clerical assistant

The work

Clerical assistants deal with routine administrative tasks in all kinds of company. They may also be known by many other job titles, such as clerical workers, general clerks, office juniors or administrative assistants.

The work is likely to include:

• filing and retrieving information and documents
• gathering information by telephone, letter or in person
• recording or updating information using computerised or manual systems
• photocopying documents
• dealing with incoming and outgoing post.

Clerical assistants may specialise in one or two of these tasks, or they might be responsible for all the administrative duties in their department.

Hours and Environment

As a clerical assistant you will usually work 35 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Flexitime, part-time work, job sharing and temporary work are widely available.

The work is office-based. 

Skills and Interests

To be a clerical assistant, you need:

• good computer and keyboard skills
• clear handwriting
• basic mathematical skills, good spelling and grammar
• accuracy and attention to detail
• good communication skills and the ability to work well as part of a team 
• concentration for routine tasks
• good organisational skills
• the ability to use your own initiative but also to know when to refer a problem to a supervisor.

Entry

You do not need any set qualifications to get into clerical work. Entry requirements can vary widely, depending the employer. Some employers may prefer some GCSEs (A-E)/S grades (1-5) including maths and English, others may test your keyboard, filing and telephone skills instead of asking for qualifications.

Temporary work ('temping') can be a good way of getting experience that may lead to permanent jobs.

You may find it helpful to take a full- or part-time college course in administration before looking for clerical work, although this is not essential. There is a wide range of courses available, including:

• NVQ/SVQ Levels 1 and 2 in Business and Administration
• Pitman, OCR (RSA) or London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations Board (LCCIEB) qualifications.

You may be able to get into this job through an apprenticeship scheme. Funding for apprenticeships is available for 16-24 year olds and some over-25s. To find out more, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk. For information about apprenticeships in other parts of the UK, see Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Training

You will usually be trained on the job by experienced staff. As an office junior or clerical assistant you will usually start with routine tasks like opening post or filing, and be trained on more complex tasks as you gain experience. You may have some more formal training with an in-house trainer or at a company training centre.

You may also be able to gain qualifications such as NVQs/SVQs Levels 1 and 2 in Business and Administration, or other administrative qualifications. You may be able to work towards them through work-based training or through day-release or part-time study at college.

You could take further qualifications such as NVQ/SVQ Levels 3 and 4 in Business and Administration if you progress into more senior and supervisory office work.

Opportunities

As a clerical assistant you could be employed by almost any kind of company or organisation anywhere in the UK. Employers include all types and sizes of industrial and commercial business, local councils, the Civil Service and the health service.

Jobs are advertised in the local press, in Jobcentre Plus and recruitment agencies.

In larger organisations, you could be promoted to administrative officer, secretary, supervisor, or office manager. In some companies you could transfer into accounting, IT or other departments.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Starting salaries for general administration work are usually £10,500 to £13,000 a year.
With experience this could rise to £16,000 to £18,000 a year.

Further information

6 Graphite Square
Vauxhall Walk
London
SE11 5EE
Tel: 020 7091 9620

 

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