The two tasks almost every family gives a private PA are travel and managing the diary.
In the 134 private PA jobs we advertised in 22 countries between April 2022 and April 2026, 91.8% mentioned travel and 90.3% talked about managing the schedule.
A personal assistant is more than just an extra pair of hands. A promising personal assistant understands the ins and outs of their principal’s busy lifestyle and provides personal and professional support when needed.
They are trained to be mindful of ensuring the smooth running of their principal’s daily operations in a discreet and conscientious manner.
Personal assistants are capable of handling it all, be it small errands like running personalized shopping trips or more elevated tasks like coordinating social events.
If you’re still choosing the role you want, our pages on hiring a private personal assistant and an executive assistant explain the differences between the two.
In instances where the personal side of life takes up most of the time, some families give the job to two people and hire a lifestyle manager to work with the personal assistant.
Below are the ten tasks in this guide, in order of how often each one came up in our own job ads for PAs. The last two came up much less often:
- Travel planning: 91.8%
- Schedule management: 90.3%
- Personal errands: 65.7%
- Emails, calls and post: 62.7%
- Property and contractors: 61.9%
- Bills and expenses: 53.7%
- Events: 50.7%
- Household staff: 41.8%
- Health appointments: 13.4%
- Social media: 3.0%
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Task 1: Travel Planning and Itinerary Management
From booking private jet charters or ensuring a luxurious flight experience, to handling last-minute changes and visa processes, personal assistants provide much needed support to reduce stress over travel arrangements.
They also prepare personalized itineraries to alleviate the brunt of the principal’s workload that comes with planning even a small weekend getaway or much needed holiday.
From one of our job ads: “Handle all travel arrangements, including private jet bookings, visas, itineraries, and luxury hotel reservations” (Household staff manager and PA, Iraq, 2025)
Laurine Mallet, our co-founder, says plans change overnight:
“[Most] of the time they are CEO[s] of a lot of companies. So they can be in London, and because they need to be in Paris tomorrow and it’s an emergency, they can’t change their planning; they need their staff.
“So the PA is going to call the staff to say, ‘Okay, I’m sorry, it was not planned, but you need to go back to the property.’”
Task 2: Schedule Management
By sorting and prioritizing appointments, providing all frequent reminders, and monitoring deadlines, personal assistants lay out the day’s plans with a productive and proactive attitude.
They handle any and all bumps in the timetable which allows you to shift your focus on urgent tasks rather than worry about the day-to-day scheduling conflicts.
When a principal also has a business office, the PA can often be in charge of managing the private diary at the same time as the office’s.
One of our ads wanted the PA to “Manage personal scheduling, appointments, and travel logistics in close coordination with the principal’s professional scheduler.” (Executive personal assistant, California, 2026)
When we set up interviews, it’s usually the PA who manages the diary. Laurine:
“For a billionaire, you rarely [get] an interview with him directly. It can happen, but it’s quite rare… Normally, that’s the personal assistant.
“… I call the personal assistant, and the personal assistant say[s], ‘Okay, I’m going to give you three dates.’”
Task 3: High-End Event Coordination
The reason behind a personal assistant’s ability to draft out a successful event plan is because of their deep understanding of the event’s purpose and their principal’s goal of the event.
Their detail-oriented mindset allows them to come up with a near-foolproof plan on preparing guest lists and gifts, organizing event staff and vendors, and proficient allocation of resources to ensure the success of the event.
From one of our job ads: “Coordinate private dinners, social events, and gatherings, liaising with caterers, florists, and external vendors.” (Personal assistant, San Francisco, 2025)
Laurine on how a summer season gets planned in a very wealthy household:
“The assistant, she knows the client’s needs, client’s expectations… Someone is going to tell you, ‘Okay, so… last year it was great. We had so much fun. I would like the same this year. So please go ahead.’
“And the assistant, she knows: ‘Okay, so it means we need to have parties on the 15th of August, 30th of July; we need to invite him, to invite her, this family.’”
Task 4: Running Personal Errands
Given the name of the position, a personal assistant is privy to the private lives of HNW and UHNW individuals.
Thus, this makes it important for you to hire an assistant not only capable of providing extensive support in your personal life, but who is also compatible with the more personalized tastes and preferences of your personal life.
From one of our job ads: “Run personal errands, such as visiting the dry-cleaners” (Private personal assistant, London, 2023)
With personal assistants being intertwined in the private lives of high-profile individuals, they are aware that even the more minute personal purchases and expenses are to be handled with an air of professionalism and careful discretion.
Task 5: Household Staff Liaison and Oversight
Overseeing and monitoring your own private household team may become difficult when other urgent matters arise in your schedule.
In such cases, the personal assistant acts as a bridge of communication between the principal and their team of housekeepers, chefs, chauffeurs, etc.
Personal assistants coordinate with the house manager over instances concerning new hires, completion of household duties, and ensuring the standards of service and cleanliness around the property remain impeccable.
This information is then relayed to the principal, who can stay on top of their schedule knowing their household operations are in safe hands.
From one of our job ads: “Liaise with household staff across multiple residences.” (Travelling personal assistant, Cairo, 2026)
Morgan Richez, our co-founder, says a PA who runs the property has to know every role in it:
“This is the part of the job of the [PA], the one who manage[s] the property… to sit down and to say, ‘Okay, now we need to have a proper discussion. I need to know what you do every day.
“What is your duty, your responsibilities?’ You can’t organize [a] company or [a] private household without [having] a clear view.”
Task 6: Financial Admin & Expense Tracking
Auditing and keeping up with personal finances is a source of stress for anybody but can be especially stressful for high-level clients who deal with multiple luxury properties, investments, and assets.
