Excerpt from “The Art of Service” by Paola Bettinelli of The Work Style Magazine

Read the entire article here

Mary Louise Starkey defines a butler as “a professional who is trained in the overall management of a private home”. There have always been excellent career prospects for one who chooses this profession, and this trend continues to the present. The number of professional butlers worldwide has increased steadily over the past 25 years. You can find butlers in multi-million dollar homes in every country in the world. Newton Cross stresses that “with the modern day butler the emphasis is moving to total lifestyle management, instead of the traditional role…multitasking is the keyword”. Usually, continues Mr. Cross, “the younger, recently qualified butlers often find work in hotels, guest houses and game lodges where there is still an element of supervision and guidance. They are also in huge demand on luxury yachts, cruise liners and trains. The older more experienced is better suited for the domestic household where the responsibilities and pressure can be huge“. Therefore, a butler has many options in his or her career path. Due to today’s economy, Johnson specifies that “we are seeing an increase in activity in the field and our inclination is the demand will continue to expand. Luxury resorts are perhaps the most likely to be hiring at present though we are seeing an increase in private estate owners seeking staff for their homes”. Regarding the salary, it varies between countries depending on a butler’s education background and flexibility. Mr. Cross from South Africa says that “entry level is 750 to 1100 euros per month”. For Europe, Mr. Wennekes says that “a butler can earn anywhere from 40.000 to 120.000 euros a year, plus benefits”. While in Australia, Mark Johnson states that ”an entry level butler, in a private home, can expect to begin around 31.000 euros… with experience and working for an employer with multiple homes, it is not uncommon for a butler to earn in excess of 80.000 euros and much much more”. In the USA, Ms. Starkey says that for a Certifed Household Manager “salaries are currently between 42.000 and 105.000 euros per year with benefits, plus housing”.

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Admissions is buzzing with all the new students we have in our mansion this season. We couldn’t be more excited with all this new energy! We are already starting to process applications for our upcoming March 1 & 4 week classes, and our April 8 week class. Remember! The resources here at Starkey International have already proven to be invaluable to all career changing students J Including, but not limited to: our new Chief Operating Officer who just semi – retired from 30 years in the Private Service Industry, our detailed class materials that are included in the admission’s price, and also our friendly staff who would bend-over-backwards to help you out J We look forward to getting to know each and every one of our potential Starkey Graduates in 2010!

Don’t forget to register for Restoring The Art 2010! This year promises to be educational and fun! You can Click Here to find out more information.

Also, be sure to check out our StarkeyHQ Software Demo, or purchase your copy here.

Sincerely,

Mr. Donald Jardine and Ms. Kristin Parks

Our Admissions team is super busy this season with new applications on our desk every day. We are excited, busy, and hopeful for all these potential students! We certainly have seem to have some top-notch applicants coming through our ‘doors’! Our next set of classes start in January 2010.  Our 8 week Management Program starts here in Denver on January 11, 2010. That class is almost full already! Our 4 week Managers program starts January 4^th, 2010 here in Denver as well. We have an applicant coming half-way across the world for this course. Then we have two 1 week Systems courses being offered on either January 4^th or January 11^th, 2010. These courses offer an overview of our software systems and are designed for the experienced Private Service Professional. Can’t wait to get this New Year started off with a bang!

We here at Starkey are grateful for wonderful friendships we have with our students and clients. We are truly lucky to be a part of your lives! Starkey is excited to dive into the new year to continue to nurture new and existing relationships. Our next round of classes start on January 4^th, 2010 and January 11^th, 2010. We have a large variety of classes being offered…a little something for every experience level. If you are a Starkey Graduate, Client, or potential student, please check out our 2010 schedule. It promises to be a fruitful year!

Donald Jardine

Chief Operating Officer

Starkey International

Halloween is just around the corner, the weather is cooling down, and Starkey International is getting prepared for the 2010 course schedule. We are pleased to announce that we will be offering an additional 4 week course starting January 4^th, 2010. Please sign up quickly as interest has been high by potential students! Seats are filling up fast.

Donald Jardine

Chief Operating Officer

2010 Schedule of Course Offerings

(All Courses offered in Denver, Colorado unless specified)

Certified Household Management Program

Eight -Week

January 11 – March 5, 2010 (Class 109)

April 26 – June 18, 2010 (Class 111)

August 9 – October 1,  2010 (Class 113)

Certified Manager’s Program

Four –Week

January 4 – January 29, 2010 (Class 108)

March 22 – April 16, 2010 (Class 110)

July 5 – July 30, 2010 (Class 112)

October 11 – November 5, 2010 (Class 114)

October 18 – November 12, 2010 (Washington, DC) (Class 115)

Restoring the Art

Continuing Education Conference

Denver, CO

March 18-20, 2010

Certified Service Management System

One-Week

January 4 – 8, 2010

January 11 – 15, 2010

March 8 – 12, 2010 (Las Vegas)

March 22 - 26, 2010

April 26 - 30, 2010

June 21 - 25, 2010 (New York City)

July 5 – 9, 2010

August 9 – 13, 2010 (Denver)

August 9 – 13, 2010 (Los Angeles)

October 11 – 15, 2010

October 18 - 22, 2010 (Washington, DC)

5 weeks to go! The countdown has begun and we are thrilled, energized, and optimistic about the future here at Starkey International Institute. Our classes our filling up quickly, both in Denver and Washington DC. If you have ever thought about starting a new career as a Certified Household Manager, there is no better time than right now to come on board! We have clients who are actively searching our Starkey Graduate database to choose the right graduate for their home! Our clients choose us because Starkey International Institute delivers ‘service as an expertise’.

Donald Jardine

Starkey International Institute

Chief Operating Officer

Starkey International has taken years to fine tune our approach to Housekeeping and Housekeeping Standards.  One of the basic requirements of setting up a  housekeeping system is that it must be successful in every environment and it must be to your standard!  The Secret is it must also be time oriented.  To accomplish this, we have developed baselines for each of our ten Standard Categories. Our housekeeping baseline is:

 It takes 4 hours to clean 2,000 square feet to average standards.  A higher rate of Housekeeping Standards requires more time.

FOR EXAMPLE:  a 10,000 square foot home will require 20 hours per week to clean. (10,000 divided by 2,000 equals five, times 4 equals 20 hours) and then add in the variables below to the calculation and your number may be higher or lower.  You do the math!

Variables that will require a change in this standard may be many issues like:

                Family lifestyle, Location (rural, city, beachfront, etc), Climate, Home activities, Number of children and pets, Number of house guests, Allergies and physical health of the family, members, or guests, Age and style of residence, Type and style of furnishings and floors, Style of culinary expectations and amount of cooking required, Amount and style of entertaining, Style and Number of collectibles, Smoking or non-smoking, Organization and clutter of the home, Current construction projects anywhere on property, Cleaning standard of the Principal.

*Excerpts from “The Original Guide to Private Service Management” by Mrs. Mary Louise Starkey

Classy Class

Starkey International teaches

service with style

By Doug McPherson

The Costco Connection

Published August 2009

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