Butler Recruitment
We are recruiting butlers to work at Queen's Butler.
About Butler Recruitment
Butler recruitment is our invitation to those who would take up the role of arranging our guests' time and space at the Queen's Butler Manor. We introduce the work of a butler of the general incorporated association Queen's Butler, which runs the Manor: serving at The Salon, The Studio and the Apprentice Butler Experience. Eligibility, terms of employment and the selection method are set out in the recruitment details.
What is prepared before a guest is welcomed?
Preparing to welcome a guest is not only reading the booking; it is translating the purpose of the day into the state of the Manor. The butler confirms the party size, the rooms in use, the flow of any photography or meeting, food and drink being brought, and any pick-up or drop-off required, and shares the duties with fellow butlers. A guest's name and wishes are shared only as far as needed and never leave the Manor.
In the Dining Room, the chairs and the table; in the Study, the desk and the surroundings of the bookshelves; in the Fireplace Room, the width of the walkway. Silver and porcelain are checked not merely for number but for tarnish, chips and orientation. On days when camera equipment is brought in, the route from door to place of use is cleared, and positions are found where cables and luggage will not touch the furnishings.
If a question arises during preparation, it is put to the manager or the person who made the booking. Resolving questions in the unseen stage, so that no time is lost to explanations or searching when the guest stands at the door, is the butler's role.
Read a butler's day
What kind of day does a butler support at the Manor?
A butler's work at the Manor is a preparation that begins before the guest reaches the door. The booking is read, and the lighting of the rooms in use, the position of chairs, the silver and porcelain and the tea are checked. When the door is opened, posture and gaze are composed; after a bow, the guest's name is confirmed and they are shown through the Manor according to the purpose of the day.
During the visit, the butler judges when to speak and when to remain quietly in attendance. Pouring tea, checking the hem of a costume or the direction of light during a shoot, supporting the documents and comings and goings of a meeting, advising on the handling of furnishings: the role needed is chosen from the situation at hand. On departure, the rooms are checked for anything left behind, and the guest is seen off beyond the door.
Read a butler's day
The role at the Manor and how to apply
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Position | Butler serving at the Queen's Butler Manor |
| Principal duties | Welcoming guests, serving tea, arranging the Manor, assisting with photography and meetings, accompanying the Apprentice Butler Experience |
| Location of the Manor | 2-7-4 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo |
| Butlers of the Manor | Both male and female butlers serve here |
| What to tell us when applying | Name, contact details, age, experience to date, preferred working pattern, reasons for applying. A photograph is optional |
| Eligibility and who we are recruiting | Please see the recruitment details |
| Selection and terms of employment | The selection method, working days and hours, remuneration, and any experience or qualifications required are set out in the recruitment details |
Please see the recruitment details for the specific terms of employment and selection method.
How does the role differ from one setting to another?
| The Salon | Welcoming our lady guests and supporting their tea, conversation and time in the Manor. Never too close, yet always within reach when needed. |
|---|---|
| The Studio | Reception, guidance on the furnishings, handling of costumes and props, and assistance with the flow of photography and meetings. The Manor is never let unattended; a butler is always present. Watching the paths of equipment and people, the butler chooses a position from which the purpose can proceed while the furnishings are protected. |
| Apprentice Butler Experience | Fitting the morning coat and accompanying guests while demonstrating the bow, the standing posture, and the handling of tea and silver. Rather than looking only at the finished form, the butler shows through their own deportment why each step is kept. |
| Pick-up and drop-off | In an Alphard driven by the butler, limited to return journeys to five locations including Tokyo Teleport Station (part of the plan; availability confirmed at booking). The conditions for the driving role are set out in the recruitment details. |
| Keeping the Manor | Before and after use, the lighting, doors, furniture, silver, porcelain and any items left behind are checked. The aged furnishings are protected and the rooms returned to a state ready for the next guest. |
Both male and female butlers serve at the Manor
A butler of the Manor wears the morning coat and serves our guests under the same promises and responsibilities of the house. Male and female butlers alike take up the welcome, the tea, the assistance with photography and meetings, and the care of the furnishings.
