Hiring a Private PA: a guide for principals and family offices

A corporate EA can be excellent and still be the wrong Private PA. The skills overlap, but the context is entirely different: a Private PA works inside your home life, often alongside family members and household staff, with information that has no business being anywhere else. Getting the hire right starts with understanding what the job really is.

What a Private PA actually does

The scope varies enormously, but a typical London or Dubai role includes:

• Personal diary and travel: often across multiple residences, jets and yachts, with changes at short notice.
• Household co-ordination: working with or managing a House Manager, housekeepers, drivers, chefs and nannies.
• Property and assets: insurance, renovations, contractors, cars, art and collections.
• Family administration: schools, medical appointments, visas, memberships, gifting.
• Confidential correspondence: lawyers, accountants, the family office and advisers.
• Lifestyle: restaurants, events, staff for entertaining, holidays.

The common thread is discretion under pressure. The role rewards people who are unflustered, organised and genuinely kind, and who understand that their proximity to a family is a privilege rather than a status.

Writing the brief

The best briefs we receive answer six things:

1. Who does the PA support? One principal, a couple, or a family including adult children. Each is a different job.
2. Where is the work done? From the home, a private office or remotely, and how often will they travel.
3. Who else is on the team? A PA who reports to a Chief of Staff has a different role from one who is the only member of staff.
4. What are the hours, really? Say so if the role is 24/7 in practice. Good candidates will respect honesty; everyone resents surprises.
5. What languages matter? Many of our Gulf and European roles need Italian, Russian, Arabic, French or Mandarin alongside English.
6. What is the package? Salary, accommodation if live-in, travel, healthcare and bonus. We can advise on what the market expects.

How we vet household candidates

Every Private PA we present has been interviewed in person or by video by a consultant who has worked in the sector. We take detailed references, verify right to work and, where appropriate, DBS status and qualifications. We also pay attention to the things a CV cannot show: how someone handles a change of plan, whether they can be discreet without being cold, and whether their life is set up for the hours you need.

Settling the hire

Our placements come with a nine-month guarantee, and we stay in touch throughout. The first three months are where most private household hires succeed or fail, and the cause is rarely competence. It is usually a mismatch of expectations about boundaries, access and communication. We encourage principals to hold a short review at four weeks and twelve weeks; a few honest minutes then prevents a resignation later.

If you are considering a Private PA for the first time, or replacing a long-serving one, book a conversation. We will tell you what the market looks like and what a realistic brief and package would be.