Category: News

Meet Kate Fernandes an Executive Assistant at the UCL

Posted on by Silva

Kate undertook a course with SOUTERS back in 2010 which enormously helped her to get a job at University College London, where she still is. She has just learned that she has been successful in her interview for a more senior role at UCL. She is now working as an Executive Assistant at UCL. So she decided to tell fellow Souters’ students about her career path and the massive impact on her job option due to the Souters PA Diploma.

Prior to your Souters Course, what was your employment situation?

Prior to completing the PA Diploma with Souters I was unemployed and looking for a PA job. I worked previously as a swimming teacher and wanted to go back to work as a secretary/PA, something I did for 10 years back in my home country (Czech Republic).

Were you able to get a job following your course?

Within three months of completing my course with Souters, I was shortlisted for a PA/Administrator role at University College London (UCL) and was invited to an interview after which I was offered the job.

Career Study of an Executive PA in London

What is your current job?

I am still with the same department since I joined UCL but my role evolved and I am now the Executive Assistant to Institute Director.

Why did you decide to take a Souters’ course?

I knew I want to go back to work in a higher education sector and I had plenty of experience, however, the experience was in a different country. I wanted to have proof for my potential employers that I can do the job in the UK too. Undertaking the PA Diploma with Souters provided me with that proof.

What courses did you complete at Souters?

I completed the PA Diploma at Souters. When I searched for PA courses Souters came up at the top of the search results. Their website gave me a good overview of the various courses on offer and I liked its central London position.

What did you enjoy about the courses?

The course took one month to complete with daily attendance (Monday – Friday). It was nice to be back in the classroom. The content was well balanced and we covered all the important tasks that PA undertakes. We also had touch typing and MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

In what ways do you feel that the course has benefited your career, especially now it is a few years since you took the course?

A while after I started my job, I asked my manager why they gave me the job and he said that it was the determination that I showed to get this job. Despite having experience in working in higher education, although abroad, I took a UK qualification to prove my skills and he knew that I will always deliver.

What are your future aspirations in your career?

I enjoy working as an Executive Assistant, the job is really varied and I do a bit of everything. I have developed an appetite for project management and would like to develop my project management skills further. I was just offered another job just now that has a large project management element in it and I am looking forward to the change.

What do you advise to anyone who is considering taking the course?

Education is always a good investment. Souters’ courses are very practical and the lecturers and staff are great. Pick what interests you and go for it.

Meet one of our team

Posted on by Silva

Business Skills and Executive Trainer

Dylan is one of our top Business Skills and Executive trainers. He has extensive professional experience working at major Investment Banks in London and across Europe. Since 2012, Dylan has worked in training and has delivered both scheduled and tailored in-house training to prestigious organisations.

He has delivered courses in London, Abu Dhabi, Geneva, Amsterdam, Spain, Manchester and Dublin.

In 2017, he had notable training project achievement in developing, delivering the first Executive Assistant training programme that was to be delivered to an United Nations agency. Additionally, he gained Accreditation for our Executive PA Course, Executive PA Diploma and Executive Assistant Diploma.

He has developed and written new course material for several of our advanced scheduled courses that are aimed at Executive PAs and Executive Assistants. Here is a list of some of the training courses that he has published:

  • Event Management
  • Social Media Marketing for a PA
  • Introduction to HRM
  • Project Management for a PA

Testimonials

“Dylan made the course engaging and covered every aspect in great detail” – Robyn, EA to leadership team, KPMG

“Excellent course would definitely come back. Dylan made the course easy to listen to. Great knowledge. Great trainer” – Isabelle, PA to Directors, Santander

“Dylan was very engaging and he got the group dynamics to work well.” -Libuse, Hergeaths Light Limited

Office administrator position – Great First Office Job for a successful Student

Posted on by Silva
  • self-motivated and trustworthy with good attention to detail;
  • competent in prioritising and working with little or no supervision;
  • punctual and organised;
  • to have a good business telephone skills;
  • to have a good knowledge of MS Office.

