Prospective assistants must also be screened for their ability to work with staff already on the payroll, Baker says. "I have a Forbes 500 inherited-wealth client with an estate manager, plus senior, junior and assistant-to-junior PAs. It's very important that they all get along," he says. "The client should look for a recruiter who can match the PA's personality to that of the household."

Personal assistants must also have the ability to communicate well with their clients, partly so they can prioritize tasks, Allon says, noting a successful attorney such as Slotnick is "besieged by people who want his services.''

"I can get a best guesstimate of what the priorities are, but things may have occurred to which I am not privy that could change the entire landscape," she says.

A 'Bigger' Life
Personal assistants say their jobs introduce them to a "bigger, more active life,'' allowing them to meet dynamic, interesting people, while traveling to the loveliest of places and staying in the best hotels and resorts.

Liliana dalla Piana, president of the Association of Celebrity Assistants, says her clients have included celebrities who thought nothing of discussing business while in their underwear, and more modest clients such as Gail Rebuck, chairwoman of the United Kingdom's Random House Group, and Lord Philip Gould, former strategic adviser to Tony Blair. She currently is personal assistant to entrepreneur-dancer Michael Flatley.

"You do have to learn to accept certain idiosyncrasies in certain clients, but the work is interesting and there can be travel and staying in the best hotels," dalla Piana says. "I have loved working for these clients.''

The rewards for being a personal assistant can include a salary of $125,000 or more annually ($50,000 to $65,000 with five years experience is standard), says Baker. If personal assistants work for a corporation, they receive the medical, pension and vacation benefits offered other company personnel. If the PA is paid by the client, salary and benefits come "out of the client's pocket,'' Baker says.

A survey taken by the New York Celebrity Assistants organization found that PA salaries in New York can range from $60,000 to $150,000 annually, depending on experience and other factors. If the personal assistant is hired through a recruiter, a client can expect to pay 20% to 25% of the first year's gross salary as a finder's fee, Baker says. He adds that salary is not always based on a client's wealth and that show business people sometimes feel they can pay lower salaries because of the prestige they can bring to a PA's career.  

"They want a lot of coverage and figure they're worth it-at their price," Baker says.

Mary Battilana, personal assistant to a professional athlete for about seven years until 2006, was paid about $70,000 annually, plus benefits. While some personal assistants will view a job as a "stepping stone" to a bigger career, Battilana says, she considers herself a "lifer."
"I like doing it. I can't go to an office and sit in front of a computer for eight hours,'' she says.