How to become an executive assistant in Australia | Salary & pay
Curious about how to become an executive assistant with or without experience? Find out what they do, pay, salary & how to get started.
Most people think executive assistants just answer the phone and schedule meetings, but they actually run many of the operations in the background as they help their senior leaders look brilliant. A survey found that 82% of executive assistants report to be genuinely happy at work, which is super rare for almost any profession. The fact that they can earn competitive executive assistant salaries and have clear career progression paths creates job satisfaction that beats most other admin careers.
The best part about this exciting job is that you don’t need years of experience or a full university degree to break into it. You can start in entry-level positions that earn over $60,000 per year, then climb into senior executive assistant roles that pay six-figures. All you need to do is get the right skills through executive assistant courses, prove you can think strategically and position yourself for opportunities with companies that value what you bring.
This guide shows you exactly how to become an executive assistant in Australia, including the qualifications you need and realistic salary expectations. Now’s the time to turn your organisational abilities into a proper career.
What does an executive assistant do?
Executive assistants take care of the behind-the-scenes work that keeps senior leaders functioning at their best. They manage schedules, coordinate complex projects, manage other employees and deal with the administrative chaos that would otherwise keep executives tied up with busywork. Your job is helping your C-suite executive find the time to think strategically instead of drowning in emails and pointless meetings.
The main thing to keep in mind is that executive assistants are very different from personal assistants. Personal assistants do all kinds of basic tasks and admin work, like running personal errands or picking up the phone. Executive assistants focus on business priorities and work exclusively with executives, making important decisions about budgets and projects rather than just booking meetings. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that executive assistants are expected to make their CEO at least 8% more productive, so all tasks revolve around that goal.
Each executive assistant has different tasks depending on the industry, but these are some of the ones you’d find in an executive assistant role description:
Manage chaotic calendars: You’ll be coordinating meetings across different time zones whilst protecting your executive’s time for deep thinking. Nearly half of all business leaders are burned out right now, so part of your job is to book the important meetings but prevent the useless ones from making it onto their calendar.
Coordinate travel: Around two-thirds of executives attend at least one conference a year, with 20% hitting up to 10 annually. You’ll arrange flights and accommodations whilst also creating detailed itineraries to maximise their time in attendance.
Handle admin work: More than half of executives say that admin tasks are their biggest pain point. Your job is to ease the pain by drafting reports and processing the endless paperwork that keeps operations running smoothly.
Prepare for meetings: You’ll gather materials and brief the executive beforehand so they know what they’re walking into and then you’ll take notes during the meeting so they can give the room their undivided attention.
Filter the inbox messes: Your executive won’t spend three hours a day sorting through messages that don’t need their attention because you’ve already handled them.
Track project deliverables: Chasing up delayed work and coordinating across departments prevents initiatives from falling apart because everyone was too busy to keep an eye on things.
Skills and qualities you need
The executive assistant sitting in the corner quietly taking notes is long gone. Executive assistants are now strategic partners who are just as invested in the success of the business as CEOs, taking on many hats and coordinating with multiple departments. Around 60% of executive assistants now handle project management and HR tasks on top of traditional admin work, which means you’ll need a much broader skill set than what the title suggests.
This is what you’ll need to know how to do to become a successful executive assistant:
Master email management: Almost every CEO surveyed by Entrepreneur admits they struggle with their inbox. The average executive gets around 150 emails per day, with big dogs like Tim Cook getting 700 to 800 of them per day. Executive assistants need to triage, prioritise and respond on behalf of the executive to save them hundreds of hours per year.
Research efficiently: Employees waste about 1.8 hours per day just hunting down information they need. Your job is to save your exec these almost 10 hours per week by finding what they’re looking for.
Write clearly and professionally: Your writing skills need to be sharp because you might be tasked with drafting a report or sharing updates with important stakeholders. You’ll also often be the voice of your executive when they’re away and you need to represent them well.
Protect productive time: Two-thirds of senior managers say meetings interrupt their workflow all the time. You’ll become the gatekeeper who decides which meetings really belong in the calendar and which ones can be handled by other team members.
Improve decision-making efficiency: Research shows that 61% of executives waste their decision-making time on things that don’t matter. You help them organise their day and set up systems that keep them focused on what moves the business forward.
Notice small errors and fix them: Poor data quality costs organisations an average of $15 million per year. Your attention to detail can catch an improperly placed decimal in the data that your exec uses to make multi-million-dollar decisions.
Stay current with tech: It goes without saying that you’ll need to use tools like Microsoft 365, Google Calendar, project management software and even AI tools. Almost 90% of CEOs are prioritising AI investments for business growth, so you’ll need to get well-acquainted with the latest tech.
Protect confidential information: Confidentiality and discretion consistently rank as the number one quality executives want in their assistant. You’ll have access to sensitive information, so it’s important that your exec can trust you completely and your ability to keep quiet about what you know makes or breaks trust with senior leadership.
