The importance of CPD - and some CPD items for you to use

Hello everyone


CPD. Continuous Professional Development. We should be doing it - every day. And it's not just the odd training course here or there or attending a conference. EVERY DAY you should be taking in new information and learning from it. Put aside 5 to 10 minutes in your lunch break to browse a PA-related website or magazine, read a chapter from a PA book, download an item and work through it, listen to a podcast or a language cd on the way to and from work rather than the radio. DO SOMETHING actively about bettering yourself.


In this day and age, when 100 people can be applying for the same PA role as you, IT IS NO LONGER GOOD ENOUGH TO BE GOOD ENOUGH AT OUR JOBS. WE MUST BE EXCEPTIONAL.

Below I have details of four free CPD items for you to download plus two to buy, plus details of my training courses for autumn 2015 in the UK & Ireland - and I urge you all to work on your CPD!  I'll post more items in the coming weeks....


1. FREE CPD ITEMS TO DOWNLOAD:

* Is your business suffering from "Invisible Employee Syndrome"? Download this report to learn about Invisible Employee Syndrome including the symptoms, causes and effects that it could be having on your business. Also discover how modern HR systems, in combination with senior leadership commitment, workforce insights and process integration, can help to stem the rising tide of this modern workforce ailment. http://picaaurum.tradepub.com/free/w_fair03/

* “Social Networking with a purpose” Tips for Building a Social Referral Machine. Referral recruiting is based on the principle that high achievers know other high achievers. When your employees' trusted contacts share your openings with their trusted contacts your organization's recruiting reach grows exponentially – which means you can wait for the right talent to come to you. http://picaaurum.tradepub.com/free/w_orac404/

* "A Modern Approach to HR For Dummies" – an executive brief offering: (a) The top three reasons for HR transformation; (b) How thinking like a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can help HR align to the business and win top talent, and (c) The role of key technologies in modern HR and how to choose the right partner for your HR strategy. http://picaaurum.tradepub.com/free/w_orac406/

* "How Well Do You Know Your Workforce?" Think you know your workforce inside and out? Find out if you do! Many young and fast growing companies are recruiting and expanding fast. While these are exciting trends, new challenges quickly emerge regarding their people. Now that the company is bigger, across different offices, regions and countries, things get more complicated. When HR is asked questions regarding the workforce, answers take longer to find, and often there is no consistent view because information is spread out in different places.  http://picaaurum.tradepub.com/free/w_fair07/

(As per previous posts, the hosting site for these 4 items requires you to log-in, either via a free registration or via your LinkedIn account - they will then email you with a clickable link to the download page / webinar page for your item.)


2. CPD ITEMS TO BUY:
“Brave PAs” by Angela Garry - for PAs, EAs, Secretaries and Admins working in Education - has been named by Executive PA magazine as “the new PA bible”. Available via Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Details at www.bravepas.com

And ANNOUNCING MY NEW BOOK: “The PA & EA Circus” – available NOW via Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Details at www.thepaeacircus.com


3. CALLING ALL PAs AND ADMINS!!!!!!
Angela Garry and Pica Aurum are proud to announce the Autumn programme: five dates, five venues, two courses. Bookings are open. Details at www.picaaurum.com

Course 1. "Two Days for PAs" - Two workshops, "Be a Multi-Tasking Miracle Maker" and "Project Management for PAs / EAs"

CLARION HOTEL, LIMERICK - Thursday 5 & Friday 6 November 2015 - http://picaaurum-limerick.eventbrite.co.uk

JURY’S INN, EDINBURGH - Thursday 3 & Friday 4 December 2015 - http://picaaurum-edinburgh.eventbrite.co.uk


-----plus-----

Course 2. "Two 'How To' Days for Tomorrow's PA" - Eight essential topics to ensure you are ready for tomorrow's challenges: presentations, overflowing inboxes, purple folder, appraisals, social media, managing change, minute-taking, networking.

