What’s the difference between an EA and PA?

July 22, 2024 by Natalie Brewer
What’s the difference between an EA and PA?

You need help in the office but do you need an Executive Assistant (EA) or a Personal Assistant (PA)? What’s the difference between the two roles anyway? And would a virtual assistant or virtual PA work just as well?

These are simple questions but they are often asked. So we’ve written a blog to describe the sometimes subtle but important differences between an EA and a PA!

What is an Executive Assistant?

An EA holds an executive role in the office, often delivering business and key administrative support

To one or more directors, CEOs or other senior executives. An executive assistant tends to have a high level of responsibility, can have greater influence, and will manage a wide variety of duties, even standing in for their boss during some meetings.

“An EA is often considered to be middle management. Their managerial style allows them to represent senior leaders and support corporate functions.”

What is a Personal Assistant?

A PA typically carries out administrative work on behalf of one individual. Their role frees up an executive’s time from administrative duties so that they can spend maximum time on strategic tasks. They typically act as a first point of contact for their manager, dealing with emails and phone calls, managing diaries and organising meetings and appointments. Often they also book and arrange travel too.

“A PA is an adept organiser and can keep calm – someone who can manage multiple tasks, often for a handful of team members at any given time.”

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A VA usually does the tasks of a PA but virtually in other words, not from the manager’s office. They may work from home or another office and very often, this is an outsourced role for an independent person or a business such as Hour Hands.

What is the difference between an EA and a PA?

There may be overlap between the duties of an Executive Assistant and the duties of a PA, in that they both could draft correspondence, make telephone calls, organise meetings, book travel and run a diary, however, an EA often has a more corporate focus and a wider remit.  An EA tends to command a higher salary due to the corporate focus and specialised skills required.

Does your business need an EA or a PA or a Virtual PA?

The only way to answer this question is to clearly understand the needs of your business. 

  • What assistance do you need? Do you need predominantly mid-management level support, such as that given by an EA, or more administration level support such as managing appointments or running errands, similar to that offered by a PA? 
  • How much interaction will the role have with the business?  If you need a decision maker or someone involved with operations, consider an EA or if the tasks tend to be more personal with little or informal interaction with the wider business, consider a PA.
  • Confidentiality and Discretion: Assess the level of confidentiality required. While both roles demand discretion, EAs typically deal with sensitive business information, whereas PAs might handle more personal information.
  • Do you need someone to work in your offices or could they work elsewhere?  On the whole, EAs need to be in the office at least for some of the working week but some of their tasks could be completed elsewhere.  The majority of PA tasks could be undertaken elsewhere so a Virtual PA could be a great solution if you need ad hoc support or have tasks that do not require someone to physically be in the office.

How the flexible Hour Hands EA team can support your business

Hour Hands is made up of experienced Personal Assistants and Executive Assistants ready to work as a Virtual PA and support you with those urgent and important tasks that you just don’t have the time to complete. From booking travel, to managing your diary, booking corporate and personal travel or organsing events. We can help you complete tasks and shift them off your to-do list! By outsourcing your tasks, you can flex when you need support – be it ongoing support or for a one-off project or resolving a particular task. 

To find out more simply visit our website or call us on 01727 818262. We will ask how we can support you and offer a solution either on an hourly rate or package cost. The choice is yours – we simply want to help.