Gay Mwangi, 46, a Kenyan PA, has worked for the Nairobi branch of DHL for 11 years. She works primarily for the managing director but also supports the commercial and financial managers. Her responsibilities include admin, travel arrangements and organising conferences. Her boss does not involve her in business decisions but gives her leeway in the day-to-day-running of the office. Gay thinks that PAs in Kenya are well respected: “When we have people such as suppliers trying to get business from DHL, they want to speak to me because they think that the PA can influence decisions with the head of the company.”

This respect is reflected in salaries. PAs can generally earn more in corporate and international companies than in government institutions or smaller companies. They even earn more than Kenyan nurses and teachers. “I think I earn more than a university professor,” says Gay.

Similarly, salaries for Mexican PAs reflect their status. They also tend to earn more than teachers and nurses, but how well they are respected depends on the status of their manager. “We are basically the faces of our boss towards the public,” explains Gaby Olmedo, 38, PA to the commercial vice-president of the Mexican branch of DHL. “There’s a lot of respect for PAs because only high-level executives have a PA.”

Gaby’s responsibilities include marketing and promotions. Does her boss involve her in decision-making? “Sometimes, yes — specifically in marketing decisions. He values my decisions where he knows that I have experience and knowledge.”

But what is it like for PAs and secretaries working outside their native country?

Gillian Scott, 55, a British secretary, moved abroad in 1973. The temp agency for which she was working helped her to find her first job in Brussels. Gillian had attended a bilingual secretarial course for two years and spoke French. But that was her only preparation: “I finished my temp job in London on the Friday and started work on Monday.” Gillian has spent most of her career in Brussels , where she has worked for various international companies. Since November 2005 she has been working for the automotive industry unit of the European Commission. She says that PAs and secretaries are as highly regarded in Belgium as they are in the UK, and that many companies offer fringe benefits such as a “13-month” salary and a holiday bonus.

“Working abroad is positive for your life experience. It can also be very good for your career. It certainly looks good on your CV,” she says. Gillian is a member of EUMA (European Management Assistants) and thinks that membership can help you to find a job.

Barbara Kunert, 37, began her career with DHL six years ago in her native Germany but has followed her boss, Chris Muntwyler, managing director of DHL UK, to Switzerland and then to London.

“I was concerned when I first arrived in the UK because English is not my mother tongue — and in my job as a PA language is a very important skill,” she says. “But after a short while I did not worry because there are so many dialects and nationalities in the UK that it’s not a problem.”

She thinks that the approach to work is more relaxed in the UK than in Germany, but that business structure is more hierarchical. “My impression is that PAs are more valued in Germany,” she says.

Barbara recommends working abroad, but she cautions: “It’s not for everybody.”

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