Indian billionaire hires 12 staff for daughter at UK university

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LONDON: An Indian billionaire has put out an advert for 12 servants to look after his daughter when she starts her four-year course at St Andrews University in Scotland this month.

The advert posted by Silver Swan Recruitment, which specialises in finding staff for British private estates, states that a wealthy Indian family is looking for a butler, gardener, three housekeepers, house manager, lady’s maid, chauffeur, chef and three footmen to look after their daughter, who will reside in a nearby mansion.

The job description for a “cheerful and energetic” lady’s maid said they would be responsible for “waking principal up, liaising with other staff regarding routine and schedule, assisting with grooming, wardrobe management and personal shopping”.

The footmen will be responsible for serving meals, laying the table and keeping the house clean.

They will also be required to open doors for the student “wherever possible”, the ad said. The roles are said to pay about £30k a year. The ad states that the “the family are very formal so are looking for experienced staff” and that the “rest of the family will be staying intermittently”.

Students in the UK normally stay in a hall of residence during their first year and move out into houseshares in later years and most live frugal lives on limited budgets.

A spokeswoman for St Andrews University, which is where Prince William met Kate, said they did not object to such a lifestyle and had no concerns about the student fitting in. “It is the student’s private life. They can live how they want. We have students coming here from all over the world and they do not have to stay in halls of residence,” the spokeswoman said.

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