Congratulations, you are recognized personally and professionally as a domestic genius. When it comes to organization, perfection, and attention to detail, you have it all. As you reach that point in your career where you are ready to step into a larger role that will benefit from your skills, the options are endless, however it is important you know the differences as you target your next career move.
In this post, we will talk about the differences between being a butler or a house manager. Each position will have its similarities and differences that are important as you think long term about the direction you want your domestic career to go. Ultimately, your actual duties will be defined by your new boss, however below is a general overview of differences.
The basics of a house manager are easier to define as this domestic role will depend heavily on you being a critical and organized thinker as you will be responsible for items such as managing a household schedule, paying bills, supervising domestic staff/subcontractors, and event planning. You may find yourself at a computer screen more than you are used to, but also be ready to spend more than half of your day moving about supporting the success of the household running smoothly. House managers may still be called upon to assist the housekeeping team and groundskeeper, even if it is from the standpoint of quality assurance, that is why you are there; to make sure everything is done and done well. Prospective employers are going to look to you for your ability to lead a team. Please note, this will require leadership skills, not just an ability to manage a team. Each team of domestic professionals will generally come from many backgrounds and it is important you know how to motivate them and make them feel like a rewarded member of your team.
If you find yourself in your current role being someone that makes a lot of your team members smile and you receive positive feedback from your peers, you may consider a house manager as a great next step for you in your domestic career.
House manager has the added benefit of being different in every household. You get the advantage of opening some really great doors to different environments that compliment your skills and allow you to continue flexing the muscles you are already bringing to the table. Perhaps you go to work for a smaller household where you get to focus on a family with children that have nannies and housekeepers, but the family would like a house manager that enjoys cooking healthy meals three times per week. House manager roles are an excellent opportunity for you to really think about what you enjoy doing in a domestic capacity and work with your recruiter to market you to the best family and household possible. Other house manager positions may require you to work on a larger scale to oversee the chef, the housekeepers, the groundskeepers, the cars, and the proper functioning of all the property’s many mechanical aspects.
Now that we have dove into what a house manager looks like, what are the differences between a house manager and a butler? In most instances a butler will be called upon for larger estate that is seeking to give the principles a highly tailored level of focus and attention. If you are someone that knows everybody’s smallest preferences down to the color of skittles they do not like, perhaps the butler path is for you.
A butler role is also an extremely intimate and confidential role that will reward you handsomely for being genuine, likeable, and professional. You will not only be working and possibly living behind the gates of the most magnificent estates in the country, but you will be actively involved in very personal aspects of your principles’ lives. As a butler for a large estate, you should do well at working with others as you will report to and work along domestic professionals such as estate managers, housekeepers, and personal assistants.
If you think the butler path is for you, you should also be good at small details such as packing for travel, managing funds and money as needed, delivering exemplary meal and cocktail service, silver service, and caring for priceless artwork and wardrobes.
At the end of the day, each of these domestic roles all have one goal in common: to make the lives of the principles as enjoyable as possible. Many principles have members of their domestic teams that have been with them for decades, as they begin to retire, it is time for a new generation of domestic professionals to continue moving up into roles such as house manager and butler.
Choosing Robert Hanselman Domestic Staffing as a candidate or a client gives you an unparalleled level of service and personalization during a domestic search. With decades of relationships with some of the most well run and successful estates in the country, we have access to connecting domestic professionals and clients. Our ability to reach candidates and clients on a national level means delivering the highest quality of domestic candidates to market for the best clients seeking to hire loyal and professional staff. We also go beyond just submitting a resume or CV to a job post, we thoroughly screen all of our candidates before delivering to clients to ensure the best match possible.