By drafting monthly reports on the principal’s personal account expenses and keeping bills and payments on time, personal assistants free up time for the client to focus on high-level strategy and decision making.
A PA tracks, pays and files. Investment and tax advice comes from the family’s accountants and advisers, and the PA works with them.
In 17.2% of our ads for PAs, the job included working with the family’s accountants, lawyers or family office.
From one of our job ads: “Track expenses, prepare monthly reports, and liaise with accountants or family office staff.” (Personal assistant, Miami, 2025)
Paying the household team on time is often the job of the PA too. Morgan, our co-founder:
“Usually this is the PA job, or the family office, or it can be the employer directly. Sometimes we [have] some families [who] pay directly the employees.”
Task 7: Discreet Communication Handling
With a busy and complex lifestyle, it is easy for HNW and UHNW clients to get sidetracked in maintaining a steady course of communication through digital channels. Here, personal assistants operate as an intermediary for their principal.
They screen all forms of communications, create a priority list of messages received, and respond on behalf of their employer to ensure smooth correspondence and a productive social calendar.
Maintaining the confidentiality and the privacy of a high-profile client is the utmost priority for any personal assistant.
When handling sensitive information, personal assistants act as a gatekeeper, ensuring matters are shared through a secure and private channel and are supervised with the highest level of discretion.
From one of our job ads: “Act as the primary point of contact for personal communications, screening calls, emails, and messages to ensure that important matters are prioritized.” (Personal assistant, Dubai, 2025)
Recruiters talk to the gatekeeper first. Laurine:
“You can talk to the personal assistant first of all, and she can tell you, ‘Okay, so the boss is very busy… don’t waste time talking about some details; go straight to the point.’”
Task 8: Personal Branding & Online Presence Support
High-level executives understand the need of curating an appealing online presence to expand their network in a growing digital-conscious world. Yet, planning out and creating digital content to maintain an engaged and active online audience can be a tedious task.
In reality, this is the task that is the least common on the list. Only 3.0% of our PA ads mentioned social media. When it does get mentioned, it’s usually part of dealing with and responding to the principal’s messages.
One brief we worked on for a client asked the PA to “Draft and manage personal communications, including emails, texts, and social media posts.” (Personal assistant, Kentucky, 2025)
Task 9: Health and Wellness Appointments
Apart from tracking every minute in their principal’s day to keep all plans and appointments under control, personal assistants are also sensitive to their client’s needs to notice when rest is essential.
Managing bookings for medical and wellness appointments was in 13.4% of our ads for PA roles, usually as part of managing the diary.
Some PAs go along too: “Accompany the principals to medical or personal appointments as needed.” (Family assistant, California, 2025)
Task 10: Property and Asset Management Support
Owning multiple properties brings an influx of tasks, such as communicating with real estate agents over property viewings, contractors regarding repairs and renovations, and also financial tracking.
A high-profile client often depends upon a reliable personal assistant to oversee the admin and management of secondary residences.
Acting as a liaison between the household staff and the principal, the personal assistant can supervise seasonal maintenance of other properties like holiday homes.
That way they are pristine and ready for use either by the principal or other VIP guests.
From one of our job ads: “Travel with and on behalf of the client to prepare properties for their arrival.” (Executive personal assistant, London, 2024)
When a house is empty, someone still has to check the security cameras. Morgan on who does it:
“The billionaire[s], of course, they won’t do that. They[‘ve] got some estate manager or personal assistant to do that. But when it comes to [a] high-net-worth family, sometimes they do that by themselves.”
Why Trust Is Everything
The duties performed by a personal assistant mean that they have unrestricted access to not only the private life, but also the finances, personal schedule, and household operations of a high-profile client.
This makes discretion, loyalty, and integrity the key traits to look for when hiring private assistants.
Our PA ads say this too. 55.2% had discretion or confidentiality as a requirement.
Conducting in-depth background checks for candidates, verifying past references, and looking for longevity in previous roles is a necessary process when it comes to hiring a personal assistant.
For NDAs, see our answer to does a personal assistant need to sign an NDA?
How Do You Become a Private PA to a Wealthy Family?
Most private PA jobs want proven experience.
In our briefs for PA roles, the typical years of experience asked for was 5 years, and 55.8% asked for five years or more. 45.5% wanted at least two languages, and 41.8% asked for a driving licence.
Start by getting experience. Laurine:
“We don’t arrive at the beginning of the career, because our client[s] don’t accept people [without] experience. So us, we arrive in the middle, maybe, of the career of someone.”
And describe each private job properly on your CV, without naming the family at all. Laurine:
“For example, ‘Personal assistant for an artist, traveling [around the] world, based in London,’ for instance, and afterwards explaining all your duties. It’s really important…
“They need to understand and to imagine exactly what you did, to have a real view of your skills.”
When you’re ready, see our current jobs.
How to Hire a Private Personal Assistant You Can Trust
Morgan & Mallet has recruited luxury household staff for over ten years, from offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Switzerland, Antibes and Dubai.
Morgan & Mallet’s recruitment process involves creating a job description that is tailored to your personal assistant needs, curating a talent pool of strong candidates, and running thorough and verifiable background checks for shortlisted candidates.
We keep in touch with you and the PA for the first three months, and every placement has a three-month replacement guarantee. We don’t draft the employment contract. We’re recruiters, not lawyers.
Hiring the right personal assistant not only simplifies your life, it elevates it. Contact Morgan & Mallet today to find your perfect fit and make your life easier!
Sources: our job ads for private personal assistants, April 2022 to April 2026, 134 jobs in 22 countries (task lists and candidate profiles; English and French versions of the same job counted once). How we gather our figures.