BEST WESTERN SKYLON HOTEL, DUBLIN - Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 21 October 2015 - http://picaaurum-dublin.eventbrite.co.uk

NOTTINGHAM BELFRY – Monday 9 & Tuesday 10 November 2015 - http://picaaurum-nottingham.eventbrite.co.uk

CORUS HYDE PARK HOTEL, LONDON - Tuesday 24 & Wednesday 25 November 2015 - http://picaaurum-london.eventbrite.co.uk

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!!!

Angela Garry
angelagarry@picaaurum.com

A particularly busy week ahead....

I got home on Sunday afternoon from a few days' break in Paris with a friend - which was lovely. Now I'm back to the grindstone....

Projects this week include:

• finalising a book on online dating that I'm editing - written by a friend, under a psuedonym;
• working on putting together an A-Z book for a fellow trainer;
• working on putting together a children's book for a former colleague; 
• working on my presentation for the Office* show in mid-October;
• pulling together more articles for this term's issue of NAHPA magazine for PAs in education;
• plus more writing of my own books (I have four in different stages of development at the moment), and marketing for my training courses.

Fortunately, with my bad back, I can manage to work on all of these from my bed via laptop and iPad and the internet. I love technology that enables me to continue doing stuff even when I can't sit up at a desk.......   :-)

Sharing the Forewords for my two books "Brave PAs" and "The PA & EA Circus"

I'm so proud to have written my two books for the PA / EA community - and equally proud of the wonderful Forewords that were written for them.

The first Foreword was for "Brave PAs", my book for educational PAs and secretaries. This was written by my former boss, Dave Harris - the most inspiring person I've ever worked for - who was the Principal of the Academy where I worked for 5.5 years. Dave is now the Managing Director for Independent Thinking Ltd - a group of educational speakers.

The second Foreword for "The PA & EA Circus", my book for PAs and EAs in any industry. This was written by one of the leading lights in the PA / EA profession: Lucy Brazier, CEO of Marcham Publishing (publishers of Executive Secretary magazine, and creators of the incredible ExecutiveSecretaryLIVE conferences worldwide).

I'd like to share both with you. For the Foreword to "Brave PAs" click here - and for "The PA & EA Circus", click here.


I'm really proud to have worked with both Dave Harris and Lucy Brazier, and honoured to know them as friends.


Angela

Where would you bury YOUR crock of gold?

All too often, we forget to sit back and take stock - and remind ourselves of what we can achieve, what we have done, what we have managed to make happen. We are rushed of our feet in our busy roles as PA & EAs, and we neglect to congratulate ourselves or take pride in the miracles we have brought about.

Reading a friend's status on Facebook just now, I was reminded of my favourite quote from 'Brideshead Revisited' by Evelyn Waugh, which brings to mind the idea of remembering / acknowledging and taking pride in what we do... 

To set the scene for you: friends Sebastien Flyte and Charles Ryder have just had a picnic and are lying on the grass under a tree, smoking Turkish cigars and watching the smoke drifting upwards through the leaves. They have eaten strawberries and drunk some wine (which, as Sebastien had predicted, went very well together), and it's a beautifully hot and hazy sunny day. Then Sebastien speaks:

"Just the place to bury a crock of gold" said Sebastien. "I would like to bury something precious in every place where I have been happy - then, when I was old and ugly and miserable, I could come back and dig it up and remember."

I have a few places where I would bury my crock(s) of gold:

• at the top of the red steps at Times Square, New York - my favourite place in the world, where I feel my most excited about life;
• in my best friend's garden in Exeter, England - where I feel the most comfortable and happy, with my loved ones around me;
• on the beach at Sidmouth, England - my favourite seaside view in the UK, near the city I lived in for 13 years;
• on the mountain-top overlooking Hong Kong - spectacular view, really moving, a huge sense of achievement for having "made it";
• on the beach at Jomtien, south of Pattaya, Thailand - so beautiful, so peaceful, so lovely, even through illness;
• at the Arenal beach in Javea, Spain, recuperating after surgery - I fell in love with the town and am hoping to make it my new home in the near(ish) future; and
• standing in a hotel meeting room in Bangkok, Thailand, delivering my first major international two-day training course to a group of fabulously enthusiastic PAs - with a tremendous sense of pride and fulfillment at what I'd achieved to get there.

