From a one-off request to ongoing support.
PALMERA
Talk to us
Services
Remote Assistance In-Person Assistance Events
For Clients For Assistants About Us FAQ Blog Contact Talk to us
Becoming an Assistant

What training to become a personal assistant?

PALMERA training followed on a laptop

Studies, experience, skills and human qualities: discover the different paths possible to practise this profession.

Several types of training can provide useful skills. However, they don't all prepare for the same profession.

Generalist assistant training

French qualifications such as the BTS Support à l'action managériale, the BTS Gestion de la PME, or the assistant de direction professional title notably teach how to:

  • manage a professional calendar;
  • organise meetings and travel;
  • write documents and meeting minutes;
  • process and file information;
  • follow up on administrative files;
  • assist an executive or a team;
  • use the main office software tools.

This training provides a good foundation for working in a professional environment. It mainly prepares you to support a company, a management team or a department.

The personal assistant profession, however, has a broader scope. It can also include the client's private life, their family organisation, their paperwork, their travel, or the coordination of various service providers.

PALMERA training, specialised in personal assistance

PALMERA has developed its own training programme, entirely dedicated to the personal assistant profession.

It goes further than generalist training by addressing the concrete situations a personal assistant may face, in both the professional and private life of her clients.

The training notably teaches how to:

  • understand and reformulate a sometimes imprecise request;
  • research, verify and compare information;
  • organise appointments, trips and activities;
  • support certain day-to-day tasks;
  • coordinate service providers and various contacts;
  • manage several requests and levels of priority;
  • follow through until a subject is fully resolved;
  • anticipate needs without waiting for detailed instructions;
  • communicate with discretion and professionalism;
  • respect the confidentiality of the client's life.

PALMERA training also works on the posture expected in this profession: a sense of service, autonomy, responsiveness, discernment, and the ability to find a solution when the unexpected happens.

Its goal, then, is not only to teach how to execute tasks. It prepares assistants to take full ownership of a subject, so the client doesn't have to supervise every step. Find out how to apply.

← Back to blog