Meet Gemma, 19, and find out what she did to become a school administrator in Buckinghamshire. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Gemma:
Hi, my name's Gemma, I'm 19 years old, and I'm a school administrator.
Once I had finished my GCSEs I thought I wanted to do hairdressing and I secured an apprenticeship in a salon. I started to realise that hairdressing wasn't for me. However, I really enjoyed working on reception and all the administration tasks so I looked online to try and find a similar job and that's when I saw this apprenticeship.
Being a school administrator, I deal with lots of different things day-to-day, including welcoming visitors and parents, ordering supplies for the school, looking after some of the children if they've had an injury of some sort or if they're feeling a bit poorly. Sometimes children aren't sure what they're having for lunch, so they'll come to me and I can tell them what they're having and then I'll give them a token for lunchtime.
So, English is an important subject for this role because I have to create the weekly bulletin. I have to send emails on a daily basis and send letters to the parents so it's really important that the punctuation and grammar and spelling is correct.
Headteacher:
Since Gemma has started working with us, she's provided a valuable contribution to our school. She's the first port of call for parents and children to go to, vital in the mornings when everything's really busy and having somebody that's quite relaxed, a friendly face, but is able to help them with any concerns they've got, is really useful for us as a school.
Gemma:
I absolutely love working in the school environment. Every single day is different and I also enjoy working with some amazing colleagues. I would like to complete my Level 3 apprenticeship and within the future I would love to become a school office manager or even a school business manager.
I absolutely love working in a school environment. Every single day is different.
- Gemma found her job as a school administrator, a business administration apprenticeship, when researching jobs online
- She is responsible for the daily administrative tasks that keep a school running smoothly, for example ordering resources for teachers
- Gemma's job requires excellent communication skills and she uses what she learnt in English when greeting visitors and writing the weekly school bulletin.
Another name for a school administrator is a school secretary.
What to expect if you want to be a school secretary
- School secretary average salary: £15,000 to £21,000 per year
- School secretary typical hours: 36 to 38 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be a school secretary?
You could get into this role via an apprenticeship, a college course, working towards the role in another job, or applying directly if you have relevant skills. College options include Level 2 and Level 3 courses, such as a T-level in Management and Administration (Level 3, England-only, from Sept 2022).
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, GOV.UK
&This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.*
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
Find out more
Work experience in your area
Find work experience placements with Workfinder.
Tips and advice
Help with interviews, writing a CV and all things work experience related.
Francesca: receptionist video
Francesca works as a receptionist at a youth centre.
Damilare: apprentice accountant. video
Damilare left uni and pursued an apprenticeship.
