Personal Assistant Review

My day to day role involves diary management of the Head of Department and admin assistance for the division. Arranging internal and external meetings on his behalf and preparing his diary pack for the following day with all the relevant papers needed. This also means liasing with key stakeholders. I also directly line manage the admin support for the rest of the department. I also help with recruitment, headcount and budget for the department.

Through internal training programs I have been able to attend training sessions designed for new managers. This gave a great insight on how to be a good manager and how to follow all the necessary policies in place to help an employee and theirs managers. I have also developed personal resilience skills and how to acknowledge wellbeing in others.

By entering into an apprenticeship program through my employer I have been able to develop my current skill sets and learn new skills such as presentating to an audience with the assistance of a slideshow. It has been great to meet like minded people with similiar interests either enhancing their careers or like me embarking on a new career. It has been inspiring to learn new and current material, indepth and I hope to carry on learning after the program finishes. I am also glad to say I have had a good tutor throughout the program that has helped coach me along the way.

The programme and course material has been very well organised and tailored to suit the changing needs of completeing an on the job apprenticeship. It has been flexible enough at times to avoid clashing with the day job. There are clear deadlines and regular 1-1s for support. There are also forums with other cohorts that have been useful.

My employer has been extremely supportive from the very start. I have had encouragement from my manager and support in my assignment writing from other staff when engaging with them. I am given set time away from my day to day job to enable me to be fully focused on my writing and tasks.

My designated tutor for the programme is very supportive and always finds time to help or answer questions. My tutor is approachable and no question is too big or small to answer. I feel well guided in the programme. I am able to email/phone if I need additional support along with the monthly 1-1s, either inperson or over the phone.

Through the qulification I have now secured a double promotion in my organisation into the area my qualification is based. This would not have happened if I did not embark on this training programme. The apprenticeship has given me all the skills and foundation I needed to make my career move into the industry I wanted. I am extremely pleased with the result.

I am very fortunate to belong to an organisation that runs many different extra-curricular activities that are open to all to join. There are many different networks to join from the parents network to women in the bank and even a BAME network. It is inspiring to see so many different people come together.

Yes

The Bank of England has by far been the best employer I have had in my working life of 14 years. I am grateful for the many relationships I have made and the continuous feeling of belonging withing an organisation. Management are always looking to help develop and support staff no matter which part of the bank you belong to.

The Bank will provide you with all the support and flexibility you will want from an employer and you will likely stay an employee for many years to come. Do not hesitate in applying. It is the best decision I made when I moved jobs. I would advise to join many of the networks to meet people across the Bank and they can share their experiences with you. Everyone is very friendly and willing to meet for a coffee!