4215 Personal assistants and other secretaries

In short

• ONS unit group 4215, in minor group 421 (Secretarial and related occupations) and major group 4 (Administrative and secretarial occupations).
• Appendix Skilled Occupations (figures as at 3 August 2026, re-checked 26 October 2026): Transitional tables only: Table 1a, Table 2aa.
• Going rate as the tables print it:
  • Table 1a, Going rate (SW – options A and D): £33,400 (£17.13 per hour)
  • Table 2aa, Going rate (SW – options F and I, GBM and SCU): £27,400 (£14.05 per hour)

What the ONS says

Description

Personal assistants and other secretaries provide administrative and secretarial support to individuals, departmental or management teams within organisations.

Typical entry routes

There are no minimum academic requirements, although entry to professional secretarial courses typically requires GCSEs/S grades. NVQs/SVQs are available in Administration at levels 2, 3 and 4.

Tasks

• acts as a first point of contact for a manager or team with colleagues and people from outside organisations, fields telephone enquiries, takes and passes on messages
• arranges appointments, keeps business diary, organises travel arrangements, makes reservations and organises a variety of functions
• opens, sorts, distributes and files correspondence (in hard copy and electronic) and deals directly with routine correspondence
• uses appropriate software to produce correspondence, memoranda, reports, presentations and other documents from drafts, handwritten copy or by transcribing dictation
• arranges and attends meetings, takes minutes and prepares records of proceedings
• translates documents and liaises with overseas clients and suppliers

Related job titles

• Executive assistant
• PA-secretary
• Personal assistant
• Personal secretary
• Secretary

What the Appendix Skilled Occupations says

The Appendix lists this code in the tables below, with the tables’ own caption and the row as printed. Read the full table, and any condition in it, on GOV.UK.

Table 1a: Additional eligible SOC 2020 occupation codes and related going rates for Skilled Worker applicants granted permission under the rules in place before 22 July 2025

SOC 2020 occupation code

4215 Personal assistants and other secretaries

Examples of related job titles (non-exclusive)

• Farm secretaries
• Personal assistants (excludes care workers)
• Personal assistants and other secretaries not elsewhere classified

Going rate (SW – options A and D)

£33,400 (£17.13 per hour)

90% of going rate (SW – option B)

Not applicable

80% of going rate (SW – option C)

Not applicable

70% of going rate (SW – option E)

£33,400 (£17.13 per hour)

Eligible for PhD points (SW)?

No

Table 2aa: Additional eligible SOC 2020 occupation codes and related going rates for Skilled Worker applicants granted permission under the rules in place before 22 July 2025

SOC 2020 occupation code

4215 Personal assistants and other secretaries

Equivalent SOC 2010 occupation code(s)

4215

Examples of related job titles (non-exclusive)

• Farm secretaries
• Personal assistants (excludes care workers)
• Personal assistants and other secretaries not elsewhere classified

Going rate (SW – options F and I, GBM and SCU)

£27,400 (£14.05 per hour)

90% of going rate (SW – option G)

Not applicable

80% of going rate (SW – option H)

Not applicable

70% of going rate (SW – option J, GTR)

£25,000 (£12.82 per hour)

Eligible for PhD points (SW)?

No

Other unit groups in minor group 421

• 4211 Medical secretaries
• 4212 Legal secretaries
• 4213 School secretaries
• 4214 Company secretaries and administrators
• 4216 Receptionists
• 4217 Typists and related keyboard occupations

Sources

Occupation text: Office for National Statistics, SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups (file dated 27 August 2026, version V13). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0. Tables: Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations on GOV.UK, page updated 3 August 2026; re-checked against the page updated 8 October 2026 on 26 October 2026, tables unchanged.

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