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Butlers

© Gail Giordano

"But let me return to the question that is of genuine interest, this question we so enjoyed debating when our evenings were not spoilt by chatter from those who lacked any fundamental understanding of the profession; that is to say, the question 'what is a great butler?'" (Pg. 31) English literature, the English landscape and history intrigues me and so when I ran across this book I was excited. The book The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, the story about a butler, a butler whom many I would imagine would consider "great". I must say that I know very little about what a butler's job entails, so I decided to do some research. I know that it does differ now than it did a 100 years ago but it's still a very highly esteemed position to hold.

Brittancia.com defines a butler as a chief male servant of a household who supervises other employees, receives guests, directs the serving of meals, and performs various personal services. Well to me that sounded like a manager of sorts, I wanted some more information, a better idea of what a butler does. In today's society it is not just a male inclusive profession but is open to both male and females. The word butler itself is derived in the early Middle Ages and from the French word for "bottle bearer." The originally word meant a person in charge of the wine cellar and dispensed liquors. Pretty interesting, somewhere along the lines through the ages the meaning of the word butler changed, towards the meaning we now understand.

When I hear of butlers, I don't think of the American society but of the British, a lot of the classical British books, the mysterious butler who comes in and out of the room, serving the meals, attending to the guests without you hardly notice them. I came across a great site full of information about butlers, called the International Guild of Butlers. In their general information section they talk about how it is the British Butlers that changes the profession into the art form that is now the standard. They were witty, authoritative, snobbish, discreet and intelligent. They knew everything about everything or at least acted as if they did.

What was interesting as I continued to look at what the profession consists of today, its very managerial. A butler is in charge of everything from the household budget to the everyday running of the household. They prepare the guest rooms and arrange and plan the special dinner and receptions given by their employers. Some even get to be the Personal Assistants to the people they work for, taking care of the secretarial needs that they may have. The pay is good as well, though since you are on call 24/7 it may not be quite as much but pay ranges anywhere from $50,000 to $120,000 USD. To get hired depends on your skill level; it depends on your personality and your attitude towards service. Although not quite suited for families, it is a great field to meet people and learn about things.

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