What do office management assistants do?
Office management clerk is one of the most popular training occupations of all. No wonder, the training is available in almost all sectors and is very diverse and universal. Office management is all about keeping on top of things – no matter how busy it is. How do you do that? For example, by organizing diaries and planning business trips. With your reliability and organizational skills, you keep your superiors and your team’s backs free. Because you work closely with everyone, you are also present at business meetings and have a direct insight into everything that happens in your company and where things are heading. You record what is discussed in the meetings in the minutes. And you also take care of any correspondence so that all the information gets to where it is needed. You have special responsibility in accounting. When an invoice arrives, you post it and file it. Here it is important that your superiors can trust you, after all, a single transposed figure can be expensive. With the knowledge gained from your apprenticeship, you will master all of these tasks and be an indispensable part of the company!
Where are you needed?
Even during your dual training, you will be as flexible as possible. This is because the skills of office management assistants are needed in all companies. Whether in a medium-sized family business or a large international corporation, there is no place that can do without you. Your working environment will vary depending on the company. In small companies, your tasks may be more extensive and you will be given more insight and tasks in other departments than in a large company. In international companies, you will also help to maintain contacts with other locations, partners or customers – on the phone, by email or in person at meetings. As you can see, you can gain very different experiences depending on the area and company.
What should you bring with you?
Multitasking is required in office management. This means that you have to work carefully even under time pressure and when many things have to be done at once. You know what is important and what is urgent and can organize yourself well by setting priorities. It is a great advantage if you have a good command of Word and Excel. And because you also represent your company to the outside world, you should enjoy dealing with different personalities. Depending on the industry and company, you may also work with international clients. A good command of English will help you here. Depending on the employer, an intermediate school leaving certificate may be a prerequisite for an apprenticeship. However, your training company will be most pleased if you can keep an overview even in stressful phases and are willing to help.
Your apprenticeship at a glance
- Duration 3 years
- If you perform very well, it is possible to shorten this to a maximum of 2.5 years.
- Theory at vocational school, practice in the training company
- Training content from time management and office processes to customer acquisition, accounting and project management.
- Various further training opportunities are available to you after your apprenticeship. After a few years of professional experience, you can train to become a business administrator, for example. With this title in your pocket, you can manage your own projects and take on management tasks. If you are interested in numbers and accounting, you can also opt for further training in accounting. Once you have completed it, you will take care of annual financial statements, tax returns and your company’s balance sheets. If you are interested, you can also complete a degree course, for example in business administration or project management.