The British butlers earning £100,000 a year in Dubai: But they no longer just polish silver, they motivate and manage properties
So great is the demand for British etiquette, that although they may be living downstairs, British butlers' salaries abroad are going up, fast
British-trained household staff, including butlers, are in huge demand among the super-rich living abroad - particularly among those living in Dubai.
So great is the demand for British etiquette, that although they may be living downstairs, British butlers' salaries abroad are going up, fast.
One recent graduate from London's Bespoke Bureau British Butler and Housekeeper Academy has landed a job in the United Arab Emirates on a yearly salary of £100,000.
Dillon, 37, dropped a military career to become a butler three years ago and moved to the Palm Jumeirah to work for an Emirati family business.
'I went in at entry level at £35,000 plus all expenses paid. I now earn £70,000 but I work very hard,' .
'I travel bi-weekly and I am expected to be on call 24/7, caring for my principal's personal things like clothes, travel bookings, reservations and shopping. I also have to make sure he's always looking good and that he stays hydrated in the heat.'
His salary is tax free, with bonuses, and the holidays are long. His mode of transport is private jet and his apartment is impeccable.
There are, however, drawbacks. Unlike a nine-to-five job, he has to be on call at awkward hours, handle 'crazy requests', such as nanny two meerkat babies the family had rescue, and display an extraordinary amount of diplomacy and patience.
Another Dubai-based butler is Adam, whose employer owns a 65-foot yacht, where he has been looking after celebrities with very high demands and 'odd requests'.
One such demand was to fly with the private jet captain to Switzerland to buy a special kind of coffee. Another time he had to find special glass plates from Europe because a VIP guest didn't want to eat her food off porcelain.
One former military man trained to become a butler moved to the exclusive artificial archipelago Palm Jumeirah, pictured, off Dubai to work for an Emirati family business.
The popularity of British period drama Downton Abbey, pictured above, may also have contributed to the buzz, says William Hanson, who has trained butlers for private families all over the world
Still, Adam loves his job - and his £90,000 (plus bonuses) salary. But the price he pays is missing his own family.
The job is better suited to singles who work hard and can be flexible and adapt to their boss's schedule.
WILLIAM HANSON'S TOP TIPS:
- Never answer a mobile during a meal or a business meeting: concentrate on the person, not the gadget
- Always hold a door open for someone regardless of who they are or what gender
- Men should never drink beer out of a bottle. Babies drink from bottles - gentlemen drink from glasses
- Respect the country you're in (when in Rome and all that)
- Learn the 16 different types of spoons used in Western dining - and never mistake a sugar spoon for a teaspoon
It is the remnants of the old British class system which still shines through, as they are high on prospective employers' wish list.
Sara Vestin Rahmani, director and founder of London's Bespoke Bureau British Butler and Housekeeper Academ says the new rich abroad are still fascinated by the protocol that comes with these specific British traditions.
They have everything money can buy, so properly educated British household staff add cudos.
The popularity of British period drama Downton Abbey may also have contributed to the buzz, according to another expert on British butler service, William Hanson.
He leads etiquette sessions at The English Manner, a British protocol-training firm, which recently opened a branch in Dubai.
He says Dubai 'gets' the need for high end training and claims the British public is arrogant in thinking they are above it all. Old England, he adds, is still perceived as the hallmark of standards.
High end: Dubai very much 'gets it'. Around the world, Old England is still perceived as the hallmark of standards and good taste
But the role of the British butler has changed considerably over the years.
He, or she, no longer just decants the wine or polishes the silver. Today a butler is there to run diaries and schedules, organise and motivate teams, manage several properties and look after precious possessions.
But it is the new demands which are challenging and can take a butler all around the world - and it's what employers are paying good money for.
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Yours
Hiten A. Raja
Nairobi.
KENYA.
Hiten@HitenRaja.com
Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving another.
A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the full value of time and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary pain.
Holding on to anger, resentment and hurt only gives you tense muscles,a headache and a sore jaw from clenching your teeth.
Forgiveness gives you back the laughter and the lightness in your life.
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