by Silva Payne

Created on: May 19, 2010

You may think that the days of gentlemen having butlers are long gone, yet there are many butlers in service today. For some, having a butler is seen as a status symbol. For others, it is a necessary means of organising the household. If you are intrigued and want to become a butler, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of employment.

In the UK, there are still large country houses with a full compliment of staff including housekeepers and butlers. It is sometimes possible to gain a job in such houses working in the gardens or kitchen as a first step to becoming a butler. It is important to build up a high level of trust between yourself and your employer, and this usually happens over an extended period of time.

Once you get to know the house, grounds and the family who live there, you can talk to your employer and let it be known that you would like to become a butler one day. Naturally if they already have a butler, you may have some time to wait! You can make good use of this time by learning all you can about the various duties that a butler may be expected to undertake.

Butlers do much more than hang around for someone to ring the doorbell. Often the jobs of butler and valet are merged. The butler may be expected to take care of the employer's laundry and dry cleaning, and to have the employer's clothes pressed and ready to wear the next day. You will almost certainly not have to carry out any dry cleaning yourself, but you may need to at least know how to operate a washer drier, and certainly how to press trousers and shirts.

Another staple task of the butler is to serve meals, or to oversee the service of meals by other staff. If you are serious about becoming a butler, you should enrol on a food and beverage service course that includes tuition to Silver Service standard. There are several NVQ qualifications available and your local college should be able to provide you with the details.

A driving licence is almost certainly required for any position as a butler today. Being a driver first is often a good way to gain employment as a full-time butler. You will need to have a clean licence with no endorsements, and may be required to drive a number of different vehicles for your employer. You may also need to complete a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, particularly if your employer has children.

There are a number of butler “schools” that offer courses in all areas of butler training. If you are considering attending one of these, you should look carefully at the credentials of those running the courses. If you are looking for a tutor with a long service record, you could contact the Butler Valet School run by Rick Fink, a professional butler for over 50 years.

After your training, or if you feel you have sufficient experience from elsewhere, one of the best places to look for butler jobs is The Lady magazine. Published every week, this has long been the premier advertisement location for housekeepers, nannies, and butlers.

Being a butler can be a way to move amongst the highest of high society. It can also be a way of securing a long-lasting career in an unstable economic climate.

Learn more about this author, Silva Payne.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.