1 Dec 2012

TV series drives demand for butlers

5:57 am on 1 December 2012

A rise in demand for household butlers has been attributed to Downton Abbey, a popular period television drama.

The Daily Telegraph reports recruitment agencies in Britain have seen a sharp rise in requests for domestic staff.

"There is a trend for the super-rich to want a piece of the lifestyle they see in movies and on programs like Downton Abbey," said Sara Vestin Rahmani, a spokeswoman for Bespoke Bureau in London.

"We train butlers and place them with clients, and we have never seen demand like we have seen this year."

AAP reports the agency has found jobs for 430 butlers this year, which is double the number placed in 2011 and more than four times the number in 2010. Experienced individuals can earn up to £150,000.