Sit back in your chair for a minute or two and take stock of what you have done, where you have felt a sense of fulfillment and achievement... Where would you bury YOUR crock(s) of gold and why?

Best wishes,

Angela 
x

Calling all PA-Assistcom members - have you voted yet on the Members' Voice Awards for 2015?

My work is nominated in three different categories in the PA-Assist Members' Voice Awards for 2015 - so if you are a member of the site, your votes would be very much appreciated!

I'm nominated for:

• PICA AURUM for Best PA Training Provider, 
• "Brave PAs" for Best Book for PAs, and
• "PAs, EAs, VAs and Senior Admins" for Best On-line Forum for PAs.

From the latest newsletter from PA-Assist.com:  

PA-Assist.com Member's Voice Awards 2015 - Voting is open for Members ...

Wow! The race to vote for the 2015 final 'hot lists' are off to a stunning start!

With the nominations stage indicating that we are going to see some very closely run categories this year, our 12,500+ pa-assist.com members are certainly active in wanting to recognise who they see as the leaders amongst the profession.

You can see the full MVA Shortlists for who are the most nominated, by category for 2015 here:
http://www.pa-assist.com/members-voice-awards-2015 (sign-in required), or ...
 

... get straight to the voting here!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MVA2015

To recap - our 2015 Categories are:
Best PA Specialist Recruitment Consultancies
Best PA Industry Events
Best PA Industry Magazines
Best PA Training Providers
Best Books for PAs
Best On-line Forums for PAs
Best Apps for PAs
Best Venue Finding Services
Best Travel Management Companies

Voting closes Midnight, 31st October 2015.
The 'Most Popular' in each category will be announced 20th November 2015.

With more than 7,500 votes cast last year, it certainly provided a very popular format for us to 'help you, our members, to have your say', and represent some of your feedback to those that work to support the profession. Most Popular winners for 2014 included: PA Life, office*, Today's PA, Hays Plc, and Angela Garry's On-line Forum "PAs, EAs, VAs and Senior Administrators".

Have your say - please do get involved!
Cast your votes for 2015 here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MVA2015

Self-employed working from home - pros and cons

I left my previous job in February 2014 - to go it alone, working solo as a PA Trainer, writer, magazine editor.

Until this, I got up before 7am, left the house by 7:45, arrived at work around 8:15, started working at 8:300, had half an hour for lunch somewhere between 12:30 and 1:30, left between 6pm and 8pm (most days), got home 20 minutes later, then spent at least two evenings per week planning my OTHER work for the PA community: devising course programmes, networking and mentoring. It felt rigid, very hard work, and very tiring. I'm naturally NOT a morning person, so getting up before 7am every school / work day for my whole life was a strain every day.

Now I get up at varying times (depending on the end of the previous day), commute by wandering downstairs, start working when I choose to (if I'm up early I can skype with colleagues in Asia first thing), take a lunch break when I remember to, go out for a few hours or read a book or play with my cats or take a snooze (depending on my bad back), then start work again whenever I want to, make dinner at some point, watch some TV and do some more work, sometimes catching second or third wind late in the evening and working through til the early hours. In comparison with my 24 years of working set hours, it sounds incredibly chaotic, but for me it really works. I'm awake and at the computer at midnight (when colleagues in America and Canada are also at work so we can skype then), and I go to bed when I choose to, not worrying about having to get up early the following day.

So - what are the pros and cons of one over the other?

