The Ultimate Guide to Recruit a Butler for Your Private Household
Whether you’re seeking to bring structure and tradition to your private estate or need a modern, multi-skilled right hand to oversee the smooth running of your household, how to hire a Butler is a transformative step. But how do you find someone who combines discretion, professionalism, and precision? And how can you ensure the process of hiring a Butler aligns with your lifestyle – particularly if you’re relocating or setting up staff from scratch?
At Cora, we specialise in placing exceptional private household staff across London, Europe, the US, and the UAE. We understand that when it comes to hiring a Butler, you’re not just bringing someone into a role – you’re welcoming a key presence into your home. As a trusted private staffing agency, we’re here to guide and support you through every step of the process.
In this guide, we’ll explore how to hire a Butler, what qualities to look for, the process involved, and why partnering with a discreet and reliable Butler agency like Cora makes all the difference.
What Does a Butler Do?
The role of a Butler has evolved significantly over the years. While the essence of the role – personalised service, impeccable standards, and trusted oversight – remains unchanged, today’s Butlers often wear many hats. Depending on your household, your Butler may:
- Oversee household staff and manage rota schedules
- Serve formal meals and drinks
- Liaise with suppliers and contractors
- Handle wardrobe management and personal errands
- Prepare residences ahead of your arrival
- Travel between properties to ensure consistency of service
A skilled Butler brings both formality and flexibility, adapting to your unique household needs – whether in a London townhouse, a rural estate, or a villa abroad.
Find out more about the responsibilities of a butler.
Why Hire a Butler?
Hiring a Butler can improve your household in numerous ways:
- Providing efficiency – a well-trained Butler streamlines operations, relieving you of day-to-day logistical tasks
- Enhanced luxury – from silver service to wardrobe management, a Butler brings five-star hospitality to your home
- Aiding continuity – for families with multiple properties or extensive travel schedules, a Butler provides consistency and familiarity
- Added security – a professional Butler acts as a gatekeeper, ensuring discretion and privacy are maintained at all times
Whether you’re a high-net-worth family, a busy executive, or a couple newly relocating from the UK, hiring a Butler creates space for you to focus on what matters most.
How to Hire a Butler: Step-by-Step
Hiring the right Butler begins with understanding your own needs and ends with a tailored, discreet placement. Here’s how Cora’s Butler recruitment process works:
Initial Consultation
Every household is different. We begin with a one-on-one consultation to understand your lifestyle, expectations, and specific requirements – such as whether you need a live-in Butler, someone willing to travel, or a specialist in formal service.
Defining the Job Description
We help you create a detailed butler job specification, covering responsibilities, hours, location(s), and any required skills (e.g., silver service, valet duties, PA tasks).
Sourcing Talent
Cora maintains a trusted network of experienced, fully vetted candidates. Our Butler placement agency goes beyond the CV to understand character, attitude, and long-term compatibility.
Interviews & Trials
We’ll arrange interviews with shortlisted candidates and coordinate trial days or working interviews, allowing you to assess their fit in a live setting.
Offer & Onboarding
Once you’ve selected your preferred candidate, we assist with the offer process, contracts, and onboarding – ensuring a smooth and respectful transition into your household.
What to Look for in a Butler
Butler recruitment is about finding the right person – not just a qualified one. We advise clients to consider:
- Experience in private households: Commercial hospitality experience is valuable, but private service is a unique skillset
- Discretion: A Butler’s ability to be present yet invisible is one of their greatest assets
- Flexibility and initiative: Especially in informal households or those with changing schedules
- Professional presentation: First impressions matter, particularly for front-of-house roles
- Cultural sensitivity: Especially important for international families or multi-lingual households
At Cora, we assess not just qualifications, but interpersonal dynamics, trustworthiness, and long-term potential.
How to hire a Butler for Non-Dom Households and Relocations
Cora is uniquely positioned to support families relocating from the UK – particularly non-domiciled individuals setting up new private residences. Whether you’re moving to the Middle East, the US, or elsewhere in Europe, our Butler agency can build your entire private household team from the ground up.
This might include:
- A Butler to set household standards from day one
- A Housekeeper or house management duo
- A Private Chef, Nanny, or Chauffeur
- Domestic Couples to oversee secondary properties
We also advise on logistics, contracts, and cultural expectations – ensuring your new staff are not only highly skilled but aligned with your values and lifestyle.
How to Hire a Butler Through Cora Partners
At Cora, we do more than match CVs – we build relationships. Here’s why private clients trust us with their most important hires:
Specialist Knowledge
Our consultants have a deep understanding of private household structures, etiquette, and modern client needs. We’re not a generic staffing agency; we live and breathe private service – with a number of our team having worked in private households before.
Bespoke Approach
We limit the number of clients we take on at any one time, so you receive our full attention. Every placement is tailored. Every candidate is hand-picked.
Trust and Discretion
We operate with the utmost confidentiality. Whether you’re a UHNW individual or an international family, your privacy is protected throughout the process.
Built for Longevity
Our placements are made for the long term. We don’t take shortcuts, and we’re proud that many of our clients return to us year after year as their households evolve.
Global Reach, Personal Touch
With offices in London, rural UK, and Chamonix, we’re perfectly positioned to serve clients throughout the UK, Europe and further afield. Many of our Butlers are multilingual and globally experienced.
Your Next Step
Whether you’re looking to hire a Butler for the first time, replace a long-serving member of staff, or build a new team from the ground up, Cora is here to help. Discover more information about how we can help you hire a Butler.
As one of the UK’s leading private household recruitment agencies, we’ve supported clients through major life transitions – relocations, births, marriages, divorces, and property expansions – always with discretion, professional insight, and care.
Ready to Hire a Butler?
If you’re considering hiring a Butler or building your private household team, we’d be delighted to speak with you.
Contact the team or call our office on +44 207 858 9491.
