Ellen’s Story - Personal Assistant

I have been a Personal Assistant all of my adult working life from having it as a second or third job to it now being my main job. I have worked with children with autism, adults with Neuro Diverse challenged for example Tourette’s and also wheelchair users. I have had an extremely varied experience.

I started as a special needs teaching assistant at a school and would occasionally take the children after school as a personal assistant role to do stuff such as go to the cinema, go out for food, etc. I would do things that sometimes the parents wouldn’t do due to confidence or having other siblings to take care of, etc.

I took a break and had my family and then returned to work in a children’s home. I then took a second job, working as a PA for a lady, my own age who had Tourette’s. She worked in the local authority, and she gave me a real understanding of living life with her condition. We talked and it seemed that travelling to work and from work was a challenge. She would supress her Tourette’s in meetings but then after meetings she would struggle with tic attacks, sometimes physically harming herself. She found that she struggled to maintain safely.

She eventually signed up for an access to work fund and that paid for me to assist her in her job, 2 days a week. I would pick her up from home, take her to the office, help her in preparing for meetings, Take her somewhere scenic for lunch breaks, etc. I would help her make the smaller decisions, giving prompts and support and help her with her working life.

I would recommend this role to other people. When you make that relationship with another person, you don’t feel like you are employed, there is no pressure on you to go to work (although obviously we must go to work and provide the support) but it doesn’t feel like work. I love that being a personal assistant doesn’t feel like work, if you enjoy what you do, it doesn’t feel like work, and it is just so rewarding.

Working with various people, hearing them ask me things, being someone that can be relied on, someone who is there for them, someone to listen and comfort their anxieties, give confidence and motivation. I feel like you are part of their journey. We are that supportive family member that says ‘you’ve got this, you can do it’. It feels like I am working with my friends/family and it’s great satisfaction to know that you are considered as close as family members to that person too.

Be friendly, be approachable… that’s the first step. My individual employer says she doesn’t want a carer, she wants a friend, someone that will put their arm around them and say everything will be ok. It’s so fortunate that you get paid to be someone’s pal… it’s rewarding to just be yourself. You choose who your own friends due to how much you get on with them, and there’s always someone looking for a friend like you to work with.

Ellen - Personal Assistant