11 types of administration jobs (plus roles and salaries)

Updated 14 August 2023

Administration is a varied area of work that attracts a variety of different professionals. Some jobs in administration are entry-level positions that are ideal for people who are beginning their careers whilst other jobs are more complex or advanced roles. Finding out more about this type of work and the type of jobs it includes may help you to decide if it interests you. In this article, we discuss eleven types of administration jobs, including their average salaries and consider the requirements for doing this type of work.

11 types of administration jobs

There are various types of administration jobs and knowing what the options are helps you to make decisions about your career. Some types of administrative jobs might appeal to you more than others. Depending on your existing skills and experience, some types of work might also be more appropriate for you than others. Finding out more about the work that these jobs involve also allows you to decide whether administration is a field you're interested in. Here are 11 types of jobs in administration.

1. School secretary

National average salary: £19,353 per year

Primary duties: School secretaries are responsible for administration in a school and typically provide support to the school's headteacher and senior leaders. The goal of this job is to ensure that the school operates smoothly. Tasks that are common include updating school records, drafting correspondence including letters to all parents, greeting visitors and acting as the main point of contact between parents and the school. In this job, you're also likely to have regular contact with school pupils. DBS clearance is generally a requirement for this job.

2. Typist

National average salary: £19,588 per year

Primary duties: A typist is responsible for typing documents, letters and reports. This might include transcribing audio recordings or shorthand notes. Sometimes the job also involves other administrative duties such as answering correspondence. Accuracy and attention to detail are highly important in this job. It's also helpful to have strong IT skills and be able to type quickly and accurately. Most people begin this type of work with little past work experience and sometimes, apprenticeship positions are available.

3. Administrative assistant

National average salary: £19,753 per year

Primary duties: An administrative assistant works in any industry and is responsible for a variety of support tasks. This includes booking meeting rooms and scheduling meetings, printing and filing documents and organising incoming and outgoing post. This job is typically an entry-level position that you might be able to work in with little or no past experience. It's a beneficial way to gain more experience and begin your career in administration.

4. Switchboard operator

National average salary: £20,060 per year

Primary duties: A switchboard operator is a type of administration professional who works specifically with telephone calls. Switchboard operators might work for large companies or for other organisations like hospitals or emergency services. This type of work involves answering and connecting telephone calls, taking messages and testing phone lines. Strong IT skills are generally important for this job. Past experience in administration is also beneficial. This is because switchboard operators usually work at larger organisations with more demands.

5. HR administrator

National average salary: £22,101 per year

Primary duties: A HR administrator focuses on administrative and support work for an organisation's HR department. This type of work often involves updating employee records, processing requests for annual leave, organising meetings and responding to general enquiries from staff. HR administrators work closely with other members of the HR team. If you're interested in beginning a career in HR, working in this job is a positive first step that helps you to gain relevant experience. You're usually able to work in this role without any past experience in HR, but administrative experience is helpful.

6. Medical secretary

National average salary: £22,356 per year

Primary duties: Medical secretaries are administrators who work in healthcare facilities, including both public and private healthcare providers. These professionals provide administrative support in these facilities and sometimes this includes personal assistant responsibilities for medical professionals. The responsibilities in this job include managing appointments and patient lists, updating patient records, sending letters, answering correspondence and diary management. Knowledge of medical terminology is also beneficial in this type of job.

7. Receptionist

National average salary: £23,695 per year

Primary duties: Receptionists are typically the first person visitors encounter at a workplace. The receptionist is generally responsible for greeting visitors and signing them in or notifying colleagues that they have arrived. They also answer the telephone and email enquiries. Receptionists frequently also undertake administrative duties like organising post, booking courier services or ordering office supplies. Working as a receptionist involves interacting with a wide variety of professionals and members of the public. Receptionists work in offices, medical clinics, public buildings and other sites.

8. Personal assistant

National average salary: £24,602 per year

Primary duties: The role of a personal assistant is to provide administrative and organisational support for a more senior employee. Often this is a senior executive. The tasks this job involves include diary management, being the first point of contact for enquiries and correspondence, making travel arrangements and greeting visitors. This is a demanding role, especially if you're working with a busy senior executive. Past administrative experience is often beneficial and many personal assistants have undergraduate degrees.

9. Office manager

National average salary: £27,830 per year

Primary duties: Working as an office manager means focusing on facilities and successfully running an office or worksite. This involves a range of tasks such as space planning, choosing and overseeing office facilities, organising maintenance and repair work and ordering office supplies and perks like snacks. Some office managers also manage more junior administrative staff like receptionists. It's usually necessary to have past administrative experience for this type of role. Working as a receptionist or administrative assistant helps to prepare you for working as an office manager.

10. Accounting clerk

National average salary: £34,046 per year

Primary duties: An accounting clerk is an administration professional who works in finance. It's necessary to have specialist financial skills in addition to administrative skills to do this type of work. The role is about overseeing the financial records of an organisation. Typical responsibilities for accounting clerks include managing payroll and expense claims and managing invoices and purchase orders. This role is more specialised than some other types of administrative work and is a useful way to gain experience for a career in finance or accounting.

11. Registrar

National average salary: £43,839 per year

Primary duties: A registrar is a type of public administrator who is responsible for registering births, deaths and marriages. Local authorities usually employ these professionals. This job usually involves interviews following birth or death, issuing birth, death and marriage certificates, officiating civil weddings and funerals and informing the local coroner of suspicious deaths. This job requires strong IT and customer service skills. It's also beneficial for registrars to be comfortable with public speaking.

What are administration jobs?

Administration jobs are jobs that involve planning and organisation work. This type of job usually supports professionals in operational roles, including senior executives. A job in this field involves planning meetings, diary management, greeting visitors to the workplace, creating documentation and answering enquiries and correspondence. Some administrators focus on a particular business area whilst others provide more general support work. Administrators might also focus on working in a particular industry.

Requirements for administration jobs

The requirements for administration jobs vary depending on the position and the employer. When you're applying for a job it's advisable to carefully read the person specification to ensure you meet the employer's requirements. Some positions might require considerable administrative experience or educational background in a relevant field. There are also jobs that require little prior experience and that you might be able to work in with few qualifications.

Skills for administrative jobs

Whilst the qualifications that are necessary for this type of work do vary, there are some skills that are almost always useful to have. Doing an administrative job helps you to further develop these skills and this allows you to progress your career in administration. Knowing which skills are useful means you're able to cultivate these particular skills. Useful skills for administrative work are:

Organisational skills: for managing your workload and supporting others effectively
Communication skills: for communicating with colleagues and answering phone calls and correspondence
Time management skills: for meeting deadlines and managing your work independently
Prioritisation skills: for successfully managing changing priorities and conflicting demands
IT skills: using basic programmes and software
Team working skills: for supporting others, accepting instructions and working with other administration colleagues

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

11 types of administration jobs (plus roles and salaries)