Question 1

What is the difference between a Personal Assistant and a Virtual Assistant?

Accepted Answer

Our Virtual Assistants work remotely, from their home or from a dedicated remote office. They can complete the exact same tasks as a traditional PA, to an extremely high standard, without the associated costs.

Question 2

When is my PA available to work?

Accepted Answer

Once we have established your administration needs and requirements, we would introduce you to an Assistant who has the skills, experience and availability to match. From here, they can be available to support you throughout the day, Monday to Friday, depending on what works best for you.

Question 3

Can my Assistant be available between 17:00 and 19:00 Monday to Friday?

Accepted Answer

Our Assistants are extremely flexible and can therefore support outside of traditional office opening hours. If you only need support for 2 hours per day but aren’t sure when, that’s no problem either. We can be as flexible as you need us to be. And what’s more, you only pay for the total hours worked.

Question 4

Will my Assistant have their own equipment?

Accepted Answer

All of our PA’s are self employed and therefore use their own equipment i.e laptop and mobile phone. If you would prefer for them to use a company laptop, we are happy to arrange this. If they require anything additional, such as a voice recorder or fax machine, we would ask for you to provide this.

Question 5

What systems can my Assistant use?

Accepted Answer

Our Assistants are highly experienced in the full Microsoft Office and Google Suites and will have free versions of these installed on their PCs. Any additional programs or software can be discussed in your introductory call. Our Founder Sophie feels strongly that most programs and software can be learnt easily via YouTube or similar - all our Assistants are incredibly tech savvy and able to learn quickly. If you require your Assistant to use software with a paid subscription, we would invoice this cost to you, or ask for you to arrange this.

Question 6

Are you fully insured?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we have Professional Indemnity Insurance, Public Liability Insurance and Cyber Insurance.  We are also registered with the ICO and The Society of Virtual Assistants.

Question 7

How can I contact my Assistant?

Accepted Answer

Our Assistants are contactable via email, telephone, WhatsApp, Slack, or any communication tool of your choice. Depending on the working hours you agree, they will be available for you via any of these methods within that timeframe. The Private PA Club office is open Monday to Friday 08:00 - 18:00 and Saturday 09:00 - 12:00.

Question 8

How does my Assistant access my Inbox and Calendar?

Accepted Answer

Your Assistant can be set up on your company infrastructure and begin right away.  They would have access to your inbox/calendar via the email address they are issued, similar to a permanent employee. If you do not have an IT team to help with this, we are more than happy to assist. If you would prefer, your Assistant can use their Private PA Club email address and still be granted access to your inbox and calendar.

Question 9

Can I change my Assistant?

Accepted Answer

Whilst we hope you are happy with your Assistant, if in the unlikely event this is not the case, we are more than happy to find you an alternative Assistant and we can help with the handover process.

Question 10

What happens when my Assistant is unwell or on holiday?

Accepted Answer

This is one of the many reasons The Private PA Club is a great option! If your Assistant is unable to work for whatever reason, we have a fantastic team of Assistants who are on hand to step in quickly and seamlessly.

Question 11

Will I work with the same Assistant every month?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you will have your own dedicated Assistant who will get to know you and your business inside and out.

Question 12

How am I charged?

Accepted Answer

Our services are charged 1 month in arrears. You will be charged at the end of every month for the total hours worked by your Assistant and there are zero upfront costs.

Question 13

Do you have a minimum time requirement?

Accepted Answer

The simple answer to this is, no. We adapt to the ebbs and flows of your business. However, before matching you with an Assistant, we try to establish how many hours per week you need so we can ensure your Assistant has the availability to support and you would be charged in line with this. For example, if you feel you need 3 hours support per day, we would ensure your assistant sets aside 3 hours every day to support and they would be paid for this accordingly. If at the end of the month you feel you actually only need 1.5 hours per day, we are more than happy to reduce this and review again the following month.

Question 14

How much do you charge?

Accepted Answer

Our prices vary depending on the role and tasks. Our starting hourly fee is £30ph.

Question 15

Why should I hire a Virtual Assistant?

Accepted Answer

In short, if you don’t have an admin - you are the admin.

We believe every busy professional should hire administrative support, even if its just a few hours per day. If you are feeling bogged down by expense claims and busy inboxes or spending half your day going back and forward scheduling meetings and the other half on BA’s website, you are not using your time wisely. Instead, spend time growing your business, learning and thinking strategically. Free up your time so you can focus on what’s actually important.

Question 16

Why would I hire an Assistant through an agency and not directly?

Accepted Answer

The main reasons are: time saving, cost saving, fast, flexible, less liability and access to the best Assistants in the industry. Our Assistants are only paid for the work that they do, rather than you having to pay a set salary with workplace benefits. We also find that our Assistants are much more productive and complete tasks faster and to a better standard. We are experienced in recruitment and understand how to assess the requirements of a client and meet those needs, quickly and effectively. Furthermore, hiring an Assistant through an Agency means we manage all the paperwork, salary, payroll, and all HR related tasks. Plus, it’s a great way of testing out potential permanent employees before making that commitment.

Question 17

What sort of Clients do you support?

Accepted Answer

Our Clients are Company Founders, Entrepreneurs, C-Suite Executives, Investors and Directors, across a wide range of industries - from tech, recruitment and finance, to fashion, beauty and hospitality.

Question 18

Is there a notice period if I wish to stop using your service?

Accepted Answer

We ask both Assistant and Clients to give 4 weeks notice to terminate their agreement.

Question 19

Am I able to hire my Assistant directly if I like them?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We are so happy to hear that we have found you an Assistant that you don’t want to lose! We charge on a sliding scale based on the agreed annual salary. This fee should be paid within 7 working days.

Question 20

Do you provide Assistants for a set time period i.e to cover maternity leave/long-term sickness?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. A lot of our Assistants can work on a contractual basis i.e. to support with maternity leave or long-term sick.

Question 21

How long has The Private PA Club been open?

Accepted Answer

The Private PA Club was founded in 2018 by Sophie Obergan. Sophie previously worked for world renown brands such as Harrods and Hilton Worldwide which explains her passion with delivering exceptional customer service.

Sophie later worked as a Private EA for several entrepreneurs and high profile clients before launching the Club.

Question 22

How often will I be charged?

Accepted Answer

You will be charged on a monthly basis. Payment is due via bank transfer within 14 days of receiving your invoice.

Question 23

I’m based in Europe, can I still use your services?

Accepted Answer

Yes, our Virtual Assistants support clients all over the world. We have clients in the UK, Europe, US and UAE.

Sophie our Founder regularly visits clients in the countries listed above and can even source you an Assistant based near you if you require face to face time.

Question 24

How many clients will my Assistant support, aside from me?

Accepted Answer

This all depends on the amount of hours you need. If you are looking for full time hours, your Assistant would only work with you. If you only require support for 2-3 hours per day, it is likely they may work with 1 or 2 other clients. But never any more than 3!

FAQs

Here are a few questions about our servi