Lessons

What have I learned from my time at work in London?

... what it is to work with and for the extremely wealthy. In a world where they can do anything because they have so much money, so many high connections and so many resources (eg experts and professionals; even I can class myself one), they are demanding, procrastinating, fussy and self-absorbed. Some of them can be very down-to-earth and approachable, others can be rude beyond belief – without, I think – even realising that they are.

... that the extremely wealthy are extremely trusting and even, in some cases, entirely naïve. I’ve had complete all-access to their credit card numbers, their bank accounts, all online pass-codes, passwords, security access, electronic signatures, and been approved by them personally for third party access to all of their personal information.

It has made bank managers, luxury 7-star hotels, restaurant managers and high-powered executives bow and scrape to me (yes, me!) because I can give them access to my bosses, and thus to all their dreams, hopes, desires and bankrolling requirements. But it can also be humbling - even humiliating - because some of them view the PA as invisible; we are no more than janitors and concierges, the person at the door, the gatekeeper. We are the "untouchables". No self-respecting corporate climber would be seen socialising with us at the Work Do, or the Christmas Party - not if you desire promotion.

I have learned the art of being a travel consultant. I can book any ticket, any hotel, any spa therapist, anywhere in the world at any time of day or night. I have the names of taxi cab drivers in New York City who will take my call 24/7 to arrange to collect and carry my bosses from and to impossible places. I know shop assistants in Hong Kong, flower sellers in Geneva, jet charter companies in Jersey.

I know the names and mobile numbers of several very high-profile celebrities. I know the hairdressers to the rich and famous, I have been wined and dined by the Sales Managers of the top hotels in London, and seen the paparazzi camped outside The Ritz and The Mandarin Oriental, waiting for Kate Blanchett and Mariah Carey.

I have learned about myself too – I have learned that I do not envy these men and women; my bosses, the extremely wealthy. Not one of them is happier or more content than me.

And I have learned that I can turn my hand to anything; I can be a mentor to young, up-and-coming analysts, dealers, traders, bankers, IT techies, executive assistants.

I know things. And it constantly surprises me when I discover that other people don’t. That common sense is not common. That logic is not logical or linear or easily accessible. That the devil is in the detail – there are infinitesimal differences between hotels, restaurants, bars, spas and gyms, and that some people will pay fortunes for a whim. I have seen men throw £20,000 (half a year’s wage for me) away on a “bad feeling”. This is no exaggeration.

I have learned the power of the personal touch; a first name here, a tea preference there. My Chairmen have remembered me. After all, how would they survive without their personal assistants? Their housekeepers and cleaners, their drivers and dog-walkers? For all that we are not in the core business – that massive agglomeration that is the finance industry in London – we are the “backstage managers” that make it all happen.

I have found that being a PA is very different from being a Secretary 20 years ago, and that is a fine thing. I have learned that my skills – subliminal though they may be – are in huge demand here (and everywhere in the world – I could find work in Dubai, Cyprus and the Netherlands tomorrow if I wanted to). I have found tedium and great joy in my work. I’m 47 years old, and I never stop learning.

Someone once said to me “people can be irreplaceable, but no one is indispensable.” I like that very much. It has added a touch of realism to an utterly surreal working life in this crazy city.