For me. the pros of working for myself, from home are:

• I get to pick and choose the number of hours I work on each day.
• I get to choose when I work them - whether all in one go, or here and there throughout the day / evening / night.
• I feel much more freedom in what I'm doing, with more control over it.
• I'm not tied to having to get up earlier than my internal body clock would like (I've struggled with getting up in the morning for years!).
• No driving through rush-hour traffic - rain - snow - to get to work and no staying late after hours to avoid the rush-hour traffic on the way home.
• I'm spending very little on petrol for the car.
• I'm spending less money, full stop, because I'm not stopping off at shops on the way home from work to buy something for dinner.
• Still suffering from ill health, my back pain doesn't allow me to go food shopping with a trolley round a large supermarket, so I order my shopping online - but working from home means I can have it delivered during the day for a much cheaper cost than the evening deliveries I was restricted to when I was out all day at work elsewhere.
• I'm not interrupted constantly throughout the day by visitors to my office, so I feel more productive.
• Being more productive means I can work shorter hours if I choose to.
• If I need to order anything I'm home for deliveries (meaning I don't miss a day-time delivery during the week and then have to hike to the post office to pick things up at the weekend).
• Lots of smaller costs in terms of workclothes (I can wear what I like at home!), costs of shoes (slippers!), etc.
• Almost every week I get new ideas of things that I could do in the future, topics or tasks that I could include in my work - I feel energised and very lucky to be in a position where I can have so much control over what I do.

Cons of working from home:

• Less interaction on a personal basis with people - visitors, taking phone calls for the boss or colleagues, etc - can mean sometimes I don't see "real people" for a few days if I don't leave the house. Having worked in several PA roles where I was an office by myself without much contact during the working day with other colleagues, I'm OK with this. Plus my cats love me being home with them so much.
• There's no regular payslip with money thunking into my bank account once a month. I'm now used to this though, and with my lower spending costs I find that I need less money per month and my fears of "oh my, who's going to pay the mortgage?" have been unfounded - I'm doing OK!
• There can be a temptation to keep running off with new ideas, and not finishing the task in hand. I'm a bit of a magpie and am attracted by "bright and shiny things" (e.g. new ideas) but am learning to rein things in a bit, list the ideas somewhere safe and then return to them at a later date, after I've finished the tasks I have already got underway.
•  At first, for the first few months, I had a bit of a "hmmm, who's going to tell me what to do?" feeling, as I've been used to supporting the leader of an organsiation for almost my whole career - but I've always been well motivated and able to find things to do in my roles, so not having a manager has been something I feel that I've drifted into quite easily overall.

Overall, I feel that I have landed on my feet. Leaving my job and starting out as self-employed came a bit suddenly, as it was driven primarily by my ill-health (it had been a "plan" to leave my job at "some point" in the future, but I hadn't planned properly when I would do it) - but I've done it, I haven't gone under, I'm still paying the mortgage, I'm doing OK.

For having always worked for someone else, having spent my working life managing someone else's working life, it's a complete change to be managing my own instead. I love it though. I loved being a PA too - please don't get me wrong - I had some fantastic jobs that I absolutely loved with all my heart - but this is a move to something completely different, which I also now love.

I'm very lucky in this. I know I am.  I have had friends who dread Mondays, hate the idea of going to work in the morning, can't bear that the weekend goes so quickly - whereas I now sometimes have to stop myself to think "what day is it?" as I'm so engrossed in what I'm doing or time is flying by so easily and I'm enjoying what I'm doing so much. So yes, I know I'm very lucky. But I do think a lot of it comes down to the great skills I learnt as a PA over the years: managing my own workload, prioritising, scheduling, taking on tasks without supervision, getting things done with little or no budget, coming up with ideas and magical solutions - all of these are skills and abilities that I developed in my PA roles, and all have proved essential now that I'm running my own business from home.

It's hard, of course it is. Most jobs are. Making sure I have a steady enough stream of income lined up for the coming months, timetabling courses, marketing events (which I've not been involved in before, so this is a new thing for me - a new learning curve), and taking a leap of faith on things here and there - but it is SO worth it.  I suppose from looking at my lists of pros and cons above this is probably fairly obvious, as I couldn't think of anywhere near as many cons as I could pros.

So.. I'm moving onwards and upwards. Which is most Definitely my phrase for this part of my working life.

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!

Angela
x

The importance of lists

I have a guilty secret.

I keep lists. Lots of lists, in fact.
In fact, I'm probably what could be called a serial lister.

