Starkey International Institute for Household Management
Encyclopedia
The Starkey International Institute for Household Management, commonly known as Starkey and nicknamed Butler Boot Camp, is a vocational school
for butler
s founded in 1990 by Mrs. Mary Louise Starkey and based in a Georgian
-style mansion in Denver, Colorado
, United States
.
Training costs upwards of $
13,000, and involves an eight-week course. At the end of the course the students are given a certificate. The certificate is in house management, not estate management. The school graduates over 60 trainees a year. As of 1999, the school had planned a satellite school in the Washington, D.C.
area.
Among the school's regulations are a ban on the use of given name
s and the wearing of a uniform. Starkey emphasizes personal boundaries
and professionalism. The school prefers the term "household manager" as a gender-neutral equivalent of "butler". Most students come from a background in a related field such as catering
or property management, and are generally older and starting second careers. The school uses the 1989 novel The Remains of the Day
by Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro
as a "model for butlering".
In the late 1990s, demand was particularly strong. According to one expert, the U.S. was experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of households that could afford a butler. At that time demand far exceeded supply, and the school itself had a long waiting list.
as a keynote speaker. After the former butler to Princess Diana began speaking openly in his dispute with the royal family, Starkey criticized him for "betraying his ethics" and said she should not have invited him. She said if a client makes your job impossible, the only ethical choice was to quit.
In June, 2008 Mary Starkey pled guilty to assaulting one of her students at the Institute, Lisa Kirkpatrick, in Denver District Court.
The original incident occurred in January, 2007 when Starkey was observed by several students to yell at Kirkpatrick, grab her by the neck and push her face close to a hall way mirror. The reason given for the assault was that Mrs. Starkey did not like how Kirkpatrick would appear in a school picture.
Sometime after the assault a group of 10 students at the Institute confronted Starkey. They expressed their displeasure and other concerns they had including Starkey and faculty members belittling and yelling at students and employees[,] an inconsistent and limited curriculum as well as substandard meals and class trips they were receiving despite the $13,000 tuition they had each paid. The students also feared that some students had been admitted and strung along for purely financial reasons, with no real hope of job placement. They were anxious because they discovered the pin each successful graduate would receive — a pin symbolizing that they were all official Starkey Certified Household Managers and ready to supervise the upkeep and administration of some of the most glamorous homes in the world — had little real-world value.
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
for butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
s founded in 1990 by Mrs. Mary Louise Starkey and based in a Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
-style mansion in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Training costs upwards of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
13,000, and involves an eight-week course. At the end of the course the students are given a certificate. The certificate is in house management, not estate management. The school graduates over 60 trainees a year. As of 1999, the school had planned a satellite school in the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area.
Among the school's regulations are a ban on the use of given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
s and the wearing of a uniform. Starkey emphasizes personal boundaries
Personal boundaries
Personal boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that a person creates to identify for him- or herself what are reasonable, safe and permissible ways for other people to behave around him or her and how he or she will respond when someone steps outside those limits.'Personal boundaries define...
and professionalism. The school prefers the term "household manager" as a gender-neutral equivalent of "butler". Most students come from a background in a related field such as catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
or property management, and are generally older and starting second careers. The school uses the 1989 novel The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day is Kazuo Ishiguro's third published novel. One of the most highly-regarded post-war British novels, the work was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1989...
by Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro OBE or ; born 8 November 1954) is a Japanese–English novelist. He was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and his family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing...
as a "model for butlering".
In the late 1990s, demand was particularly strong. According to one expert, the U.S. was experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of households that could afford a butler. At that time demand far exceeded supply, and the school itself had a long waiting list.
Controversies
In 2001, the school organized a "butler's convention" in Denver, with Paul BurrellPaul Burrell
Paul Burrell, RVM is a former servant of the British Royal Household. He was a footman for Queen Elizabeth II and later butler to Diana, Princess of Wales...
as a keynote speaker. After the former butler to Princess Diana began speaking openly in his dispute with the royal family, Starkey criticized him for "betraying his ethics" and said she should not have invited him. She said if a client makes your job impossible, the only ethical choice was to quit.
In June, 2008 Mary Starkey pled guilty to assaulting one of her students at the Institute, Lisa Kirkpatrick, in Denver District Court.
The original incident occurred in January, 2007 when Starkey was observed by several students to yell at Kirkpatrick, grab her by the neck and push her face close to a hall way mirror. The reason given for the assault was that Mrs. Starkey did not like how Kirkpatrick would appear in a school picture.
Sometime after the assault a group of 10 students at the Institute confronted Starkey. They expressed their displeasure and other concerns they had including Starkey and faculty members belittling and yelling at students and employees[,] an inconsistent and limited curriculum as well as substandard meals and class trips they were receiving despite the $13,000 tuition they had each paid. The students also feared that some students had been admitted and strung along for purely financial reasons, with no real hope of job placement. They were anxious because they discovered the pin each successful graduate would receive — a pin symbolizing that they were all official Starkey Certified Household Managers and ready to supervise the upkeep and administration of some of the most glamorous homes in the world — had little real-world value.