Right, let’s talk about being a personal assistant for rich folks. It sounds fancy, maybe even glamorous from the outside. My journey into it wasn’t exactly planned, you know? I was between jobs, scrolling through listings, and saw something advertised simply as ‘Personal Support, High Discretion Required’. The pay mentioned was surprisingly good, way better than the admin jobs I was used to. Honestly, I needed the money, so I applied, thinking it was maybe for some high-level executive or politician.
Went for an interview, not in an office, but in this massive house. Met the person, let’s call him ‘Mr. H’. Very polite, but also very direct. Didn’t ask typical interview questions. Mostly asked if I could handle ‘things’, if I was flexible with time, and if I could keep my mouth shut. Seemed straightforward enough. I said yes, and pretty much got hired on the spot. The first week was a blur. No real training manual. It was more like being thrown in the deep end. Phone calls started early, ended late. Requests came thick and fast.
So, what did I actually end up doing?
It wasn’t just scheduling meetings or booking flights, though there was plenty of that. It was… everything else. Stuff you don’t really think about.
- Travel Chaos: Not just booking first-class tickets. It was booking private jets, sometimes with only a few hours’ notice. Then changing the destination mid-flight. Arranging specific cars, drivers who spoke certain languages, making sure the exact brand of bottled water was in the hotel room before arrival. I once spent half a day tracking down a specific type of vintage champagne Mr. H wanted for a flight leaving that evening. Found it, got it to the airfield just in time.
- Shopping Sprees: Forget grocery runs. I mean, yes, sometimes it was picking up specific organic kale from a particular farm shop. But other times it was being sent to high-end stores with a vague instruction like “get something nice for Mrs. H’s birthday” with a practically unlimited credit card. Or sourcing weird stuff – a rare first edition book, a specific type of saddle for a horse I didn’t even know they owned, parts for a vintage car.
- Property Juggling: They had multiple homes. I wasn’t just managing one household; I was coordinating cleaners, gardeners, maintenance guys, even chefs across different locations. Paying bills, dealing with repairs, making sure everything was running smoothly even when the houses were empty. Sometimes I had to fly out just to oversee a repair because Mr. H wanted ‘eyes on it’.
- Gatekeeping: My phone became the main gate. Filtering calls, handling emails, deciding who actually got to speak to Mr. H. Learning to politely say no, or delay, or redirect people without offending them, especially other wealthy or influential folks. It’s a weird kind of power, but mostly just stressful.
- Random Errands: This was the weirdest part. Picking up kids from exclusive schools. Taking pets (sometimes exotic ones) to the vet. Planning last-minute dinner parties for people I’d never met. Finding a tutor for a niche subject overnight. Returning items bought on a whim. Anything, really.
The reality was being on call 24/7. Seriously. Weekends, holidays, middle of the night – if the phone rang, you answered. Plans were constantly changing. You couldn’t really have much of a personal life because you never knew when you’d need to drop everything. It wasn’t about working 9-to-5; it was about being available whenever needed. The money was good, like I said, but you definitely earned it through sheer availability and stress.
I learned a lot, mostly about how a completely different world operates. The scale of things, the expectations, the level of service demanded. It’s not like on TV. It’s faster, more demanding, and honestly, often less glamorous. It’s a lot of managing logistics and egos.
Why am I sharing this? Well, I don’t do that job anymore. It was an experience, that’s for sure. Gave me some stories and a peek behind a curtain I guess most people don’t see. It wasn’t sustainable for me in the long run, that constant ‘on’ switch. But yeah, that’s how I know what it’s really like, boots on the ground. It’s not just scheduling, it’s basically running someone else’s entire life logistics.