I list the things I want to get done during this working week.
I list the ideas that come into my head for future projects.
I list the gifts I aim to buy for Christmas presents.
I list the shopping I need to buy.
I cross reference my lists - checking off on old lists to see if there are items that need bringing forward to my new list.

And sometimes I make a list of all the lists I currently have in motion.

I have lists in three different notebooks. For different reasons - personal stuff, magazine stuff, training stuff.
I toy with combining all three notebooks into one BIG notebook, with everything all combined in ONE BIG LIST.

But I think I like individual lists more. I get more pleasure from ticking off a few items from a short list, than ticking off a few items from a great big long list that seems never-ending.
Hence I have several lists: I think it'd be depressing to look at my entire list of "things I'd like to get done before I die / make my fortune and don't need to work anymore" and realise that I have only ticked off a few.

But I *am* getting there:

• Four books written and produced this year. - and more planned, both by me and by other authors, which will be published under my new PICA BOOKS publishing name.
• Took over ownership of the NAHPA magazine and rebuilt a bigger subscriber list in the first four months. 
• Created, developed and delivered new training courses, with more on the way. 
• 28 countries visited in 5 years. 

Tick, tick, tick, tick. 

Next step: make enough money to move to Spain.
That's on a BIG list.

So, yes, the bottom line is: my guilty secret is that I love making lists - and then ticking things off on them.

What's your guilty secret?

Pulling together articles for the next issue of NAHPA magazine

I *love* working with PAs. I have to get that out there. We're a fabulous bunch, we really are...

Ask a PA to write an article for a magazine, give them a specific wordcount and a deadline, and GUESS WHAT? They get it done ON TIME, usually EARLY. And it's usually really well written and needs minimal editing. Plus they'll often write more than you ask for, so there's no need for me to stretch an article out by adding to it, there's usually plenty enough in what they write to fill an extra page or half page. There's absolutely minimal chasing to be done on my part to get the pieces from them, as they are all well planned and well timetabled, and when I ask them to submit a photo or two alongside their article, THEY DO IT, there's no need to remind them (which you invariably have to do with almost EVERYBODY else you come into contact with as a PA). I love it! It makes my job as Editor of the magazine so much easier!

I received two articles for the magazine today - one from PA Trainer and Neuroscience expert Sue France, and the other from Scottish PA of the Year 2015 Liza Young. Both are really interesting pieces of writing, which I hope will inspire the magazine's readership in different ways. If you'd like to read what they have written, GET SUBSCRIBING NOW! This issue will go to press in mid-October for distribution around half-term.

(For those not in the know, I am the owner and editor of NAHPA, which is the UK and Ireland's National Association of Headteachers' PAs magazine - it's the leading publication for PAs working in education. The magazine has three issues per year - one per term, distributed in March, June and November - giving over 90 pages of valuable CPD, motivational and inspirational articles for just £35 per year. That's less than £1 per week throughout the academic year, or about 40p per page. Articles are sourced from world-class trainers and from PAs working within Education. Details and how to subscribe are at www.nahpa.org.uk )

Two lovely reviews for my newest book, "The PA & EA Circus"

I've sent pdf copies of my book to several of my high profile PA contacts around the world, asking them to give brief reviews on it, and the first two responses are very encouraging!! I'll post more, as and when they arrive...

Roll up, roll up PAs and EAs!
I believe the very best advice and know-how can be gleaned from those who have first-hand experience of their topic.
Angela, as a seasoned PA and EA, certainly knows her topic and, coupled with her sense of humour, shares her knowledge in this enjoyable and highly informative book.
This is sure to be a favourite on all PAs' book lists.
Lindsay Taylor - UK - who formerly appeared in her own PA and EA circus prior to setting up Your Excellency Ltd and specialising in training PAs and EAs worldwide. www.yourexcellency.co.uk

Angela Garry has put together an insightful and comprehensive look at the amazing world (circus) of the PA, EA, Secretary and Administrative Assistant.
Her book covers everything from the very start of your career for both the newcomer to our profession as well as those who have been doing it for years.
A brilliant read from beginning to end.
Michele Thwaits - South Africa - President of PAFSA (Professional Association for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants). www.pafsa.co.za

Calling all PAs and EAs - Come and see me speak at Office* 2015

Come see me speak at office* 2015...