Executive assistant qualifications and courses
You don’t technically need formal qualifications to become an executive assistant, but having the right training can fast-track your career and help you land higher-paying roles with better companies. The executive assistant field has become increasingly competitive, with employers looking for candidates who can hit the ground running with minimal training. A nationally recognised qualification shows potential employers you’ve got the skills to become an executive assistant.
Do you need qualifications to become an executive assistant?
No formal qualifications are legally required to work as an executive assistant in Australia. Many successful executive assistants started in entry-level administrative roles and worked their way up through experience alone.
However, completing a Certificate IV or Diploma significantly improves your job prospects and starting salary.
Popular executive assistant courses in Australia
Swinburne Open Education has many relevant qualifications for executive assistant work across any industry. You’ll develop the core administrative skills that every executive needs, making you hireable in corporate offices and small businesses. These are the best executive assistant courses in Australia:
Certificate IV in Business Administration
This qualification gives you the broadest foundation for executive assistant work across any industry. It will teach you the core administrative skills that every executive assistant needs, making you hireable almost anywhere. This 18-month fully online course covers:
Writing complex business documents
Organising business meetings
Applying critical thinking to workplace problems
Using digital collaboration tools
Building professional stakeholder relationships
Certificate IV in Business Finance
This specialisation suits executive assistants who want to work in finance departments or with CFOs and financial controllers. You’ll need standard administrative skills as well as financial reporting and budgeting knowledge. Finance-focused executive assistants usually earn higher salaries because they handle sensitive financial data.
This course for financial executive assistants will teach you skills in:
Preparing financial reports
Creating and maintaining payroll systems
Developing complex spreadsheets
Administering subsidiary accounts and ledgers
Processing business tax requirements
Certificate IV in Leadership and Management
This pathway works best for executive assistants who want to eventually move into management roles themselves or support multiple executives across teams. It will show you how to lead projects and facilitate difficult conversations to increase the value you bring to the table.
The Certificate IV teaches you how to:
Lead workplace relationships
Coordinate recruitment and onboarding
Lead difficult conversations effectively
Coordinate operational plans
Support team learning and talent development
Go to Leadership Management course
Diploma of Project Management
This advanced qualification is perfect for executive assistants who support executives managing many large projects simultaneously. The self-paced Diploma takes 12 to 36 months depending on your study commitment and prepares you for the highest-paying executive assistant positions.
You’ll learn how to:
Manage project scope, time and cost
Handle project communications and information
Reduce or control project risks
Coordinate human resources projects
Integrate multiple projects whilst keeping the quality up
Go to Project Management course
Career pathways and progression
Executive assistant roles come with clear advancement opportunities that reward your growing expertise and strategic thinking abilities. You can climb the traditional ladder toward senior positions or pivot into specialist roles to command higher salaries and gain more responsibility.
Entry-level to senior executive assistant roles
Most executive assistants spend five to ten years working their way from entry-level jobs to supporting CEOs and other C-suite leaders. How fast you progress depends on how quickly you prove you can handle bigger challenges without constant supervision. You’ll usually start supporting mid-level managers before earning the trust you need to work with senior leadership.
Typical career stages and job titles
This is what the career trajectory of an executive assistant usually looks like:
How to move from administrative assistant to executive assistant
Administrative assistants follow instructions and complete routine tasks. Executive assistants make independent decisions about priorities and represent their executive when necessary. That’s a huge jump in responsibility.
You can start by volunteering for projects outside your job description to prove you can think strategically. Take on complex work like preparing board reports or coordinating major events. Show your boss you can catch problems before they explode and fix issues without needing constant input. The goal is to prove that you’re capable and can work on your own without any hand-holding.
Leadership or specialist opportunities
One of the best parts about becoming an executive assistant is that you’ll work closely with highly experienced business leaders. You can use the experience and knowledge you acquire to transition into:
Office Manager roles: You’ll oversee facilities, supervise administrative staff and manage office budgets.
Project Coordinator positions: Your planning and communication skills are perfect for coordinating complex projects that involve multiple teams.
Operations Manager work: Managing day-to-day business operations takes the same systems thinking you’ve developed as an executive assistant.
Human Resources positions: Your experience managing schedules and handling confidential information prepares you well for jobs in HR.
Business Development roles: Supporting sales teams and managing client relationships builds on your experience communicating with stakeholders.
Working with C-suite executives
To support CEOs, CFOs, COOs and other senior leaders, you’ll need exceptional judgement about what deserves their attention versus what you can handle on your own. You’ll attend high-level meetings and interact with board members constantly, so it’s easy to think that everything deserves your exec’s attention. This is where you need to be confident in your ability to deal with high-level issues independently to free up your executive’s time.
That’s why the relationship is more of a strategic partnership. You’ll prepare briefing materials for board presentations and sometimes make decisions on your executive’s behalf when they’re unavailable. C-suite executive assistants can earn salaries comparable to mid-level managers because they’re almost an extension of the executive themselves.
