Public Relations companies manage some of the most famous brands in the world and regularly require experienced staff with PR experience. Roles range from admin support to PR directors to PR account executives who are expected to manage client accounts, build relationships within the media industry and regularly win new business by campaigning and pitching prospective clients.

Job description

A Public Relations or PR Assistant is employed to provide administrative support to a company's PR department.

The PR department essentially deals with building the company's brand and this is done through a variety of channels such as via the media (newspapers, TV, radio, internet etc) and by marketing. The role of the PR assistant is to work alongside PR Managers and Directors to ensure campaigns run as smoothly as possible, thereby maximising their impact.

It's often a busy and varied role. One day you cold be attending a product launch party, the next you could be helping to co-ordinate press releases to a variety of media contacts.

Your day will consist of some, if not all of the following tasks:

• Taking calls from a variety of contacts within the media industry
• Monitoring and recording coverage in the press
• Helping out with sponsorship events and product launches
• General admin duties such as faxing, scanning and spreadsheet maintenance
• Typing press releases and distributing them to internal and external contacts
• Liaison with other departments such as marketing
• Speaking to journalists to make them aware of a particular campaign or press release
• Arranging photo shoots at parties and events
• Booking venues for promotional events
• Contacting media outlets to ensure information is being sent to the correct person or department

Your working day will be usually 8/9 - 5/6, five days a week, though you can expect some later finishes if you are required to attend after-hours parties or events.

Qualifications and education required varies from job to job - some will require you to be degree educated, others specify A Levels or just GCSEs - it really depends on the employer. Once you're in the job, you are often encouraged to further your education by working towards professional qualifications such as those offered by the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

A potential employer will be scanning your CV for the following skills and attributes:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• IT literate in the basics and in specialist packages such as Powerpoint
• A high level of motivation and enthusiasm
• Organised - you need to be able to multitask
• A bubbly and outgoing personality
• Creativity - you need to be able to find different ‘angles' on the same story

After a few years' experience of being a PR Assistant, you could well get the chance to progress your career by graduating to a pure PR role, where you will be concentrating more on the PR side of things than the administration.

Salary Information

Depending upon the role and qualifications needed, you can expect £12-18k on entry and this will vary from location to location. With experience you can raise your expectations to £18k to £25k in London. We've seen even higher salaries on this site, plus the added bonus of some really attractive benefits.