Administrative Assistant (Public Sector)
The backbone of every public office: processing files, handling citizen requests and keeping the paperwork of a whole department moving.
Entry grade: ESO or equivalent, support and front-desk administration — the most common first public sector job. What does this group mean?
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- Typical pay
- €18k–€28k
- Usual education
- Secondary school or vocational (FP) qualification + competitive exam
- Outlook
- Steady. Large retirement waves in European public administrations mean regular exam calls (oposiciones) every year.
A day in the life
You open the day with the registry inbox, check which citizen applications arrived overnight, and route them to the right unit. Mornings often mean the public counter — explaining what documents someone still needs. Afternoons are quieter: updating case files, drafting standard letters, and preparing files for the officers above you.
Ways in
- Sit the C1/C2 oposición after finishing school or an FP in administration
- Start as an interino (temporary cover) from the bolsa de empleo while you study
- Administrative FP (Gestión Administrativa) then internal promotion
What to study at 16
The subjects you choose for the final years of secondary school can shape which degrees, exams and careers are easiest to reach. This is about choosing courses, not choosing a school.
Spain
Bachillerato de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales
Portugal
Ciências Socioeconómicas
Italy
Liceo classico / scienze umane
Netherlands
Profiel Economie & Maatschappij
Austria
AHS Oberstufe
Belgium
ASO – General secondary
Exams you'll need
The gates between you and this job, and when each one comes.
Browse all examsSkills that matter
Places that hire for this
Administração Pública Central (Portugal)
Vacancies are published in the Diário da República and on the Bolsa de Emprego Público.
Administración General del Estado
Recruits through public competitions across administrative and technical grades.
Agencia Tributaria (AEAT)
Recruits through public competitions across administrative and technical grades.
Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira
Inspector tributário and technical assistant competitions run regularly.
Ajuntament de Barcelona
Recruits through public competitions across administrative and technical grades.
Ayuntamiento de Madrid
Recruits through public competitions across administrative and technical grades.
Ayuntamiento de Sevilla
Recruits through public competitions across administrative and technical grades.
Ajuntament de València
Recruits through public competitions across administrative and technical grades.
German Federal Administration
Recruits through public competitions across administrative and technical grades.
Câmara Municipal de Braga
Young, fast-growing city with innovation and youth programmes.