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School secretary vs front office assistant

The differences between school secretaries and front office assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a school secretary and a front office assistant. Additionally, a school secretary has an average salary of $35,126, which is higher than the $32,913 average annual salary of a front office assistant.

The top three skills for a school secretary include word processing, payroll and math. The most important skills for a front office assistant are patients, customer service, and excellent interpersonal.

School secretary vs front office assistant overview

School SecretaryFront Office Assistant
Yearly salary$35,126$32,913
Hourly rate$16.89$15.82
Growth rate-8%-5%
Number of jobs75,656149,847
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 24%
Average age5047
Years of experience22

What does a school secretary do?

A school secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the school's operations and helping the management to develop strategies and techniques to ensure that the students receive the highest quality of learning. School secretaries manage the data management system of the institution, record students' and staff information, and assist with payroll release. They also serve as a liaison between the staff, students, and the management for any inquiries, concerns, and complaints.

What does a front office assistant do?

Front office assistants typically work and perform their duty within the office. They do office support duties like welcome and greet customers, answer phone calls, and schedule and plan appointments. It is their responsibility to sort mails, route calls, and listen to voicemails. They need to organize and give out communications promptly. Also, they do clerical tasks, manage inventory, and maintain their work area. They must be keen to details, can multitask and have excellent communication and customer service skills.

School secretary vs front office assistant salary

School secretaries and front office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

School SecretaryFront Office Assistant
Average salary$35,126$32,913
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $49,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CitySanta Rosa, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateWashingtonConnecticut
Best paying companyLake Zurich Community Unit School District 95University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between school secretary and front office assistant education

There are a few differences between a school secretary and a front office assistant in terms of educational background:

School SecretaryFront Office Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 24%
Most common majorBusinessMedical Assisting Services
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

School secretary vs front office assistant demographics

Here are the differences between school secretaries' and front office assistants' demographics:

School SecretaryFront Office Assistant
Average age5047
Gender ratioMale, 5.8% Female, 94.2%Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between school secretary and front office assistant duties and responsibilities

School secretary example responsibilities.

  • Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
  • Coordinate department payroll, electronic share files, and general office operations.
  • Compose all correspondence and prepare presentations via PowerPoint.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations used for teachers professional development.
  • Perform all secretarial duties including attendance, payroll reports and conference arrangements/billing.
  • Prepare discharges, enter all updates into OASAS system and review patient information to verify patients eligibility to receive transportation reimbursement.
  • Show more

Front office assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage correspondence and documentation for OSHA compliance and hold some accounts payable responsibilities by coding invoices for processing and payment.
  • Ensure compliance with HIPAA and OSHA regulations to improve customer relations and promote favorable patient/physician interactions.
  • Download all transcription for the physicians and mail out letters and patient consults.
  • Utilize knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT coding by verifying explanation of benefits render to patient, for insurance purposes.
  • Collect co-pays, enter update demographics into EHR/EMR, enter ICD-9 and CPT codes as needed into patient records electronically
  • Verify insurance to include commercial and Medicaid.
  • Show more

School secretary vs front office assistant skills

Common school secretary skills
  • Word Processing, 12%
  • Payroll, 12%
  • Math, 7%
  • Purchase Orders, 7%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
Common front office assistant skills
  • Patients, 21%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
  • Patient Demographics, 5%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • Front Desk, 4%

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