Responsibilities:

  • Managing phone calls and correspondence (letters, packages etc);
  • Answering the door;
  • Keeping stock of office supplies and place orders when necessary;
  • Filing and archiving;
  • Preparing the meeting room and greeting clients;
  • Looking after the building (booking the handyman, ordering necessary supplies);

Assisting colleagues whenever necessary;

The salary to be confirmed. Ideal for a new graduate from the Administration Courses.

This could be a great opportunity for one of your students to gain some experience in the office environment. If you could let me know once it has been advertised, it would be very much appreciated.

Office Manager Job for Bilingual, English and Spanish speaking role

Posted on by Silva

This Job is ideal for a Bilingual Spanish / English speaker. Ideal skillset would be someone who has taken Office Manager Courses.

Responsibilities include:

  • Execution of administration
  • Human resources
  • Marketing
  • Travel related activities

Work Type:

  • Internship
    Responsibilities
    Administration
  • General administrative responsibilities: office reception desk, calls, mailing, shipping, filing and copying.
  • Manage procurement of all office supplies, equipment and furniture.
  • Monitor and control office supplies and hardware.
  • Provide administrative/executive support to management including expense recording and control as well as check request and registration.
  • Human resources: Support personnel recruiting process: contact with Universities and Head Hunters, arrange meetings with candidates and update Human Resources Data Bases.
  • Support training activities and available training documentation.
  • Marketing: Organize meetings and seminars relating to the Financial Industry: monitor assistance, deal with hotel and catering services, etc.
  • Travel: Manage contacts with hotels, apartment owners, flight and train booking agencies. Search for best offers ensuring corporate policies are observed. Deal with reservations and bookings.
  • Coordinate arrangements for employee travel, transfers and expatriation processes.

Required skills and qualifications

  • Bilingual in English and Spanish is a must. Other languages are valuable as well.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills. Ability to effectively negotiate with customers, vendors and internal staff.
  • Proven organizational skills with extremely strong attention to detail.
  • Positive attitude, energetic, enthusiastic, and able to manage own time.
  • Proven ability to work simultaneously in multiple tasks, problem solve, be a self starter.
  • Manage confidential information and activity with extreme professionalism.
     Fully competent in Microsoft Office.
     Previous experience in office management and administrative tasks.

Desired skills

  • College degree.
  • Accounting knowledge.
  • Prior experience at an auditing/consulting company.
  • Knowledge of other foreign languages a plus.
  • We seek people with a desire to excel and learn constantly; people who are dynamic, mature, reliable and who integrate easily in multidisciplinary teams.
  • The Company
    ManagementSolutions is a leading business consulting Firm whose core mission is to deliver business, risk, financial, organisation and process-related advisory services, targeted at both functional aspects and the implementation of related technologies, focusing mainly on financial services and on the energy and telecommunications industries.

ManagementSolutions has around 2,000 professionals working in offices in the UK, Spain, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, the US, the most representative countries in Latin America, and China. How to apply
If you are interested in this opportunity, please register on our website and upload you updated CV and unofficial academic transcripts: https://www.managementsolutions.com/en/professional-careers

 

Reception / Admin Job in London

Posted on by Silva

We are looking for the individual to start mid-September or beginning October.

This is ideal for someone from the Receptionist Courses or Administration Courses.

Please note that this is a temp to perm role paying up to £24 000 depending on experience.