Who currently serves here and who is being recruited now are separate matters. For who may apply, any conditions of age or experience, and the selection method, please see the recruitment details.
The qualities we value
- Listening to the end without presuming what someone means
- Never leaving a doubt vague, but checking it with fellow butlers
- Keeping time, appearance and the placement of tools in order oneself
- Learning the age and handling of each furnishing, and handling it carefully with both hands
- Serving with the same courtesy and responsibility, whatever one's gender
Conduct we refrain from at the Manor
- Interrupting conversation or proceedings to draw attention to oneself
- Photographing or publishing guests or the interior without permission
- Moving furnishings or silver on one's own judgement
- Accepting as they stand any requests contrary to safety or the law
Three foundations to acquire before standing in the Manor
Standing posture and the bow
Posture, hand position and stride are composed before the door is opened. The bow is the foundation for showing respect through movement.
Read more
Tea and service
Learning the placement of the tea things, the order of pouring and the paths across the table, at a pace and quietness that never disturbs the guest's conversation.
Read more
Hands that protect the furnishings
The Manor's furniture, silver and porcelain are not backdrop but pieces with a provenance. Knowing when to wear gloves and how to hold each piece, the butler passes them on to the next occasion.
Read moreFrom application to standing in the Manor: how is each step confirmed?
Submit your application
Through the application form we ask for your contact details, experience to date, preferred way of working and reasons for applying.
We review your application
The Association reviews your application against the recruitment conditions. If you proceed to the next stage, the means of contact, timing and documents required are advised individually.
A conversation
We ask about your experience to date, the butler you aspire to be, and a way of working you can sustain.
Learn what to prepare
The checks of deportment, the promises of the house, your area of responsibility and the preparation before starting, all following selection, are advised individually.
Take up the confirmed role
Those who join the Manor serve our guests within the role and scope confirmed.
On the floor, a butler makes one quiet judgement after another
Judgement on the floor is not repeating set movements; it is watching at once the guest's purpose, expression, pace of conversation and the safety of the rooms, and choosing the one thing needed. Waiting for a pause before offering tea; stepping back out of frame yet within reach during a shoot: small judgements like these sustain the comfort of a whole day.
Before a visit, the booking is read and the party size, purpose, rooms in use, tea things and silver required, and the paths for photography or a meeting are confirmed. Doors, lamps, chairs, curtains and tabletops are checked in turn, and anything amiss is shared with fellow butlers. This work is rarely seen by the guest, but it is essential so that the time after the door opens is undisturbed.
On arrival, the butler bows and confirms the guest's name, noting the weather outside and the luggage as they show the guest in. On rainy days a place for wet items is prepared first, and first-time guests are told clearly where they may walk and how the furnishings are handled.
Read more on a butler's duties
QCan I apply without experience as a butler?
Please see the recruitment details for eligibility relating to experience. In the application form, describe your experience to date specifically; any questions about the conditions may be written in the questions field.
QAre you recruiting men or women?
Queen's Butler has both male and female butlers. For who is being recruited now, please see the recruitment details.
QWhen are working days and hours decided?
Please see the recruitment details and the selection guidance for specific working days and hours. In the application form we ask for your current preferences.
QAre any qualifications required?
Please see the recruitment details for any experience, qualifications, age or other conditions of application. Questions may be sent through the application form.
QHow does selection proceed?
The method, number of stages and location of selection are advised individually once we have reviewed your application.
QWhen will I hear after applying?
After submitting, please check your receipt confirmation and await contact from the Association.
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Tell us, in your own words, your wish to serve at the Manor.
Having read the description of the work and the recruitment details, please send us your experience to date and preferred way of working through the application form.