local government administrative assistant

The work

Local government administrative assistants provide clerical support in local councils and deal with enquiries from members of the public. They may be known by a number of different job titles such as administrative officer, clerical officer, customer service assistant, or support officer.

They can be employed in all departments in a local authority, such as housing, social services, education and planning. Their work can vary according to the department, but can include:

• dealing with enquiries by phone, in writing or in person
• looking up information on a computer system
• filing and photocopying 
• producing and sending routine letters
• sorting, recording and distributing mail
• dealing with cash and payments
• entering information to a computer system and keeping clerical records up to date
• liaising with staff in other council departments.

Some clerical workers provide a secretarial service for a team of local government managers, typing their letters and reports, coordinating diaries and arranging meetings.

Hours and Environment

As an administrative assistant in local government, you will usually work 37 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Part-time, jobsharing and flexitime work may be available.

The work is mainly office-based. In some departments you may spend some of your time dealing with enquiries at a counter.

Skills and Interests

To be a local government administrative assistant you need:

• good spoken and written communication skills
• accuracy and attention to detail
• good organisational skills
• a polite, tactful and friendly manner
• the ability to work well as part of a team
• computer skills.

Entry

Entry requirements vary from one council to another, so you should check with individual employers about the qualifications you will need for each job.

Many councils ask for some GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) usually including maths and English, or equivalent qualifications such as NVQs/SVQs. You will also usually need computer or keyboard skills, so some employers may ask for a word processing qualification.

Instead of asking for specific qualifications, some councils set their own aptitude tests in the skills needed for the job, such as communication skills, ability with numbers or computer skills.

Experience of customer service or clerical work in other fields can be useful.

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 receive some formal in-house training when you start your job, followed by on-the-job training from experienced staff.

Your employer  will often give you the chance to work towards relevant NVQs/SVQs, including:

• NVQ/SVQ Levels 1 to 4 in Business and Administration
• NVQ/SVQ Levels 1 to 3 in Customer Service.

You may also be able to gain qualifications in other subjects that may be relevant to your particular department, for example accounts, human resources or housing.

Opportunities

Opportunities are good as all local authorities across the UK employ many administrative assistants in all departments.

Jobs are advertised in the local press, Jobcentre Plus, council websites and jobs bulletins and on the LGjobs website (see Further Information section).

With experience, you could progress to office manager or other administrative jobs with more responsibility. Alternatively, you could move across into other council departments.

You could also move into administrative work in other sectors, such as the Civil Service, NHS or private business and commerce.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Administrative assistants usually start on £12,000 to £15,000 a year.
With experience this can rise to £16,000 to £18,000 a year.

Salaries may be higher in the London area. Some local authorities have performance related pay schemes.

Further information

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

Rosebery House
9 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh
EH12 5XZ
Tel: 0131 474 9200

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