01 Dec 2008

How to..find the perfect Butler

How to… find the perfect ButlerYou've had a hard day and you just want to get home and relax. What you really want is a fragranced bath, chilled champagne and dinner. If you're lucky you pick up the blackberry, call or text and someone will arrange that for you. It's everyone's dream, having that person who'll take the strain of daily life off your shoulders. They'll pick up all those things that you never seem to have time for, and more. The one person who'll have your life under control for you is your butler.

Think butler and Anthony Hopkins character Stevens, in the period film Remains of the Day, comes to mind. He's quintessentially the traditional English butler, morning suited and completely discreet. But if you thought he was a dying breed think again. In a world of speed, celebrity and indiscretions the butler is a prized individual.

"I don't have a judgement when I'm wearing the uniform. It's not my place to judge you... a butler should do anything for you 'as long as it's legal'".
Today the butler is essentially a life-style manager taking care of everything their employer requires. They need to know more than how to pack your clothes. In the 21st century the butler manages every facet of an employer's life. From how to treat marble floors, handle rare books, making sure your yacht is ready and waiting, agreeing menus with your chef, arranging your parties, booking your flights, and generally keeping your life on track, your butler is the man or woman behind the scenes who gets it done for you.

If it's an English butler that you want you can expect certain criteria that mark them out. Who better to articulate what makes the perfect butler than Sean Davoren, head butler at The Lanesborough hotel in London which uniquely has a butler for every nine rooms. Davoren left the shores of Ireland for the city lights and started his career at Claridges in London. Thirty-odd years on he now trains butlers at the Lanesborough and many end up at Buckingham Palace serving the Queen. If anyone knows what to look for when hiring a butler it's him.

What you can expect from a butler

Davoren says, "When I put on my morning suit I change into a butler. When I take it off I'm a different person. You must have a uniform." For him the uniform is just one part of a clearly defined role. "Your butler should never be your friend, it's an unwritten contract." Davoren believes, "The heart of our business is service. We are an image business and your ambassador." And when it comes to the famous he says, "You have to treat them the same as anybody."

"Good social graces will take you anywhere," says Davoren. For him, "it's like you're on stage and you have to be whatever people want. I don't have a judgement when I'm wearing the uniform. It's not my place to judge you." He says a butler should do anything for you 'as long as it's legal'.

What today's butler brings is order, service and style. Davoren says, "We are the last bastion of that old era and the traditional type of service that the English were always good at."

"If you're stuck for a novel gift, Greycoats have vouchers, which cover the services of a butler for a day or longer. There's no set price and they'll tailor the gift to your requirements."
A modern day butler can be a mixture of many roles. They can hire and manage staff. Keeping household accounts, stocking your wine cellar, booking your flights, hotels or theatre tickets are all par for the course. You may require them to have specialist knowledge of art, ceramics or silver for instance. Whatever you require of a butler you will find.

Qualities to look for

"We're an image business," says Davoren. And he knows the qualities people look for when considering a butler. Looks, grooming, the smile, the handshake, good communication skills, and other languages, are all factors people consider important. In London, for instance, there's a large Russian and Eastern European community looking for butlers, and fluency in other languages is essential.

Take, for instance, Hutchisons, an agency that supplies butlers and staff. Francis Hutchison, managing director says, "We have a client who wants a Russian speaking butler, and we happen to have one." Hutchinson's currently has clients in Beijing and Dubai looking for butlers. They're looking to London to hire because of the reputation of British butlers.

Hutchinsons will provide you with permanent staff for town, country or abroad. Whether, like a current client, you have yachts around the world that your butler will also take care of, or you want someone for a more traditional country seat, they can find the right match. She says, "There's also a new wave of butlers who are highly educated and multi-lingual."

"Getting the chemistry right is very important," according to Hutchinson. She will often go to see the client and says, "No matter how good someone is, if they don't like each other it won't work." And when you consider that your butler will have open access to your home, life, family and even possibly finances, it's apparent how important it is to get the right person.

Stephanie Rough, managing director, of Greycoats agency agrees saying, "It's all down to personality. They've got to come with the right attitude." Greycoats have butlers on their books for anything from a few hours work to permanent positions. Whether you need a butler for a shooting party, dinner party or to cover when you own butler is away, they will find someone. If you're stuck for a novel gift, Greycoats have vouchers, which cover the services of a butler for a day or longer. There's no set price and they'll tailor the gift to your requirements. But whatever the contract Rough, says, "The butler lives that life, it's not nine to five", a sentiment Davoren concurs with. As he says, for private butlers it's '24/7'."

The value of a butler

A butler's value goes way beyond salary. But of course this is a factor and today it really is a question of you get what you pay for. For a newly trained butler, for a country position, you may be lucky to find someone for £25,000 a year. If it's a city post this will go up. So, for instance, if you have two homes and your butler is moving between both you could expect to pay a minimum of £40,000. It's not unheard of for butlers to be paid up to £75,000 a year. However, the cost will depend on what's required along with experience. Davoren cites one client looking for a butler to run seven homes with a salary of £1 million. As they say it's horses for courses, but you can be guaranteed if you go to a reputable agency such as Hutchinsons and Greycoats you'll find what you want. Oh, and by the way, they're recommended by Davoren which can't a bad thing.

Link to article on Coutts Woman website:
http://www.couttswoman.com/2008/december/regulars/how-to-find-the-perfect-butler.asp