It's time to define your services. This starts with figuring out what you will and will not offer. Some PAs are fine with offering childcare or pet care (I'm not walking anyone's dog!). You want to be really clear with yourself what your boundaries are so that when you're in an interview, you can clearly tell the client what you will and will not do, and they can decide whether that's a dealbreaker for them or not.

Set Your Hourly Rate 

You also want to set your rate. I think it is most helpful to set your rate as a personal assistant, versus waiting to be offered a rate by a client. If you're just starting out, I would say around $30 an hour is probably a safe bet. Maybe a little less if you're super fresh to the workforce, but no less than $25, even for like no experience right out of college.

If you have a lot of experience or executive assistant experience, then you can be up to like $40, $45, plus, depending on what your experience is. But in general, the part-time personal assistant positions that I see are between $30 and $40 an hour. So pick what your rate is, and a client can accept it or not.

Outlining Your Availability 

You also want to make sure you are very clear on when you are and are not available. I came from working in a restaurant, like many people do when they're first becoming a personal assistant, and I refused to work nights and weekends. I had spent the last however many years working nights and weekends in a restaurant, and I just wanted a normal, daytime workweek job.

So that was a rule I made for myself: I didn't work nights and weekends. I know some PAs are totally open to working weekends, and they don't mind going later into the night. Again, set what works for you. Once you know what you're ready to offer, then you are ready to apply to personal assistant jobs, so follow along for the next step.