Interior
Butler
A yacht butler gives one principal or guest party personal, anticipatory service, from wardrobe and valeting to formal dining, so the owner's routine runs exactly as they like it.
- Department
- Interior
- Reports to
- Head Butler or Chief Steward / Chief Stewardess
- Yacht size
- 60m to 150m+
- Contract
- Permanent or rotation
- Starting pay
- €4,000 per month
What the job is
A butler on a superyacht looks after the owner or principal guests personally. You learn how they take their coffee, which newspapers they read, how their shirts are folded and when they want to be left alone. Most butler posts are on yachts over 60m where the interior is large enough to split into service, housekeeping and personal care. You are the guest's first point of contact on board and you carry their preferences across every trip.
Much of the work happens before the guest notices it. You unpack and pack luggage, press and repair clothes, polish shoes, lay out outfits for dinner and keep the owner's suite in perfect order. At meals you run formal and informal service, decant wine, serve cigars and manage the bar. You work closely with the chef on menus and allergies and with the purser on special requests, flowers, gifts and shore bookings.
Discretion matters more than anything else. You will see private conversations, business calls and family life at close range, and you keep it to yourself. Hours follow the guest, so a late dinner means a late finish and an early breakfast still happens. Between trips you catalogue the wardrobe, care for silver, crystal and fine linen, train junior stewards in service standards and update the guest preference sheets so the next visit starts properly.
What makes a good one
- Formal silver service
- Wardrobe and valeting
- Absolute discretion
- Wine and bar knowledge
- Reading guests' needs
A day in the life
- 06:30Interior briefing with the Head Butler and chief stew. Review the owner's plans, guest movements and any dietary notes from the chef.
- 07:15Set the owner's breakfast on the sundeck exactly as recorded on the preference sheet. Serve coffee the moment they appear and bring the printed news summary.
- 08:30While guests are at breakfast, service the master suite with the housekeeping team. Lay out swimwear, sun cream and the clothes for the beach club lunch.
- 10:30Press shirts and steam a linen suit for the evening. Polish shoes, check a jacket button and log new items in the wardrobe inventory.
- 12:30Travel ashore in the tender with the guests. Handle bags, towels and drinks and coordinate timings with the tender driver and the restaurant.
- 15:30Back on board, unpack shopping and arrange a dress fitting via the purser. Brief the chef on a guest who has asked for a lighter dinner.
- 18:00Set the formal dining table with silver, crystal and flowers. Decant two wines with the sommelier and run through the service sequence with the stewards.
- 20:00Lead dinner service, managing the pace of courses and anticipating requests. Serve digestifs and cigars on the aft deck afterwards.
- 23:30Turndown in the master suite, lay out the next morning's clothes and update the preference notes. Handover to the night stew and finish.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for butlers on yachts of 60m and above, usually paid in EUR or USD whatever the flag. Charter yachts add tips, often 10 to 15% of the charter fee shared among crew. Senior butlers on very large private yachts earn at the top of the range or above.
- France and Monaco
- €4,000 – 6,000
- Spain
- €4,000 – 6,000
- Italy
- €4,000 – 6,000
- United Kingdom
- £3,400 – 5,100
- USA (Florida)
- US$4,300 – 6,500
- Caribbean
- US$4,300 – 6,500
- UAE
- AED 16,000 – 24,000
- Australia
- A$6,600 – 9,900
- New Zealand
- NZ$7,300 – 10,900
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties)
- Food Safety Level 2
Recommended
- Formal butler training from a recognised school
- PYA GUEST interior courses
- WSET Level 2 or 3 in Wines
- Silver service training
- Five star hotel or private household experience
Visas
- Schengen visa (non EU crew)
- US B1/B2
- C1/D crew visa
- Australian MCV for Pacific programmes
Where it leads
Butler jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need formal butler school training to get hired?
Not always, but it helps a great deal. Most yacht butlers come from five star hotels, private households or senior service steward roles, and a recognised butler course shows captains you know valeting and formal service properly.
How is a butler different from a service steward?
A service steward serves everyone at meals and on deck. A butler is assigned to the owner or principal guests and also handles their wardrobe, personal routine and private requests.
What sort of yacht hires butlers?
Mostly private and charter yachts over 60m with large interior teams, and owners who travel with a household routine. Smaller yachts usually cover the role with a chief or second stew.