Executive assistant salary in Australia
Executive assistants earn solid money that reflects the strategic value they bring to senior leadership. Your pay packet depends on your experience level, which industry you work in and where you’re based.
Average pay and salary range
Your salary climbs substantially from when you first become a personal assistant as you prove you can handle bigger responsibilities:
Factors that affect salary
Your actual take-home pay varies depending on a few factors beyond just how long you’ve been working:
Your qualifications: A Certificate IV or Diploma from Swinburne Open Education can bump your starting salary by $10,000 to $15,000 compared to candidates without any formal training.
Your company size: Large companies with complex operations pay better than small businesses because they need executive assistants who can juggle multiple stakeholders and complicated projects.
Industry choice: Corporate finance, law and consulting companies usually pay the highest salaries. Government positions come with slightly lower base pay but have better benefits and more job security. Non-profits usually pay less but attract people who value mission-driven work over just maximising their income.
Location: Workers in large cities like Sydney and Melbourne command higher executive assistant salaries than regional hires due to higher living costs and a higher concentration of corporations. Work from home positions can sometimes let you earn big-city money whilst living somewhere more affordable, which is brilliant if you can swing it.
How to increase your earning potential
You can absolutely boost your income beyond annual cost-of-living adjustments by making smart career moves:
Additional training pays for itself remarkably quickly: Completing qualifications in project management or leadership makes you eligible for senior roles with higher pay. Learning new software systems or developing specialist skills in financial reporting gives you concrete reasons to request immediate pay raises.
Building the right professional connections: Joining LinkedIn groups for executive assistants or attending industry events can open unexpected doors that aren’t available to the general public.
Showing initiative proves you’re worth more money: Volunteer to lead projects or train staff. Document exactly how your work saves your executive time or money so you’ve got concrete evidence when requesting salary increases during performance reviews.
Job outlook and demand
Executive assistant roles are growing steadily as Australian businesses figure out that senior leaders need proper support to function effectively. Employment projections show Professionals and Managers will make up 40.7% of all jobs by May 2033, up from 39.1% in May 2023. More senior leaders means more executive assistants needed to keep them organised.
White-collar employment in general is also set to grow by 1.5% in 2025–2026, adding 81,200 workers to office-based roles in knowledge-based industries. Currently around 51,000 personal assistants and executive assistants work across Australia, with a 95% female workforce and average age of 44 years, which suggests there’s plenty of space for younger people entering the field.
Remote and hybrid work is also making virtual assistant jobs extremely popular. You can now support executives in different cities or even different countries without having to move. Companies have figured out that physical proximity matters way less than being responsive and competent.
Is being an executive assistant a good career?
Executive assistant work can be a lucrative, meaningful career if you thrive on organisation and helping others succeed. The pay is competitive with clear advancement opportunities and job satisfaction that beats most admin roles. A survey found that executive assistants rank third in career satisfaction among jobs that don’t need a degree, just behind real estate agents and carpenters.
FAQs about becoming an executive assistant in Australia
How do I become an executive assistant with no experience?
Start in entry-level administrative roles like receptionist or office assistant to build foundational skills. Then, complete a Certificate IV in Business Administration through Swinburne Open Education whilst working to accelerate your progression into executive assistant positions.
What is the difference between an executive assistant and an administrative assistant?
Administrative assistants handle routine tasks like filing and answering phones under supervision. Executive assistants make independent decisions, manage complex projects, represent their executives in meetings and work strategically with senior leadership.
Are executive assistants in demand in Australia?
Yes, demand for executive assistants remains strong with white-collar employment growing by 1.5% in 2025–2026. Around 51,000 personal assistants currently work across Australia, with the number set to grow as the number of managers and white-collar workers keeps climbing.
What are the best courses to become an executive assistant?
Swinburne Open Education’s Certificate IV in Business Administration gives you the broadest foundation to become an executive assistant in Australia. A Certificate IV in Business Finance suits finance-focused roles, whilst a Certificate IV in Leadership and Management prepares you for senior positions.
How much do executive assistants earn in Australia?
The bottom 10% of executive assistant salaries are $61,000 per year, whilst the median executive assistant salary is $81,000 and the top 10% of earners make $101,000 or more per year.
Time to get serious about your executive suite career
You already know you’d be brilliant as an executive assistant. The organisational skill, the attention to detail, the ability to anticipate problems before they explode — you’ve got it all.
What’s missing is the qualification that proves it to potential employers and justifies the salary you deserve. Swinburne Open Education’s online courses give you the abilities you need to succeed with nationally recognised credentials that you can obtain whilst you keep working your current job. No campus attendance, no rigid schedules, just focused study that builds toward better opportunities.
Speak with a career adviser today to explore which pathway makes the most sense for your current situation and goals.