How long is the Certificate in Office Administration?

Between three and six months depending on pace. The Certificate in Office Administration runs part-time so working applicants can complete it alongside a current job.

Can the Certificate in Office Administration be studied online?

Yes. The Certificate in Office Administration is offered on-campus in central London, fully online and by distance learning, against the same assessment schedule.

Is the Certificate in Office Administration recognised by UK employers?

The Certificate in Office Administration is aligned with the Institute of Administrative Management framework and CMI Level 3, giving UK employers a clear reference point during recruitment.

What are the entry requirements for the Certificate in Office Administration?

Open access. GCSE English and Maths at grade 4/C plus IELTS 5.5 for non-native English speakers is the working baseline for the Certificate in Office Administration.

What does the Certificate in Office Administration cost?

Tuition varies by study mode and cohort. Contact LSIBM admissions for the current fee schedule, instalment plan and bursary eligibility for the Certificate in Office Administration.

Certificate in Office Administration | LSIBM London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Certificate in Office Administration at the London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a short foundation programme for anyone entering a UK office environment as an administrator, receptionist, team assistant or facilities coordinator. Sitting in the Business & Management faculty, this three to six months programme covers document workflows, diary management, meeting minute-taking, GDPR-compliant record keeping and the working software stack of a modern London office — Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, SharePoint, Zoom and the standard project-tracking tools. The programme is written around the Institute of Administrative Management (IAM) competency framework and CMI Level 3 outcomes, with the ICO’s Guide to the UK GDPR treated as a live reference for records handling.

Over three to six months you will complete case exercises drawn from typical UK office scenarios — booking a boardroom for a board meeting through to invoicing an external supplier and processing a subject-access request under UK GDPR. The programme closes with a portfolio piece in which you build an office-procedure manual for a small UK employer. The Certificate in Office Administration is delivered on-campus in central London, fully online, or by distance learning. Cohorts include a supervised drill of a typical Monday-morning inbox for a senior partner, and by the end you should be able to run a professional office front-desk with confidence. Cohorts include a fortnightly tutor clinic and a written progress log so the assessor can see how thinking has developed across the programme, and short guest sessions with working UK practitioners give students a first live exposure to the discipline as it is practised in London. Every module builds on the last, so by the closing weeks students are working on a small end-to-end brief rather than isolated exercises, and the final portfolio piece is written to a standard that can be shown to a prospective UK employer or admissions tutor with confidence.

Key Features

Curriculum aligned with the Institute of Administrative Management (IAM) framework and CMI Level 3 outcomes.
Three study modes — central London campus, fully online, or distance learning.
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace practical modules covering shared drives, calendars, and document formatting.
UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 module including a mock subject-access request response.
Assessment by short assignments and an office-procedure manual portfolio, not a closed-book exam.
Structured pathway toward CMI Level 3 Foundation Diploma with tutor support on the application.
Practitioner clinic once a term with an executive assistant working in a City or West End office.
Progression route to the LSIBM Diploma in Office Management and onward to Advanced Diploma routes.

What You Will Learn

The Certificate builds practical competence in the daily workflows of a UK office administrator, from managing an executive diary through to running the front-desk protocol on a busy Monday morning.

Document control, version management and file naming conventions used in UK offices.
Diary and inbox management for a senior manager or partner in a professional-services firm.
Minute-taking and action tracking for governance meetings including UK charity and small-company board formats.
GDPR compliance for office records — data retention, subject-access, and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Microsoft 365 practical skills — Word formatting, Excel calculations, PowerPoint decks and Teams collaboration.
Front-desk protocol, visitor handling, and mail and courier operations for a UK office.
Facilities coordination and health-and-safety basics under UK regulations.
Financial admin — expense claims, purchase orders and simple invoice processing.
Written business communication in the UK register — emails, letters, and briefing notes.
Meeting logistics — room bookings, hybrid Teams and Zoom setups and travel coordination.
Basic project tracking using Asana, Trello or Microsoft Planner.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers targeting an office administrator or team assistant role.
Career changers moving into UK office employment from retail, hospitality or care sectors.
International students entering the UK workforce who need a documented administrative skill set.
Returners to work who want to refresh Microsoft 365 and current UK office practice.
Small-business owners hiring their first administrator who want to set the training baseline.

Career Pathways

The Certificate opens the door to entry-level UK office roles across professional services, education, healthcare administration, charity and public sector employers. Typical destinations include:

Office Administrator
Team Assistant
Receptionist / Front-of-House
Facilities Coordinator (junior)
Administrator (UK charity or NHS trust)
Junior Executive Assistant
Practice Administrator (professional-services firm)

The Certificate in Office Administration sits onto the LSIBM Diploma in Office Management, and provides a recognised on-ramp toward the CMI Level 3 Foundation Diploma and IAM associate membership. LSIBM Certificate holders often continue directly with a Diploma-level programme and take structured guidance on the professional-body application from their tutor in the closing term.

Entry Requirements

Open access — GCSE-level English and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or international equivalent) is the working baseline.
Applicants over 18 are welcome regardless of prior qualifications, provided a short statement of intent is submitted.
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers, or an equivalent test at CEFR B2.
Two personal references — one professional, one academic; work-based references accepted for career changers.

Why Study at LSIBM

The London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a specialist business-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies — CMI, CIM, CIPD, ACCA, CIMA, CFA UK, CIPS and IOE&IT — so qualifications carry weight with employers.

London puts the City, Canary Wharf, Whitehall, Companies House, the FCA, the Bank of England and the West End within a short tube ride of every classroom. LSIBM Certificate students frequently attend evening events at the CMI, IoD Pall Mall clubhouse, and CIM London — building a working professional network alongside their studies.

Apply for Certificate in Office Administration

Take the first step with the Certificate in Office Administration. Click Enrol Now and our admissions team will respond within one working day with intake dates, credit-transfer guidance and the current fee schedule. LSIBM runs a single intake schedule so applicants know exactly when their cohort begins.