Run the calendar, inbox and travel of a senior leader. You are the person who makes their week work.
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Pay, the path, pros and cons and the facts on one printable page. Good for a wall or a guidance counsellor.
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What you earn and what it costs to get there.
Typical
$72,000
Junior
$54,000
Senior, supporting a chief executive
$102,000
Job Bank's national median is $34.62 an hour, about $72,000 a year full time. Assistants to the top executive at a bank, law firm or large company sit at the high end. Small companies and non-profits pay less.
$54,000 to $60,000
First executive assistant job, usually after a few years as an administrative assistant
Few people start as an executive assistant straight out of school. The typical route is 2 to 4 years as an administrative assistant first, at closer to $45,000.
$90,000 to $102,000
Executive assistant to a chief executive or a partner at a big firm
Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver head offices pay the most. Some senior assistants at banks and law firms also get a bonus.
Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel
The low end is a two year office administration diploma at a college charging around two thousand eight hundred dollars a year, which is where most executive assistants actually start. The high end is a four year business degree at a more expensive university, which some employers prefer but few require, plus the optional CAP (Certified Administrative Professional) exam. This is one of the cheapest office careers to train for and many people finish with little or no debt. Laptops and software are supplied by the employer, so they are not counted.
This is one of the cheapest office careers to train for. Many people finish school with little or no debt.
Health, dental and pension
Standard at the big employers that hire executive assistants: banks, hospitals, universities, government.
Bonus
Some corporate assistants get a yearly bonus tied to the executive's or company's results.
Travel and perks
You sometimes travel with the executive, and often get the same event tickets and meals.
Access
You see how decisions get made at the top. Many executive assistants move into operations, project or people roles.
The exact path from high school to qualified.
Short schooling, then experience is what gets you the executive title.
High school diploma
Grade 12
English and computer courses matter most. Typing speed and clean writing are real hiring factors.
College diploma
2 years
A 2-year Office Administration, Executive diploma (Durham, Conestoga, Algonquin, Fanshawe and others) or a similar program like the Administrative Information Management diploma at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology). Most include a work placement.
Administrative assistant
2 to 4 years
Support a team or department. Learn the company, the software and the politics.
Executive assistant
After 2 to 5 years
Support one senior leader or a small executive team. Job Bank says employers usually want related administrative experience, and some ask for a degree.
English
You draft emails and letters in someone else's voice.
Computer studies or business technology
Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint. Speed matters.
Business studies
How companies are organized.
French or another language
Bilingual assistants are in demand in Ottawa, Montreal and federal offices.
Job Bank confirms this occupation is not regulated in Canada. Anyone can be hired as an executive assistant. The CAP (Certified Administrative Professional) credential from the IAAP (International Association of Administrative Professionals) is voluntary. It signals skill on a resume but no employer legally needs it.
Things you don't need, but that help.
CAP (Certified Administrative Professional)
A voluntary exam from the IAAP (International Association of Administrative Professionals). Shows you have the full skill set.
Project management basics
Job Bank notes some employers ask for project management training. It is the bridge to a coordinator or operations job.
Board and minute-taking experience
Assistants who support a board of directors are paid more and are hard to replace.
Bookkeeping
Expense reports, budgets and invoices. Small companies want an assistant who can handle money.
Fast, accurate typing
Still tested at many interviews.
A second language
French for government and Quebec, others for global companies.
Discretion
You will read confidential things every day. A reputation for keeping quiet is worth more than any course.
Calm under pressure
A cancelled flight at 6 am is your problem to fix.
Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.
In before the executive. Clear the inbox, flag what needs a decision, fix the calendar where two meetings collide. Book a flight and hotel for next week. Prepare the slides and briefing notes for a 10 am board call. Greet visitors, order lunch for a meeting, take minutes. Afternoon: chase people for answers the executive is waiting on, process expense claims, plan a team event. Quiet stretches, then bursts of urgent changes.
The good
The hard parts
Things people don't tell you.
The job used to be called secretary. Today an executive assistant often manages budgets, plans events for hundreds of people and sits in on confidential meetings. Some large companies now call the most senior version chief of staff.
Federal government offices and the many organizations around Parliament need assistants who can work in both English and French. Bilingual candidates get more interviews and often a higher pay band.
Many Ontario colleges offer a 1-year Office Administration, General certificate that ladders straight into the second year of the 2-year Executive diploma. Conestoga's costs about $5,800 in 2026.
Last checked September 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students.