Duties:

  • Answer telephone, screen and direct calls and take and relay messages
  • Provide information to callers
  • Register all guests with building reception team
  • Greet persons entering organisation
  • Deal with queries externally and internally
  • Receive and sort mail and deliveries
  • Organise catering
  • Monitor and maintain office equipment
  • Control inventory relevant to office
  • Tidy and maintain the meeting rooms and the office
  • Ordering, receiving, stocking and distribution of office supplies
  • Scanning and filing
  • Book restaurants, Cabs
  • Update Investor data base
  • Support the PA with ad hoc admin

 

Knowledge and Experience:

  • Strong experience in reception/admin
  • Experience in corporate/financial industry preferable

 

Skills

 

  • Communicate at all levels of the organisation
  • Prioritise and multi task and have attention to detail
  • Excellent telephone manner, well presented and polite
  • Flexible and adaptable and dependable
  • Good knowledge of MS Word and Excel
    Proactive and organised
  • Problem solving and decision making

Team Assistant /Office Assistant Job in London

Posted on by Silva

The London showroom being on the fashionable New Bond Street, and sister offices in Geneva, Zurich & Basel The Brand Mirpuri Bespoke is a highly multinational business operating in fashion sector.

Ideal for someone from the PA Courses or Admin Courses.

About The Role:

We are looking for a bright, intuitive Team Assistant /Office Assistant with the skills to support a team of four.

This role is ideal for graduates or recent qualified people wishing to use their administration and organizational skills whilst gaining experience within the fast paced world of fashion, design and styling.

The Team Assistant/Office Assistant core role is to help with the everyday running of the business, duties will include:

  • Organizing the work timetable, calendar and liaising with The Business Assistant to ensure smooth running of Mirpuri Bespoke calendar
  • Liaising with Staff, Suppliers and Clients
  • Making sure the office is always able to function with the correct means and materials
  • Putting together monthly petty cash reconciliation, credit card reconciliation, and supplier bills
  • Raising Invoices, and maintaining the filing systems currently in place, and implementing any change with The Business Assistant
  • Client facing and having or willing to learn how to attend and service tailoring/styling fittings

About You:

  • Excellent written & oral communication. Fluent English a MUST
  • Strong IT skills (Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, Google Apps)
  • Excellent interpersonal skills – outstanding telephone manner
  • Polished appearance
  • An exemplary work ethic
  • You will have experience in either/or of the below:
    A) Luxury/premium retail
    B) Financial/Administration
  • A “can do” attitude with a willingness to learn more about the field of Bespoke Tailoring

If you are interested in the above position please contact erin@mirpuribespoke.com or call +44 79210 405359

AAT Bookkeeping Assessment Success

Posted on by Silva

Congratulations to all of the AAT Bookkeeping Students. All of the students managed to successfully take our fast-track AAT Level 1 Award in Bookkeeping and pass it.

Our fast-track courses are designed to be taken full-time and to enable students to pass the assessment and get an AAT Qualification within one week.

All of the students who took part in this month’s fast-track AAT course were able to complete and successfully pass their assessment and gain the AAT qualification within one week.

This is an excellent achievement and the qualification will e very beneficial to their future careers in Finance. We wish them all the best.

AAT Bookkeeping Courses in London

 

If you would like to find out about joining our next AAT Bookkeeping Course, please go to this LINK.

The next AAT Level 1 Award in Bookkeeping will commence full-time.

If you feel that you would prefer to take the AAT Level 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping, you can also take this full-time or part-time. This is for people who already have experience in Bookkeeping or Accounts. If you are a beginner, AAT Level 1 is suitable.

Bookkeeping Courses London

 

CV Workshop with Recruiters from Tiger Recruitment

Posted on by Silva

The Event will be held on Wednesday 26th Setpember from 6:15 to 7:30pm.

This is a great opportunity to gain from some free career and CV advice, from experienced recruiters.

RSVP as soon as possible, as places are likely to book up fast.

Please contact Souters on info@souters.org and reserve your place.

CV Workshop in London

It is hugely beneficial to your careers and job prospects to attend these types of sessions, as you get a chance to network with some of London’s best recruiters and learn from the expert on how to find your ideal Executive Assistant, Admin, Executive PA, PA or Office Manager Job.

CV Workshop London

Anyone who would like to see some of Tiger Recruitments Jobs, please CLICK HERE.

Those of you who would like to attend these types of workshop in the future, you can read more about the main course options that would suit the level of job being recruited for at Tiger Recruitment and other agencies.

