Welcome back to my beginner's guide to becoming a personal assistant. My name is Gracie. I've been a personal assistant for over 10 years now, but when I started, I also had no idea how to break into these types of jobs. Luckily, I figured it out, and now I'm teaching you how you can do the same.

Finding Your First PA Job 

I get asked all the time where to find your first personal assistant job and how to break into the industry. And I personally put an ad up for myself on Craigslist. I wouldn't necessarily recommend that, but it is what I did. When I was a personal assistant, I always wondered why there wasn't a place for clients to find me. And again, I am talking specifically about part-time personal assistant positions because that's what I did. Because I was an actor, I wanted a steady job with a flexible schedule, and so part-time was really only what worked for me.

Why Part-Time is Different 

Breaking into a full-time position is a little bit different and a little bit harder. You probably do need experience or to know someone. But breaking into a part-time personal assistant role is a lot easier, especially because I created The Middle, which is my platform for finding part-time personal assistant positions in LA, New York City, and Chicago.

The Application & Review Process

So if you're ready to become a personal assistant, it's okay if you don't have experience, but you can apply to The Middle to find your first job. Thank you to the wonderful world of viral videos on TikTok; I have a lot of applications that I go through. And I do go through every single one, but I only go through them once a month for the following month. So just please be patient. I will get to it, and you will hear from me one way or the other.

Matching with Clients

Once you're actually onboarded with The Middle, it's about when you're a fit for a client. This could be the next day, it could be next week, it could be three weeks from now, it could be next year. I have actually seen all of those. It depends not only on your experience, but also on logistics, rate, and availability. There are so many factors that go into it being a fit, so it really, truly does depend on when you're a fit for a client. It's not a first-come, first-served situation, and it's not me assigning you a client. The Middle only places part-time personal assistant positions.

Trial Policies

If you accept a position with a client from The Middle, trials are not offered. Transparently, we offer a 30-day replacement period to the client wherein, if either one of you decides to end the employment for whatever reason in that 30 days, we'll facilitate a free replacement candidate for the client. But technically, we do not offer a paid trial. If you accept a position with a client, we assume you have every intention of moving forward with this client for the long term.

Hours & Work Structure

You should also know that minimum hours are not guaranteed. This isn't a platform where clients are signing up for set plans and, you know, are buying the 5-hour-a-week package or the 20-hour-a-week package. It's really flexible. Communication is direct between you and your client, and the working relationship is direct between you and your client. Hours can fluctuate week to week. You should have a good idea of approximately how many hours the client is looking for, but they can vary, and you are not guaranteed minimums.