Butler Handbook and Contract

We are very pleased to welcome you to our international team of party and events butlers & butlerettes.

You have been selected for your combination of personality, charisma, charm, and looks. Together we will provide an exceptional, professional service to events ranging from hen or bachelorette parties at home to glitzy parties for the rich and famous.

At Butlers in the Buff we pride ourselves, not only for being the original naked butler company, but also for striving to be the best at what we do.

The reason we are number one in our field is because all of our butlers and hosting staff meet or exceed the high standards that we have set and maintained from the very beginning. Just having a great body is not enough. Our Butlers must also be charming, down to earth, helpful and friendly.

AND LOTS OF FUN!

Key Information – Please read through the key notes below before signing to agree to our T&C’s.

A more in depth version of our handbook is available at the bottom of the page. It is worth spending the time reading through this before you start working as there are lots of helpful tips and useful information all of which will go towards making you a better Butler able to pick up more tips and feedback bonuses.

Getting Bookings

For your first booking if we have a 2 man job we can send you to we will. As there are lots more 1 man bookings it is likely that the quickest way to get you started will be to send you to a 1 man booking along side one of our experienced guys. You will be there in addition to what the client has booked to enable you to get a feel for the job and learn the ropes. This will be in an unpaid capacity.

By undertaking the free trial job you get the opportunity to experience a real event whilst benefiting from the experience of having at least one other Butler with you.

If it means you can start taking on paid jobs sooner it’s worth while.

If you need more training after this we will try to find as many 2 man bookings as we can for you.

The sooner you can work 1 man bookings the better as 85% of our jobs are 1 man. You become eligible to become a “Priority Butler” once you have worked 10 jobs (see rates of pay below).

We will offer you bookings based on your proximity to the job. Some jobs will be closer to home and others further away. The further you can travel the more work we can give you.

We will text you with bookings on a regular basis. Please just reply to confirm or decline each booking as promptly as possible. DO CHECK the time and location fully before accepting any job.

Please use a diary or calendar to record all of the bookings you accept. If you prove unreliable you are likely to find yourself not getting offered work.

Job sheets & Check in

A job sheet will be emailed out to you at the start of the week for the coming weekend’s jobs this contains full details for each job.

Please reply to this email to confirm receipt (Before 4pm Thursday otherwise you will lose your bonus).

Uniform

We will post out a set of kit to you on completion of this contract.

You should also take a pair of smart black boxer shorts to every booking in case the client wants you to wear them under your apron.

Appearance

It is essential to stay in great physical shape. Keeping well-toned with a flat stomach is the basic requirement for any Butler. You don’t need to be stacked, you don’t need to be in a full cutting phase to work. You just need to look better than the average guy next door. Eat well and train hard.

Please always wear your Butlers in the Buff branded collar, bow tie and cuffs – it sets us apart from cheap copycat companies.

You will be sent our branded uniform, free of charge, however, we will need to take your bank card details as a holding deposit until you do your first job, if you don’t turn up to your first job you will be charged for the kit. Once you have completed your first job for us these details will be securely discarded.

If you lose of damage kit please ask for a replacement:

UNIFORM PRICE LIST

U.K £ Ireland €

Collar £8.50 €10.00

Cuffs £7.50 €8.50

Apron £12.00 €13.50

Cuff Links £3.50 €4.00

Collar Stud £1.50 €2.00

Bow Ties £5.00 €5.50

SKIN TONE/COMPLEXION IS IMPORTANT, Maintain a clean and clear complexion with a healthy colour. If you are Caucasian, a very light base even tan looks great (don’t go crazy on a tanning bed or use cheap spray tans).

SMELLING GREAT, Smelling fresh and clean from head to toe and everything in between. Including fresh breath.

Clients may get close to you when posing for photos and helping with party games.

JEWELLERY – Remove necklaces and piercings.

Tattoos are fine, just nothing offensive.

SPOTS & BLEMISHES

Maintaining a healthy clear complexion complexion is important. There are a number of products now designed for men’s skin. It’s important that you have a concealer stick for your skin tone to cover any sudden blemishes of spots. They are easy to find online and in stores.

YOUR BUM! Haha, sorry, but we need to talk about your rear. CHECKING YOUR BUM FOR SPOTS IS IMPORTANT TOO – really you must do it a day or so before each booking, or get someone else to do it for you, to catch any spots with enough time to see to the problem will prevent any embarrassment.

Facial Hair

We would prefer you to be clean shaven if possible, in our experience that appeals to the widest section of our clients, however if you choose to sport facial hair just be aware it may reduce the amount of tips and positive feedback bonuses you receive. Neat tidy facial hair is the best option if you really don’t want to give it up.

Posture

You have worked hard to look great, don’t spoil it by slouching, stand tall, shoulders back, chest out, stomach in.

Don’t Be Late

Do everything in your power to make sure you are not late. It’s the number 1 rule. Be organised, plan ahead. Leave plenty of extra time for your journey.

