It's easy to dismiss the trappings of wealth as crude extravagance, but then again, if you're saying that you probably don't have the bucks anyway. Sending children to expensive finishing schools or mingling with other billionaires at mahogany-paneled clubs is a part of life most Canadians never see. So to pull back the veil on some toys and services available to the super rich, we sought out some of the most extravagant, luxurious and mind-boggling treats for those who can afford such things. For 20 years, Mr. Spencer has been teaching black-suited butlers the art of etiquette in the British tradition and placing them with wealthy households, royal homesteads and embassies around the world. Certified butlers are expected to run a household with responsibility for buying food and wines including Champagne, caviar plus other essentials such as cigars and clothes.
Butlers also book travel for their employers and organize parties.
But remember that those are starting salaries. I tell students when they begin that your employer comes before your own family. Part of that personal service includes bowing before your boss and ironing his or her newspaper to avoid inky fingers. Bodyguard butlers do all the usual stuff, but they're trained in Karate, firearms and evasive driving to get those pesky assassins off your back. Mr. Spencer, who hopes to open schools in North America, says there are about a dozen butlers working for Canadian families, mostly in Toronto and Montreal, and about 85 in the United States.