Butling - Butlering
When you think of the consummate professional, what might it possibly be other than the very correct, utterly competent and supremely reliable figure of the traditional English Butler. Remember P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves? And who can forget Anthony Hopkins's superb portrayal of the traditional and oh so very loyal butler in The Remains of the Day? But they're remnants of a by-gone era.Or so you might think. By 1970 butlering skills were an antiquated residual of the past. Oops. Truth is, however, that the need for someone with those professional organizational skills appears to be growing among a certain element of society. Unbridled capitalism has done its best to fill the gap that once was the precinct of the nobility, the upper class, those with inherited wealth, society's aristocratic strata.
The world is now stuffed with multi-millionaires and billionaires, it would appear. Not only in North America, throughout Europe, but also in Asia and Russia. Forbes magazine identified about 140 billionaires worldwide in 1987, when it first began tracking the mega-wealthy. The current year's census identifies close to one thousand billionaires. With great wealth comes a concomitant desire to live like - well, billionaires.
That translates to estate living, inhabiting splendidly huge and well appointed piles. And with those humongous homes comes a need to keep tally of what is required to ensure they operate smoothly. These immense real estate gems require cleaning staff, maid service, nannies, social secretaries, housekeepers, and of course, the crowning glory, the supreme overseer upon whom all responsibilities devolve - the butler.
Where are all these butlers to come from? That, it would seem, appears to be the problem, and butlering schools of expertise are cropping up here and there to fill the gap. And there is much to learn, to become a reputable, reliable, knowledgeable, trustworthy manager of someone else's grand estate. The butler intervenes when services such as gardening, plumbing, electrical work, construction, must be undertaken. The butler handles the household finances.
The butler plans, co-ordinates and arranges social events on a grand scale, or modest family get-togethers, not to mention everyday dinner arrangements to reflect and suite the taste, the finances and the expectations of the family he represents. The successful butler should be comfortable in several languages; mainstream and often particular other languages. In the present era this personage should also have computer and Internet skills. This must, of necessity, be an intelligent person with good interpersonal skills, unflappability and a strong work ethic.
The butler oversees the duties of all the other household employees, from the housekeeper - next on the list of importance - to the maids, the nannies, the groundskeepers. The butler must be prepared to mediate, using well-honed personal skills to defuse situations where employees come in conflict with one another. Alternately, to approach the employer on behalf of employees' requests. The butler must be discreet and reliably mature, capable of submerging his own needs and individuality into those of the employer's.
For these inestimable skills and more the successful candidate can claim a salary beginning at $60,000 to $200,000 annually, along with additional perquisites, including personal car, and generous vacation allowances. That person may also be required to manage and keep accurate tabs on the wealthy employer's other properties; two, three, four - located in geographies around the world. That's a lot of responsibility for a relatively modest salary.
Yet there are those sweet and kindly souls capable of this kind of service, to give security and pleasure and relaxation and complete dedication to the needs of those who require their unusual and professional services. Takes a kind of selflessness. A keen interest in other people. Sounds like the ultimate in self sacrifice to me. Seems as though one's life, as a highly mature, inordinately intelligent being could be put to better use. But that's just my opinion.
More power to them.
Labels: That's Life
posted by Pieface @ Monday, May 28, 2007
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