"A beginner’s guide to Integrating the many parts of the PA"

10.45-11.45 | Wednesday 14 October 2015 | London, Olympia

Welcome to the circus that is the world of the PA! Multi-tasking, working to multiple managers, dealing with multiple demands on our time, keeping multiple plates spinning – we almost need to have multiple personalities to match!

Being a PA or administrative assistant is no easy task. You need to be able to wear the many hats of a wide range of roles and your manager will quite often expect things of you that you are unfamiliar with. They may presume that you already know what to do without being told, and they will probably expect that you automatically know their preferences and be able to organise logistics successfully on their behalf. You also need to be able to drop everything at a moment’s notice, adapt to new situations, manage your Executive’s working life (and, for some, aspects of their personal life too!), and remain calm and unflustered throughout. How can you build the skills to lead the circus successfully alongside your manager?

This session examines the skills that you will need to lead the circus successfully alongside your manager, looking at some of the various “hats” that PAs wear – together with routes to multiple resources which will help you to develop each aspect and bring them together into a cohesive whole, including:

• Links to discussion groups and networks
• Sources of free articles and papers
• Details of a number of books and online resources.

 So - put on your lion-tamer outfit and let's join the fray!

Register now to visit office* 2015 and see me speak

There are loads of reasons to visit office* - to meet and research new ideas with 150+ top suppliers, take your training into your own hands with 36 CPD accredited seminars and 10 free Keynotes or to get involved in Hot Topic discussions to share and receive the latest knowledge with your peers.

office* is completely free to attend so register now to join over 4,000 office professionals for an educational, inspiring and fun day out of the office.

Have you "met" Brené Brown yet?

From her website www.brenebrown.com :
Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work.She has spent the past thirteen years studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.


I first came across Brené Brown via a video on Youtube: her 2010 TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability, which is now one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world, with over 19 million viewers.  Please: WATCH IT!  It will take 20 minutes of your time, and I swear you'll gain something from watching it.

I was hooked. I bought her first two books - "I thought it was just me" and "The gifts of imperfection" - then watched her next TED talk in 2012, "Listening to Shame" - and in October 2013 I went to the UK talk / interview for her third book "Daring Greatly" in London, where I met her in person and she signed my copy of the book.

With Brené Brown:

Brené's fourth book "Rising Strong" is now out (I have a copy winging its way to me right now via Amazon) and I'm bursting at the seams with excitement to be attending her talk in London in early November: http://www.theschooloflife.com/london/shop/brene-brown-on-courage .  Sadly for you, it's a sold-out event, but I'm chuffed to bits to have bought my ticket.

Buy the book - any of the four - they are ALL brilliant. Interesting, inspiring, motivating, thought-provoking.

It's official: Brené Brown is my latest intellectual crush.

Have you completed the 2015 National PA Survey yet?

From: http://www.officeshow.co.uk/new-exhibitors-announced-for-office-2015/


National PA Survey now open

As in previous years, thousands of PAs will be celebrating National PA Day at office*.  Taking place on 13 October for 2015, the day will also see the launch of the results of the latest National PA Survey, which is now in its fifth year.

Touching on subjects like loyalty, motivation, recognition and inspiration – the questions in 2015 survey have been designed to draw direct comparisons with the first edition in 2011.  It aims to provide insights into what’s changed about the role of a PA since then, and what hasn’t, and how this important profession will develop and evolve in the years to come.

The National PA Survey 2015 is available to complete online until Friday 18 September at: https://diversifiedfeedback.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3avfzzhKoy8XvLf.

Office* are seeking the PA Contributor of the Year 2015

From: http://www.officeshow.co.uk/new-exhibitors-announced-for-office-2015/


PA Contributor of the Year 2015
First launched last year to reward the significant business contributions made by the UK’s PA professionals, the 2015 PA Contributor of the Year Award is now open for nominations.  The award recognises the hard-work, innovation, and dedication of the talented individuals, who are championing the PA role in the UK today.