Executive PA Jobs – How Suzanne made a career change

Posted on by Silva

Meet Suzanne Hunt. Suzanne was working as an Events Organiser and decided that she needed a change. Suzanne researched the job market well and decided that she should aim for a Senior PA or Executive PA Jobs. This is because the nature of the job is interesting and the jobs are stable and well-paid.

Suzanne decided to take the Executive PA Diploma because it was the most comprehensive form of training for this type of career. This has been a great choice for her career and job search.

Executive PA Jobs

Upon completion of the course, she found an ideal PA Job to the Director of Development Director within the prestigious Property Industry.
Understandably Suzanne is very proud of her achievements and she would like to share this with other people that are now in her position, prior to selecting this course.

Executive PA Jobs

Prior to your Souters Course, what was your employment situation?

I was an Event Organiser

What is your current job?

PA to Development Director and team in the property industry

Why did you decide to take a Souters course?

I decided I wanted a complete change of career. I was now experienced at organising but felt I would prefer to organise the workload of a senior corporate executive

How to find Executive PA Jobs

What courses did you complete at Souters?

Executive PA Diploma

What did you enjoy about the courses?

The examination of practical scenarios causes you to think deeply about solutions and outcomes.

In what ways do you feel that the course has benefited you?

I feel more confident, which is important to me. I can now think and act quickly on the spot. I have been able to adapt to a professional office environment and know what to expect and what is expected. Without the course, I would not have applied for such a senior role immediately as I would have lacked the confidence.

Were you able to get a job following your course?

Yes I found a PA Job in London at a Property Company

In particular, how has the course benefited your career?

Improved career prospects with a far greater sense of confidence

What do you advise anyone who is considering taking the course?

Do lots of research and identify the type of position/ industry that will suit you.

What are your future aspirations in your career?

Senior PA/EA in the creative industry

Would you consider taking another course to further your career and skill set?

I feel the Project Management Course for EAs is attractive to me.

 

 

How to Get A Legal Secretary Job

Posted on by Silva

Immediately after completing a Legal Secretary course at Souters, Karen is now a Legal Secretary. Following redundancy, Karen Siggs decided on a career move into the legal field. With her re-training budget, she enrolled on an ACLS-accredited Legal Secretary course with Souters. This was the natural follow-on from being a PA to the MD of an accountancy firm.

Following redundancy, Karen Siggs decided on a career move into the legal field. With her re-training budget, she enrolled on an ACLS-accredited Legal Secretary course with Souters. This was the natural follow-on from being a PA to the MD of an accountancy firm.

Get a Legal Secretary Job

Karen enrolled on an ACLS Accredited Legal Secretary Diploma at Souters Training in London. After completing the Legal Secretary Course she found a job at a Solicitors’ office close to her home town.

The interview with Karen follows:

What was your job prior to your Course at Souters?

I was a PA to the MD at a firm of Accountants. As I was made redundant, I thought it best to look into a new career.

What is your job now?

Shortly after the course, I found a job as the Legal Secretary in a Solicitors’ Office close to my home. I got this new job mainly because I achieved an ACLS Accredited Legal Secretary Diploma which was done at Souters.

How did you hear of Souters?

A friend strongly recommended that I enrol on this course at Souters which is a well-established Legal Secretarial training college with a professional atmosphere.

What Souters Course did you complete?

I completed the ACLS Accredited Legal Secretary Diploma

How do you feel the course has helped you?

The course equipped me with the necessary knowledge and protocol of the legal industry.

Were you able to get a job after the course?

I was able to get a job straight after the course and was offered the job on the strength of the Legal Secretary Diploma.

Can you say how has this course benefited your career?

The course helped greatly in making that career change. It gave me the confidence and much-needed knowledge to step into the role of a Legal Secretary at a sizeable Law firm. I was in this new job immediately after being made redundant.

What would you advise anyone who is thinking of taking the course?

Just go for it. Make that move and take the Course. The investment is small considering how much it can improve your job options or give you that leap up to your career ladder.