are the recognised routes if you want a formal qualification.
The Institute of Administrative Management, which the National Careers Service points to for more information, is a professional body whose membership is open to administrators, office managers, PAs, EAs and virtual assistants, and which offers its own qualifications and short courses.
- Apprenticeship. The National Careers Service names the Business Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. The standard, published by Skills England, covers IT, producing records and documents, handling confidential information, decision-making and managing stakeholders. An apprentice is an employee, earning a wage while training (GOV.UK). Apprenticeships in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are run separately.
- College. Business studies, business administration, or the T Level in Management and Administration, which the National Careers Service says may help you into a junior EA or PA job.
- University. A foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in business administration, business management or public administration.
- Short courses. Private training providers run courses for PAs and EAs. Check who awards the qualification before you pay.
The skills you need
The National Careers Service lists business management and administration skills, excellent verbal communication, attention to detail, working well with others, flexibility, patience and calm under pressure, reasoning, and confident use of a computer and the main software packages.
Two skills decide whether you move from PA to EA. The first is judgement: deciding what reaches the leader and what you can handle yourself. The second is discretion. The Business administrator standard expects confidential information to be handled in line with the organisation’s procedures; an EA to a senior leader handles far more of it.
Build fluency in the tools leaders use: email and calendar, documents, spreadsheets and slides, video calls, and expense and travel systems. Speed with them is what frees your time for the work that needs judgement.
Writing an executive assistant CV
The National Careers Service CV guidance is a good base: tailor the CV to the job advert, put your contact details, a short introduction, work history, education and references, list the most recent experience first, and leave out your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality.
For EA roles, lead each job with who you supported and what you ran for them. Name the level of the leader, not their name. Show the diary, the travel, the board or committee papers, the projects and the events, and say what changed because of your work.
Keep it clear and accurate. An EA CV with a typo is read as a sample of the work.
Moving to senior EA and fractional EA work
The National Careers Service describes the next steps: working for a more senior manager, moving to a larger organisation, or taking on more responsibility in business operations. EAs with legal, medical or financial knowledge can take specialist roles or become a company secretary.
Experienced EAs can also work as fractional or virtual EAs, supporting several leaders for part of the week each. See our fractional executive assistant page for how that work is set up, and fractional EA jobs for current roles.
If you go self-employed, check your employment status: a self-employed person is not paid through PAYE and does not have an employee’s rights. If you work through your own company, the off-payroll working rules (IR35) may apply, and status turns on how each engagement runs. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
What an executive assistant earns
Robert Half’s 2026 figures put an executive assistant across the UK at £38,500 at the 25th percentile, which it describes as little or no prior experience, £50,250 at the median and £64,500 at the 75th. The London median is £68,250.
See executive assistant salary for pay by level and region, each figure with its source, and what an executive assistant does for the role itself.
Questions people ask
Do you need a degree to become an executive assistant?
No. The National Careers Service lists university as one route of five. For degree-level entry, employers usually accept qualifications in other subjects if you have the communication, organisational and IT skills they need.
Is there an apprenticeship for executive assistants?
The National Careers Service points to the Business Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. The Skills England standard covers IT, records and documents, confidential information and decision-making. It is a common first step before PA and EA roles.
Can you become an executive assistant with no experience?
Usually not straight away. Most EAs start as an administrator, receptionist or PA and move up. Temporary administration work through an agency is one way the National Careers Service suggests to build experience.
Is there a professional body for executive assistants?
The National Careers Service points to the Institute of Administrative Management, whose membership is open to PAs, EAs and virtual assistants, among other roles. Membership is not required to work as an EA.
How long does it take to become an executive assistant?
There is no fixed time. It depends on how quickly you move from supporting a team to supporting one senior leader, and on how much you are trusted to act for them. The step from PA to EA is usually a promotion or a move to a more senior seat.
Can an executive assistant work fractionally or remotely?
Yes. Experienced EAs can support several leaders for part of the week each, on site or remotely. See fractional executive assistant work and fractional EA jobs.
