Becoming an Executive Assistant in Saint-Louis: Moving Up From Reception or Data Entry

The verdict in three sentences

Moving from reception or data entry to an executive assistant job in Saint-Louis is a realistic career change if you already handle office software and learn the methods of an executive office: calendar, mail, meetings, filing and reporting. The shortest route is the Level 5 Advanced course at 200,000 FCFA (about 305 EUR, 40 h), preceded if needed by the Microsoft Office course at 100,000 FCFA, or the full track at 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000. In Senegal, an executive assistant starts at 170,000 to 430,000 FCFA net per month depending on profile (WageIndicator 2025), and no course guarantees a job or a salary.

What separates reception from a job alongside a director

At the front desk of a hotel on the island, at a school switchboard or behind a data entry screen in a small business in Sor, you already have assets: people skills, rigour, familiarity with the tools. What is usually missing is executive office method. A director expects more than well-typed letters: protected time, prepared meetings, any document found in a minute and monthly figures delivered without chasing.

The course Executive Assistant: office software, organisation and communication covers these ten modules through written lessons, PDF handouts, exercises with answer keys and quizzes. It is taught in French. It is Level 5 Advanced, 200,000 FCFA, 40 h, the last step of the Office and Productivity track. Each module ends with a portfolio project framed by a scoring grid, and the last one is the final project: the procedures manual of an executive office.

Your roadmap depending on where you start

The prerequisite is clear: handle Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook at the level of course 4 of the track, write correct French and have access to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace with calendar and email. Office experience helps but is not required. Pick your entry point based on your real level with the tools.

The full track bundles five levels: computer basics and email (25,000 FCFA), Word (50,000), Excel (75,000), Microsoft Office (100,000) and executive assistant (200,000). A course you already bought is deducted if you later take the whole track. Before paying, read the free preview of module 1: it covers the real duties of the job, confidentiality and the job market in Dakar and Abidjan, enough to check that this role suits you.

Salaries and openings: rough figures, not promises

In Saint-Louis, employers hiring assistants include schools and universities, hotels, NGOs and development projects, public administrations and small businesses. The figures below come from the official course page and remain indicative.

These amounts depend on your experience, the employer and the local market. No income is guaranteed. What the course gives you is a ten-piece portfolio to show at interviews: job description and confidentiality charter, an arbitrated calendar week, mail register and five letter templates, meeting kit with board minutes, filing plan, monthly dashboard, board presentation, seminar budget, reception and call-screening scripts, then the procedures manual.

Mini case study

Consider a hypothetical learner: Ndèye, 27, a hotel receptionist in Saint-Louis earning 150,000 FCFA net per month. Her Word is decent, her Excel weak. She takes the Microsoft Office course then Level 5, 300,000 FCFA and about 62 hours, at 5 hours a week for three months. If, purely as an illustration, she then landed an assistant job at 230,000 FCFA net, the difference would be 80,000 FCFA a month and the course cost would be covered in just under 4 months. This is a simple example: the job and the salary depend on hiring, not on the course alone.

FAQ

Do I need to be a secretary already to take Level 5?

No, but you need to handle Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook at the level of course 4, the Microsoft Office course at 100,000 FCFA. People already in post mainly gain methods and ready-to-use templates.

How much time should I plan?

About 40 hours: just over 13 hours of lessons, the exercises and ten projects, including a final project of about 5 hours. At 5 hours a week, count two months. The written lessons work on a phone over 3G, but the Excel and PowerPoint projects are more comfortable on a computer.

How is the certificate issued?

You get a numbered Kolonell Academy certificate, verifiable online via QR code, that you can add to LinkedIn, after passing each module quiz with at least 70 %; your final project must also be approved by a reviewer. It certifies a completed course: it is not a state diploma.

How do I pay and when does access open?

You pay with Wave or Orange Money at +221 77 596 93 33, and access is activated within 24 working hours after payment, for life, updates included. Activated access is non-refundable, so read the free module 1 first.

Is there any support?

The course is self-paced, with no video and no live classes. For questions, you have the course forum and WhatsApp support.

---

Take the next step. Enroll in Executive Assistant: office software, organisation and communication: 40 h, 200,000 FCFA (about 305 EUR), numbered Kolonell Academy certificate verifiable online. Pay with Wave or Orange Money. Questions? WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.