A Private PA is the single point of continuity across a principal's personal life. They manage the diary, coordinate travel, handle communications and oversee the logistics that keep a household and family running without friction. This is not administrative support in the conventional sense. It is a high-trust role that requires discretion, composure and the judgement to act independently when the principal is unavailable.
Oplu recruits Private PAs for principals and families where the personal scope justifies a dedicated hire. We place candidates across single residences, multi-property households, travelling roles and live-in positions, building every search around the principal's rhythm rather than a generic job description.
Oplu places Private PAs for UHNW principals, private estates and family households where personal coordination demands genuine capability. We recruit across the UK and internationally, covering travelling and live-in arrangements.
A Private PA manages the personal life of a principal or family. The role sits within the household, not the office. Where a Family Office PA supports a principal's professional and advisory infrastructure, the Private PA is anchored in the home, the family schedule, personal travel and lifestyle logistics.
Hire when the principal's personal coordination has become too complex or too sensitive to be handled informally. Common triggers:
The role fails when it is treated as overflow for an office PA. Without a defined personal mandate, the hire drifts between household tasks and office admin, doing neither well.
These three roles serve the principal's personal world from different angles. Conflating them leads to mis-scoped briefs.
| Role | Focus | Typical mandate | Key difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private PA | Personal administration and coordination | Diary, travel, communications, personal admin, vendor liaison | Owns the principal's personal rhythm and information flow |
| Lifestyle Manager | Personal experience and lifestyle curation | Travel design, social calendar, wellness, entertainment, personal services | Owns access, taste and anticipation of preferences |
| Family Assistant | Family operations and practical logistics | Children's schedules, school coordination, errands, family admin | Owns the family's daily operational running |
In smaller households, one person may cover two of these functions. In complex UHNW environments, they are distinct hires.
If your household needs...
The following is representative of a mid-to-senior Private PA role in a UHNW household.
Diary and scheduling
Travel
Communications and correspondence
Personal administration
Lifestyle logistics and household coordination
The principal's mother is visiting from overseas for ten days. The Private PA coordinates guest suite preparation with the housekeeper, books airport collection, arranges a medical appointment the mother mentioned needing, adjusts the dinner schedule for dietary preferences, and sources a gift from the principal. The principal is told only the arrival time.
A property purchase is completing in three weeks. The PA manages the timeline alongside the solicitor, coordinates utility transfers, arranges insurance, books removals, and ensures the House Manager has access codes and vendor contacts before the family arrives. The principal signs documents when presented. Everything else is handled.
The principal is travelling for two weeks. The PA manages incoming post, triages emails, handles vendor queries, renews the car insurance, confirms the children's half-term bookings, and coordinates with the Estate Manager on a drainage issue at the country property. The principal receives a single daily summary. Nothing missed.
The hardest part of this role is not logistics. It is earning the trust required to act without seeking approval, and maintaining that trust over years.
Private PA compensation reflects personal responsibility, the number of properties, travel requirements and autonomy.
United Kingdom
United States
Package extras typically include: private health insurance, discretionary bonus of 10 to 20 per cent, travel expenses, vehicle or car allowance, phone and laptop, pension contribution of 5 to 8 per cent (UK).
A Private PA who has been with a principal for years and holds every relationship and every piece of sensitive information is worth considerably more than market rate. Both parties know it. Oplu shares detailed ranges and benchmarks once the brief is scoped.
Treating the role as an office PA with personal tasks bolted on. If the brief is "PA plus some personal bits," the hire will default to office behaviours. Define the personal mandate explicitly. If the majority of the work is personal, this is a Private PA, not a PA with extras.
Hiring from a corporate PA pool without adjusting expectations. Corporate PAs operate in structured environments with team support and predictable hours. A Private PA works alone, often in the principal's home, managing sensitive information with no handbook. Assess for independence, not corporate polish.
Failing to define the boundary with existing staff. A Private PA who arrives without a clear mandate relative to the House Manager and office PA will face confusion and resistance. Define who owns what before the hire starts.
Under-defining availability. "We need flexibility" is not a brief. Define travel expectations, weekend coverage and evening availability. The best candidates accept demanding hours if they are honest and compensated. They leave if the hours expand without acknowledgement.
Prioritising discretion over capability. Discretion is essential, but a Private PA who is discreet and passive is not useful. The role requires initiative, judgement and the confidence to act. A candidate who cannot describe a time they made a decision independently is unlikely to thrive.
Strong Private PAs are motivated by trust, proximity and the satisfaction of making a principal's life work seamlessly. They are drawn to genuine autonomy, direct impact and a relationship where their contribution is visible every day.
They leave when the trust erodes. The most common cause is scope creep without recognition. The PA who started with diary and travel is now managing the children's logistics, handling the spouse's requests and covering for the office PA. No title change, no pay review, no additional resource.
They also leave when the household is chaotic in ways that cannot be fixed. A principal who changes their mind constantly, a spouse who issues contradictory instructions, a House Manager who sees the PA as a threat.
During interviews, experienced candidates assess the principal's willingness to delegate. They ask who currently handles the tasks that would become theirs. A PA who reports to the principal but takes daily instructions from the spouse, the nanny and the estate manager without clear boundaries will burn out within a year.
Red flags: a brief that lists thirty responsibilities with one salary. A principal who describes the previous PA as "not proactive enough" but cannot explain what authority that PA had. A household where the last three PAs stayed under eighteen months.
We begin with the brief. For this role, that means understanding the principal's personal rhythm: how they communicate, what they delegate willingly and what they hold close. We map the scope against existing staff to ensure the Private PA role does not duplicate the House Manager, Lifestyle Manager or office PA.
We source candidates through direct outreach, referral networks and our own records. The candidates we approach are typically in post and not actively looking. Assessment covers working style, boundary management, initiative and composure under pressure through scenario-based interviews that reflect the realities of the brief.
What you receive
They manage the principal's personal diary, travel, correspondence, administration and lifestyle logistics. They coordinate with household staff, liaise with personal advisers and ensure the principal's private life runs without friction. The scope is personal, not professional.
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