High salaries

Vincenzo Matarrese teaches a trainee how to serve a dish at the table.

Although the tuition fees are expensive, the school attracts many Chinese lured by the potential of a high salary.

He Lianping, a 51-year-old babysitter from Henan province, paid the fees for the expensive training sessions herself. "I felt I would have been left behind by the times if I continued to work as a babysitter like before," she said, as an explanation of why she traveled from Henan province to Chengdu.

So far, about 40 four-term Chinese students have graduated from the academy. A new term for 10 students will start in early March, and places have been booked until early winter, according to the school's website.

Tang hopes the school will be able to open more branches in the next five years, in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou in Guangdong province. "Most of the potential employers of our trainees are concentrated in big cities in East China," she said.

So far, the academy has not undertaken any advertising campaigns in China, she said, adding that apart from some trainees from its partner hotels and real estate sales centers, most candidates contact the school directly.

She said many of the candidates are quite young: "Some are college graduates, accompanied by their parents, who look forward to having a well-paid job as a butler."

However, the students' youth may be a disadvantage at times. "Chinese employers tend to look for more experienced butlers, older than 30, but our trainees are all in their mid-20s," Tang said.

She recently received a call from a wealthy businessman in Fujian province. "He had heard of our school and was looking for an experienced, veteran butler in his mid-30s or older to look after his two villas and large family. But our trainees are all in their mid 20s and did not meet his requirements," she said.

In addition, the media have exaggerated butlers' income and downplayed their sacrifices, she added" "A high salary comes from good service, and good service originates from a heart that values loyalty, passion and patience."

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