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School secretary vs office specialist

The differences between school secretaries and office specialists 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 an office specialist. Additionally, a school secretary has an average salary of $35,126, which is higher than the $33,477 average annual salary of an office specialist.

The top three skills for a school secretary include word processing, payroll and math. The most important skills for an office specialist are customer service, data entry, and patients.

School secretary vs office specialist overview

School SecretaryOffice Specialist
Yearly salary$35,126$33,477
Hourly rate$16.89$16.09
Growth rate-8%-5%
Number of jobs75,65698,760
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
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 an office specialist do?

An office specialist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the organization's daily operations. Office specialists must be highly organizational, as well as having excellent time-management skills to handle work units. They have duties including data entry procedures, greeting visitors, responding to customers' inquiries through phone calls and e-mails, and filing and sorting documents. Office specialists are responsible for creating meeting reports, scheduling appointments, evaluating financial statements, coordinating with other staff for event planning, and assisting the senior management with complex functions.

School secretary vs office specialist salary

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

School SecretaryOffice Specialist
Average salary$35,126$33,477
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $49,000Between $25,000 And $43,000
Highest paying CitySanta Rosa, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateWashingtonMassachusetts
Best paying companyLake Zurich Community Unit School District 95Brookhaven National Laboratory
Best paying industryGovernmentFinance

Differences between school secretary and office specialist education

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

School SecretaryOffice Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

School secretary vs office specialist demographics

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

School SecretaryOffice Specialist
Average age5047
Gender ratioMale, 5.8% Female, 94.2%Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7%
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, 8.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 8.4% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between school secretary and office specialist 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

Office specialist example responsibilities.

  • Provide support for enrolling patients into health coverage programs and manage sensitive patient information to ensure accuracy and confidentiality.
  • Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
  • Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
  • Provide assistance to office staff including preparing and proofreading memos and grants, transcribing meeting minutes for staff and answering phones.
  • Perform multiple bookkeeping duties including departmental payroll, print financial reports and other financial material as needed.
  • Communicate HIPAA compliance to staff, field and outside agencies.
  • Show more

School secretary vs office specialist skills

Common school secretary skills
  • Word Processing, 12%
  • Payroll, 12%
  • Math, 7%
  • Purchase Orders, 7%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
Common office specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Data Entry, 10%
  • Patients, 9%
  • Office Equipment, 6%
  • Phone Calls, 6%
  • Word Processing, 4%

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