A celebrity personal assistant is someone employed by a high profile person, such as an athlete, musician, politician, or actor, who performs any duties or errands the celebrity is too busy to do. This can involve anything from dropping off dry cleaning to planning travel arrangements. To become a celebrity personal assistant, you typically need to be organized, comfortable with a fast paced environment, and have a flexible schedule because you may be on-call at all hours. There are no universal educational requirements because it relies on a celebrity’s personal preferences.
Since a personal assistant will be privy to their private business, some celebrities may choose to employ people they know and trust, such as relatives or childhood friends; however, there are things you can do to help you become a celebrity personal assistant even if you don’t know any celebrities personally. While there are no degrees or certifications to specifically train you to become a celebrity personal assistant, you may need to take basic computer courses to help build your typing and other technological skills. It may also be helpful to take accounting classes to give you bookkeeping skills that will prepare you for managing a celebrity’s budget. If possible, enroll in event planning or public relations courses in case a celebrity needs assistance with formal functions.
To gain actual assistant experience, apply for assistant jobs in a corporate environment. Becoming an administrative assistant can prepare you for the business aspects of being a celebrity personal assistant. If you work for a larger corporation, you can apply to work as an executive assistant to the president of the company. This position will usually give you more experience in personal aspects, such as planning itineraries, travel plans, or scheduling meetings. Working for a high powered person may help you prepare for the sometimes hectic lifestyle of a celebrity.
Once you have experience in being an assistant, you can begin to approach celebrities for possible positions. You will generally not be able to find information to talk to a celebrity directly for privacy or security reasons, so contact someone who represents him or her, such as a publicist, manager, or agent. A celebrity’s representation information can usually be found on his or her official website or you can contact a studio organization he or she works for. You can inquire if the celebrity needs an assistant and inform the representative of your qualifications.
If you don’t have a specific celebrity in mind who you want to work for, get a job that would help you make celebrity connections, such as working as a writer’s assistant for a television show or volunteering for a political campaign. Keep in contact with anyone you meet and let them you know you want to become a celebrity personal assistant. They may be able to inform you of any job openings they hear about.
Some cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, or London, are more likely to have a high number of celebrities residing there and typically have agencies for celebrity personal assistants. Contact as many agencies as possible and give them your qualifications. They may keep you on file for when a celebrity requests possible assistants to interview.
