My work history

My working life in the UK was varied and interesting!

I started as an engineering apprentice (electrical), later becoming a commercial engineer - managing the progress of component parts for client projects. I then decided I wanted to do a degree, which I did at Salford University (Politics and Contemporary history BA) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of living the student lifestyle!

After graduating I took on various admin and finance roles and found that I was really good at it. I took pride in my work and consider good administration to be the lynchpin of a well run organisation. 

Most of my work was in the private sector in industrial settings, including water treatment where I ran the spare parts department for a company providing UV water treatment equipment which is fascinating technology and assisted in the award of many blue flags on UK beaches at the time.

I wanted to work in the public sector however, I wanted to feel like my work made a difference to people. I found this in my role at Refugee Action, as administrator of the Gateway Protection programme supporting refugees in their new lives in the UK. I learned a lot in that role and feel that my efficient administration skills made the project run very smoothly which led to a less stressful experience for the clients of the service. 

I found the principles underpinning the project helped me with my move to Portugal. I already had an understanding of what is needed to integrate into a new culture and what I needed to focus on to make the transition easier.

I am currently working on a course to share these principles with others moving to Portugal.

What's a VA and how does it work?

I am an administration professional, I'm good at organising information and keeping it in order. It's not glamorous, but when it doesn't get done, chaos can occur! 

As a Virtual Assistant, I offer my services on a part time basis at an hourly rate. This particularly works for small businesses who need admin support but don't need someone full time. They also benefit from not having to deal with the complications of employing someone. I work on Portugal's Recibos Verdes (green receipts) and issue monthly invoices. 

I benefit from being able to work part time and spending more time exploring this beautiful country, whilst participating in some interesting businesses and helping them to succeed. It can be particularly helpful for small, one person businesses to have someone to bounce ideas off.

If you feel as though your business would benefit from the services of a virtual assistant, the first step is to get in touch and we can meet for a coffee to see if my services and your project are a good fit. 

My services

So, what specifically do I do? Well, basically that depends on what is needed. Here's a summary of what I do for my two current clients to give you an idea

Portuguese Language Lessons

I keep track of student enquiries and orders using an Access database that I created. Each week I download the orders from the website and make sure that people are assigned to the correct courses. I also carry our student intake orientation sessions where I meet prospective new students on Zoom to discuss which study options are best for them and answer their questions. I also create some website and social media content and regularly meet with the founder Emma to discuss future class schedules as well as business development. 

Experience HQV

My principal role is to log purchases on the accounting system and to cross check against statement to ensure that all business costs are logged. I also get involved in tracking insurance and IUC due dates of company vehicles

I'm fairly flexible in the work I will take on, so long as it's a project I believe in. I particularly enjoy making small scale databases, but AI is changing things and that may not be needed for much longer. So far though, it seems that keeping a human eye on things and knowing what is happening behind the scenes is essential for keeping a real oversight of your business. I'm not an IT, coding or AI specialist, but aim to keep up with developments and use them appropriately. I have always been motivated to have an oversight, the big picture of my role and the organisation and field I'm working in. I enjoy problem solving and being creative. Admin work has a reputation of being dull, but the creativity involved in creating the well oiled machine that appears effortless can be quite challenging. This is the type of challenge that motivates me.

Get in touch at pamsmith.assistant@gmail.com

Virtual Assistant clients