Plan your journey before the weekend. DON’T just use google maps on the day. Check it out online beforehand so you know where it is and where to park or what train you need to get. Print off directions as a back up in case of a tech problem on the day.

Have a local A-Z in your kit bag in case of emergencies.

Charge your phone and have a spare charger in your kit bag.

If there is a problem communicate it early to the client. They will be less angry if they know what’s happening than if you go silent on them.

Arriving at a job

In most cases your arrival will be a surprise. Do everything you can to help the client keep you a surprise.

Text the client before your job to introduce yourself.

On arrival call/text the client unless there are different instructions on your job sheet.

If no one is answering and it’s getting near the start of the job then you’ll have to resort to knocking on the door.

Once inside chat to the client about what they want you to do then get changed as quickly as possible.

The client should always provide somewhere private for you to change.

At the job

Do not eat or drink in front of people while working.

Do not drink alcohol under any circumstance even if the guests are encouraging it.

Do not smoke during the booking period even if invited to.

The best guys are helpful & engaging. Chat to everyone. Make everyone feel included. Work hard, find ways to make yourself useful. Check with the client on what they want you to help with.

Go the extra mile, load the dishwasher at the end of the night or put empty bottles in the recycling bin. The little things go a long way.

If there is nothing to do, just make small talk with everyone and get to know the group. Ask questions about the guests, get to know them, show an interest in them and they will love you.

Party Games

Some parties are more prepared than others, they may have their games all set up, props ready and a plan for how they want you to participate. Others may not be prepared at all and will appreciate you having a few simple games ready to go.

Simple games like NEVER HAVE I EVER, or the Mr & Mrs quiz. Please download our party games here,http://www.butlersinthebuff.com/us/party-games/ read through them all and print one or two off to have ready in emergencies.

These parties are a lot of fun, please do have fun, but always work hard and remain professional.

Don’t force games onto any group. Suggest games only, if they like the idea great if they don’t that’s fine it’s their party after all.

Photos & behaviour

Having your photo taken with clients & guests is a major part of the job. You must be prepared to pose for photos.

If you want to ensure you don’t appear on social media you can use a stage name when working. Just ask us.

This way a photo of you can never appear with your real name.

We have a no touching policy. This is there to protect you from clients getting too out of control. It doesn’t happen a lot but you will get some guests who try to push the boundaries.

You can enforce the rule as needed. If they have their arms round you for a photo that’s fine. If they are being inappropriate that’s not on.

If any guest gets out of control. Stay calm, stay professional. Be polite but firm. Ask them nicely to stop whatever it is they are doing. If that doesn’t work, discreetly and professionally take the named client to one side and mention it to them. If that fails, get changed and apologise that you can no longer stay and leave without making a big issue out of it. STAY CALM, POLITE & PROFESSIONAL.

Pulling out of jobs

If you pull out of a job you will lose your priority status, losing the opportunity to earn our higher rates of pay for a period of 15 bookings.

If you are unreliable you will quickly find yourself not getting any more work. Please think of the customers you are likely to be letting down if you pull out of bookings you have agreed to.

If you find cover from one of our other Butlers that’s absolutely fine. Just let us know.

Be organised, check out the location of jobs before agreeing to them and keep a diary of important things in your life so you don’t accept jobs that might clash with something you can’t miss.

If you’re organised you wont need to let us down.

If you’re reliable you will quickly establish yourself as one of our ‘Go To Guys’ and that will mean you get offered more work.

Payment & Bonuses

For your first 10 bookings you will be paid £30 per hour per job.

After 10 bookings (your 11th booking onwards) you will become a Priority Butler (if there have been no major issues).

Priority Butlers earn £80 for 2 hour bookings and then £30 per hour after that.

Travel is paid at £0.30 per mile from your house to the job and back again, if the job is more than 15 miles from you.

No travel is paid for anything under 15 miles from your home.

If you are traveling to a job as a passenger you will receive £0.10 per mile (for jobs over 15 miles from you).

All London Butlers inside the M25 are paid £5 per day for jobs within the M25. Only one £5 is made per day regardless of the number of bookings worked.

We do not pay for your parking costs, toll charges, etc

Travel expenses are detailed on the job sheet issued in advance of the event.

If we receive positive feedback from the client you will get a £5 bonus.

If for any reason jobs are cancelled by the customer every effort will be made by Butlers in the Buff to inform you as early as possible. If cancellations are made less than 24 hours prior to a job, you will be paid 50% of that which was due not including travel expenses.

We have regular bonuses for referring a friend to join the team. Check with the team for current rates in your area.

Finders Fee’s are at least £50 per person referred.

Getting Paid

We make a weekly pay run on a Thursday covering the previous week’s work.

Important T&Cs

You will be deemed to be operating in a self employed manner when contracted by us for any booking. You are responsible for declaring your earnings and your tax.

You are prohibited from soliciting work for your own gain while under contract for us or for a period of 6 months from the termination of this agreement. This does not prohibit you from working for other naked butler agencies but does prevent you from advertising yourself independently, setting up a business in competition with us or attempting to contact our Butlers to work for you.