Last year’s winner was Catherine Thomas from Public Health Wales, who runs the NHS PAs for Excellence Network (which she founded in 2008) alongside her day-to-day role in the chief executive’s support office.

Nomination forms are available to complete online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/S8GLR9V.  A brief supporting statement is required for all entries.  

The deadline for submitting nominations is Wednesday 23 September.

Of courses, of course....

Why I do what I do
I've said it many times: I'm passionate about the PA / EA profession and about ensuring that PAs and EAs have the opportunity to develop themselves as much as possible so that we can be the best we possibly can be in our roles.

Having trained to be a teacher originally - I'm a fully qualified secondary school maths teacher with Qualified Teacher Status, no less - I realised early on within my training course that I didn't really enjoy the disciplinary side of education. I wanted fictitious children to teach - nice children who didn't answer back, didn't need a firm hand and who wanted desperately to learn. I wasn't cut out for standing in a classroom attempting to keep them all interested, keep them listening, keep them in the same room.... 

After qualifying and receiving my BSc(Ed) in Maths and Education, I went to work in administrative and PA roles, having discovered my flair for organising, administration and general all-round geekery with computers. Fast forwarding to 2009 or so, when I started meeting with other PAs at networking and training events, and the first seeds of thought started growing in my head - maybe I could become a PA Trainer, utilising the skills I learnt in my teacher training and those I'd learnt over the years as a PA. And now we're here in 2015, this is what I *do* now, it's my job, my career, my calling. And I love it!
 
I have so far worked with over 3,000 PAs and EAs in 28 countries in various events, courses, conferences, programmes, workshops, seminars, webinars and podcasts - delivering training, mentoring and coaching. I've written two books for the PA & EA community - "Brave PAs" for those in education and "The PA & EA Circus" for corporate / industry / other environments. I've been featured in PA magazines, and I now even own and edit one - NAHPA, for PAs working in schools - plus I'm going to be launching UNIPA magazine in early 2016 for PAs working in universities and colleges.


My current courses
I'm currently sending out marketing to PAs, EAs and their Executives around the UK and Ireland, to advertise my training courses for this autumn, where I am offering two different 2-day course programmes.

Course 1 
Limerick and Edinburgh.
The two days are on "Multi-taking for Miracle Makers" and "Project Management for PAs and EAs". 
Bookings and further details are available at: 
* Limerick, Ireland: 5-6 November 2015 http://picaaurum-limerick.eventbrite.co.uk .
* Edinburgh, Scotland: 3-4 December 2015 http://picaaurum-edinburgh.eventbrite.co.uk
Course brochure is here: http://angelagarry.co.uk/picaaurum/files/Download/PicaAurumCourse1flyer.pdf


Course 2
Nottingham, Dublin and London 
The two days cover a range of essential topics for PAs and EAs to ensure you are ready for tomorrow's challenges: presentations, overflowing inboxes, purple folder, appraisals, social media, managing change, minute-taking, networking.
* Nottingham, England: 1-2 October 2015 http://picaaurum-nottingham.eventbrite.co.uk
 * Dublin, Ireland: 20-21 October 2015 http://picaaurum-dublin.eventbrite.co.uk 
* London, England: 24-25 November 2015 http://picaaurum-london.eventbrite.co.uk
Course brochure is here: http://angelagarry.co.uk/picaaurum/files/Download/PicaAurumCourse2flyer.pdf



Office* 2015
In addition, I'm also speaking at this year's Office* show - having attended for several years running and paid to attend seminars, I'm now the presenter on their seminar programme!   The full programme is here: http://www.officeshow.co.uk/education and details of my seminar are here: http://www.officeshow.co.uk/events/a-beginners-guide-to-integrating-the-many-parts-of-the-pa/


If you'd like to attend any of these sessions - or for me to come and work with you and your organisation - or to work me on an individual basis for training, mentoring or coaching - please get in touch! 



angelagarry@picaaurum.com
Angela