If you are thinking about becoming a PA, it can be hard to picture what the job actually involves. Our PA coordinator, Kinga, spoke to three PAs about their work.
It is much more than a to-do list
Ask a PA what a typical day looks like and the answer is different every time. Support might mean helping someone with their morning routine, cleaning, cooking, or simply spending time with someone. As one PA put it, “This is not an admin role.” Another said you can wear so many different hats.
What links it all together is that the support is built around the person. A good PA, they told us, listens first rather than assuming what someone needs.
Small steps, real difference
Progress is not always quick, and it is not always big. But seeing someone grow more comfortable, more confident and more independent came up again and again. One PA said those changes might seem small from the outside, but they are what she is most proud of.
Work that fits around your life
The PAs also talked about flexibility. One came from care work, where long hours had left her feeling overwhelmed, and found that being a PA gave her more flexibility and kept burnout away. Another explained that her regular clients choose their times and days, but everyone stays flexible with each other, and she plans her week at the start.
Asked to sum up the role in three words, one PA chose rewarding, meaningful and empowering.
Interested?
If you would like to know more about what being a PA involves, get in touch with our PA Coordinator, Kinga. You can contact her at kinga.broome@independentlives.org 01903 219482 (option 3). You will also find training and vacancies for PAs at www.pa-pages.org.