‘The term secretary is overused’

In

Are you the perfect power woman? I once saw that text in a vacancy for my field. It was no exception. The vacancies are often written in the side form and the images almost always feature women. The term ‘secretary’ is still used far too often, while there are excellent alternatives: executive assistant, for example.

“I work as a director’s assistant with Phion, the orchestra of Gelderland and Overijssel. I manage agendas, organize employee meetings, arrange external rooms, send flowers when someone is sick, take care of business gifts, I will soon be an internship supervisor and I do much more. In short: my work is versatile. I am an assistant for the entire management team, which consists of five people. I previously worked for the government for years.

„In 2022-2023 I may bear the title of ‘ambassador of the secretarial field’. In that position I set myself two goals: to make the profession more attractive to men, and to let people with a pre-vocational education know that you are coming. You may have to work harder to get your dream job, but then it’s only great if you manage with fewer degrees or certificates. There is too much talk about pre-vocational secondary education students. I think that’s unfair. At the time, I also did not have the level to study at Schoevers [een bekende secretaresseschool] to do, but I still got where I am now. That’s the message I try to pass on to young people: use your network and make sure you get ahead.”

Out

‘I can get by on my salary. It’s nice to be able to pay your fixed costs, especially in this time. This morning I had to pay 110 euros in the supermarket. Well, I didn’t see that in my basket. I try to pay attention to it: I make my shopping list from the advertisement and go to different supermarkets. Fortunately, I don’t have expensive taste: if I walk in expensive clothes or shoes, I’m just afraid that it will break or get dirty.

“I also know what it’s like to live on less. I’ve been on WW for nine months in the past, it was awful. I had to cut back considerably: no more going to the theater, no eating out, not taking the train. My social life became less and the walls were closing in on me. Luckily my partner had a job at the time.

“When my partner and I started looking for a new home last year, we decided not to outbid. On the third attempt it was hit; we got the house below the asking price. I’m now trying to save some money for refurbishment work or if something on the house breaks. That doesn’t go well every month. Then, for example, people come to us for a barbecue and I go big, or we spend a little too much on the cinema or theater. Spending money on social things makes me especially happy.”