Male Secretaries in the UK

According to several employment agencies in London, male temps and personal assistants (PAs) are increasingly in demand. A director for one top recruitment agency says " A lot of top executives have shown an interest in having a male PA. But unfortunately, they are not available".

According to recent employment figures, more young men are unemployed than young women, and 80% of new jobs go to women. However, there are many secretarial vacancies, but less than 1% of secretarial staff are male, and five years ago this figure was even lower than it is now. Very few men try to get basic secretarial

skills. Usually men make up only 1% of students on secretarial courses, and many of them enrol in order to follow in journalism and writing, rather than secretarial jobs.

However, for some men, secretarial work can be a positive choice. In one company, an actor was employed as a telephonist. He wanted the job because it had regular hours, and it helped him to pay his bills. It seems that many men who take secretarial positions have other, creative, jobs such as painting, or are students who need extra money. And it is not a bad way to make a living. For men with the right skills, work is plentiful and in big cities it is relatively well-paid. But most men only take these jobs on a temporary basis.

So who are the people who want male secretaries if they are in such short supply? Most clients wanting male PAs tent to be high-powered women executives. They say they prefer men because they are less emotional. The work of an executive PA is a high pressure job and men cope better. Perhaps the men are also seen as status symbols. A survey of personnel managers found similar opinions. In their opinion men were more logical, more dedicated, less likely to be off sick, and less " catty". However, women were more flexible, more capable of doing more than one thing at a time.

Perhaps there will be more male secretaries in the future, because attitudes towards the status of secretarial work are changing. Secretarial work was once thought to be menial and boring and only suitable for women with low academic qualifications. Now, however, many women graduates are applying for places in secretarial colleges, as secretarial skills ensure steady work in a difficult job market, and can provide opportunities for entering more difficult careers. It is becoming more common for secretaries to find themselves working for people who used to be secretaries.

However, the biggest obstacle to men getting these jobs is the attitude of male employers. Men do not want to employ male secretaries, or ask them to do menial jobs such as making the tea, as they find this type of situation too embarrassing. It is ironic to think that centuries ago, only men were secretaries.

Fill in the blanks with the following words:

living, unemployed, centuries, hours, positive, extra, prefer, position, employ, secretarial, jobs.

1. More young men are... than young women.

2. Very few men try to get basic... skills.

3. For some men secretarial work can be a... choice.

4. He wanted the job, because it had regular....

5. It seems that many men who take secretarial positions have other, creative,... such as painting, or are students who need... extra money.

6. It is not a bad way to make a....

7. They say they... men because they are less emotional.

8. Men do not want to... male secretaries.

9. It is ironic to think that... ago, only men were secretaries.

Find synonyms among the following words:

chance, make up, obstacle, personnel, additional, big, opportunity, late, employment, fixed, common, compose, large, similar, occupation, recent, difficulty, extra, usual, regular, resembling, staff.

Find antonyms among the following words:

lose, good, low, female, negative, less, temporary, find, firm, constant, small, high, employment, male, flexible, easy, big, unemployment, young, positive, bad, more, boring, difficult, old, interesting.

Translate from Russian into English:

пользоваться спросом, последние данные по занятости населения, вакансия секретаря, секретарские курсы, устраиваться работать на должность секретаря, творческая работа, зарабатывать на жизнь, относительно хорошо оплачиваемый, на временной основе, влиятельные женщины-руководители, начальник отдела кадров, низкий уровень академической квалификации, женщины-выпускницы, прислуживать.

Give the four forms of the following verbs:

to show, to have, to go, to get, to make, to write, to pay, to take, to see, to find, to do, to think, to become.

Make up the sentences, using the following words:

1. men, skills, to, few, basic, get, very, try, secretarial.

2. an, telephonist, one, employed, in, as, actor, company, was, a.

3. make, is, a, way, a living, bad, it, not, to.

4. male PAs, most, to; tend, clients, women, wanting, high-powered, be, executives.

5. is, better, job, the work, a, cope, and, of, pressure, an executive PA, high, men.

6. the status, are, work, of, secretarial, changing.

7. think, only, that, is, were, ago, men, it, to, secretaries, ironic, centuries.

 

Fill in prepositions:

1. According... several employment agencies in London, male temps and personal assistants are increasingly... demand.

2. Usually men make... only 1% of students... secretarial courses.

3. Most men only take these jobs... a temporary basis.

4.... their opinion men were more logical and dedicated.

5. Attitudes... the status of secretarial work are changing.

6. Secretarial work was once thought to be menial and boring and only suitable... women.

7. Many women graduates are applying... places in secretarial colleges.