I give up. I need help. I’m looking for a part-time PA, and if you know the right person for the job, then I’d be very grateful if you sent them here to read this message.
Hi. I’m Andrew Dubber. That’s me there. Yes, I’m tired and could do with a bit of a hand.
My job is as Senior Lecturer in the Music Industries at UCE Birmingham, but I also do a lot of other things outside of that.
This website is one of those things.
I also do seminars, workshops, DJ-ing, the odd bit of radio, the occasional bit of journalism, lots of blogging and appearing as the ‘expert’ in different sorts of situations. I’m also about to set up a record label, start on my PhD and undertake a couple of significant research projects.
Because I’ve got so much going on, I’m looking for a bright, reliable and energetic Personal Administrative Assistant. Is that you?
If so, then you’re able to follow instructions, but have the initiative to devise and implement systems that will help keep the organisational and day-to-day financial side of my life in good working order.
The work you’ll do for me will be mostly to do with simple bookkeeping and the organisation of paperwork. If you’re as fast and efficient a worker as I think you are, then this will realistically entail just a few hours a week of your time, after we’ve got things underway with a bit of setup and a few extra hours up front.
Once a month we’ll sit down together and do a review for an hour or two just to make sure we’re on top of everything.
Your communication skills are, necessarily, exemplary. You’ll be phoning, writing and emailing people on my behalf — and correct spelling, grammar and politeness are of the utmost importance to me. Computer use is going to be necessary — you’ll already be completely at ease with Word and Excel — and you’ll be pretty good about knowing your way around the internet too.
Most of what I’ll ask you to do is stuff that you can probably do at home in your own time, as long as that coincides with my deadlines and expectations. You’ll sometimes need to meet me in Moseley, where I live and have a home office — but also where I like to have meetings in a nice record shop/cafe nearby.
My university office is in Perry Barr, but you probably won’t need to meet me there very often, unless that’s particularly convenient for you. You don’t have to have a car but you might need to hop on a bus from time to time. I’m not sure why as yet, but let’s just be prepared for that possibility.
I’m also going to be travelling a fair bit in the next few months (Amsterdam, New York, New Zealand), so I’ll need you to hold the fort at this end and just deal with things that might come up. Nothing tricky – but I may need an errand or two while I’m out of town.
For these reasons, and more, I need you to be a reliable, flexible, hard-working, smarter-than-average person who can cope with a spot of chaos, but who will do everything they can to knock it into a more orderly shape.
You won’t necessarily need a place to be and a time to be there by, but if there’s something you need to be doing, you’ll do it quickly and you’ll do it well.
I’m not looking for a Mum, and I don’t want a lackey or a drone. You need to be my ‘Team’.
It’s a very part-time job at this stage. There’s not much money here just at the moment. You’ll be lucky to clear £100 on a good month. But I’m ambitious for that to expand over time, and if you are the person I’m describing, then I’ll want you along for the ride.
If this does sound like you, and you’re interested in being my PA then drop me an email: dubber@gmail.com
Look forward to hearing from you.