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Tourism

Butler

Butlers carry out personal and household tasks for their employers.

Annual Salary

£15,000 to £50,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

40 to 45 variable

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; flexibly

0.5%
Future employment

There will be 0.5% fewer Butler jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In this role you could:

  • manage diary appointments, book restaurants and travel
  • represent your client at meetings
  • manage the household and staff
  • set formal dining tables and serve food and drinks
  • chauffeur your client to appointments
  • look after guests
  • manage a wine cellar
  • cook and prepare meals
  • take care of pets
  • organise activities on country estates

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work at a client's home, in a hotel or on a cruise ship.

You could get into this job through:

  • applying directly
  • specialist courses run by private training organisations
Direct application

You can apply for work directly or through a housekeeping agency if you have:

  • experience of the hospitality or personal services industries
  • the ability to speak a second language, if you're looking to work with clients whose first language is not English

Other routes

You can get a qualification in butler skills which may improve your employment chances. There are private courses that teach traditional and modern professional butler skills, like:

  • valeting, including clothing and shoe care
  • setting a formal dining table and providing a waiting service
  • social and dining etiquette
  • international etiquette and protocols
  • confidence and deportment

More information

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With experience you could become a head butler and supervise and train people new to the role.

Once you have a wide range of experience and contacts in the industry, you could look at setting up your own business, like a butler training school or a butler recruitment agency.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • active listening skills
  • customer service skills
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • leadership skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to work well with others
  • concentration skills
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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