Is Butler a footman or a butler? Modern butler

Until the end of the 90s of the last century in our country, only employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and professors who teach country studies could answer the question of who the butler is. With the advent of very wealthy citizens, there was a demand for the services of housekeeping specialists. Today in our country, a butler is a hired employee dealing with various everyday issues of a wealthy and busy person. Let's see if there is a difference between professions such as footman, butler and butler, what each of them does and for which he is responsible.

Background

Initially, the specialization of the butler, from where the word came from, was the supply of alcoholic beverages to the table, as well as the maintenance and management of the wine cellar. That is, the main meaning of the word “butler” is a specialist in bottling wine. His responsibilities included not only making decisions on replenishing stocks and choosing suppliers, paying the bills for wine, but also bottling alcoholic beverages from barrels for bottles. According to historical information, the greatest number of butlers was during the reign of British monarchs such as Victoria and Edward VIII. A modern understanding of the basic functions of this profession is significantly different from that adopted several centuries ago.

Modern features of the profession

Today, a butler is a rather broad-profile specialist, who is called a majordom in France, and a household manager in the United States, creating the most comfortable living conditions for the employer and his household. His duties include:

1. Management and control of the work of domestic staff - maids, drivers, nannies and others, as well as interaction with external organizations that provide their services, for example, utilities.

2. Accounting of expenses for various items of the family budget.

3. Organization of security both at home and all people and animals living on its territory.

4. Maintenance in working condition of all life support systems of housing and transport and technical means.

In addition to these basic responsibilities, home owners can instruct the butler:

• organization of negotiations, celebrations;
• reception of guests;
• hotel reservations or tickets;
• Accompanying the owners or their family members on trips.

Thus, a modern butler is a specialist for solving various unofficial problems of his employer.

What should be able to?

A modern majordom-butler should know and be able to put into practice quite a lot: psychology and management, the basics of accounting and medical knowledge, nutrition and hygiene, interior and landscape design, etiquette and art history, and much more.

An important feature of this profession is the ability to store confidential information about your employer and his family. Thus, the idea that a butler is a footman or butler, with a different name, is absolutely not true. Indeed, some similar actions may fall within the responsibilities of such a specialist, but the general specificity of the profession is different. In order to understand all the features, consider the hierarchy of service, as it was in past centuries.

As it was in the best houses …

We’ll immediately decide that until the beginning of the 20th century, a butler was an exclusively male profession, women were not allowed into it. So, the estate manager or butler had the highest status among the hired personnel. The manager was engaged in the hiring and dismissal of workers and servants, monitored the harvest, reviewed the tenants' claims and received payment from them, and also kept financial documents. The butler’s work is somewhat similar to the manager, but only in the house itself. He was the responsible custodian of keys to all pantries, wine cellars and buffets, and also hired workers for various repairs in the house.

Butler was next in status after the manager or butler. His duties included monitoring crystal and expensive porcelain sets, dishes made of precious metals and, as necessary, cleaning it. His responsibilities included replenishment of wine cellars, bottling of strong drinks and their accounting.

The next on the career ladder was the valet, who was responsible for the wardrobe, shoes and the appearance of his master as a whole. It was the valet who accompanied the gentleman on shopping trips, as well as on a trip.

The lackeys did a lot of different work, both in the house itself and on the street. Their duties included laying the table and serving for food, serving tea and helping the butler. Also, the lackey accompanied the hostess when she went on a visit, carried luggage, scared off thieves with the light of a lantern, if the gentlemen went out into the street at night.

What are they like?

Who and what is a batler and what it does, we figured out. However, today it is not only specialists who solve various problems and manage the household economy. Every year, butlers in the hotel industry are becoming more and more in demand. Many boutique hotels and large international chains train such specialists at home or hire graduates of this specialty. The duties of such employees include not only the reception and accommodation of guests, but also the management of other staff, as well as the solution of problems and difficulties arising from the guests.

Thus, answering the question: “Butler is a lackey or a butler?”, We can say that this is neither one nor the other. This is a special specialist whose job profile intersects with the job responsibilities of a butler and footman.