Having had the misfortune to connect with The South African Butler Academy, and its Recruitment Head Adriaan Coetzer last week in respect of their graduate Hettie Novacovic, we have done more homework on this dishonourable and unprofessional butler training and recruitment body based in Cape Town.
A phone call to Coetzer, to chat to him about Mrs Novacovic’s short-lived employment with us, was professional and honest, Coetzer agreeing that Mrs Novacovic had acted unprofessionally by not arriving for work without giving notice, was late for work twice in four days, did not follow instructions about the breakfast serving time or any other instructions for that matter, did not own up to damages she caused to our property which cost us a call-out fee for the pool company, did not want to interact with our guests over breakfast (one couple asked her to leave the table, something we have not experienced in our 17 years of operation!), she refused to shake hands to welcome our new guests, was unable to manage the housekeepers, left to go home midway during guest check-in training, prepared a dreadfully kitsch table for our wedding anniversary guests we wanted to spoil (contrary to my request of how I wanted it to be made special for them), was closed off to any communication with guests and ourselves, documented (unbeknown to us at the time) everything she had seen and learnt with us in the four days on her iPad, and generously took a coffee and a breakfast break herself while the rest of the staff were focused on getting the rooms ready for the new arriving guests. Coetzer agreed that appointing her was a liability for most potential employers, as she has a husband on pension, who has to be ’employed’ too, but may not earn any income so as to not lose his pension! He accepted that Mrs Novacovic’s poor work ethic was a very negative reflection on the SA Academy of Butlers and its training standards! She was dishonest about the rate she quoted for her daily fee, quoting the most qualified butler fee of R800 per 12 hour day, and therefore we reduced her hours to 8h00 – 14h00. While Mrs Novacovic was not appointed via Guild Recruitment, the placement arm of the SA Butlers’ Academy, Coetzer welcomed the feedback telephonically.
Coetzer promised to have a chat with the butler graduate, having a meeting with her later in the day. The e-mail response was one of a changed person, making wild unproven allegations, and disputing any weaknesses of Mrs Novacovic, to which he had agreed earlier in the day, which earned him a Sour Service Award! Mrs Novacovic had replied to our Gumtree advertisement for a half day assistant for Whale Cottage Camps Bay, sharing that she was annoyed by Guild Recruitment taking so much of her fee for their placement fee of 20% on the advertised butler rates. She was therefore applying for jobs directly, and not via the SA Butler Academy recruitment service, an important part of the Academy’s misleading marketing to attract students.
The SA Butler Academy website (and its Facebook page) is riddled with typing errors, and is over-written with extravagant exaggerated claims:
* It is a ‘non-profit’ training establishment – yet they charge R19500 for local students, and €5000 for international students inclusive of accommodation!
* It is aimed at ‘hospitality candidates‘, who have a ‘desire to step into a lavish world of Wealth and Fortune‘ – yet Mrs Novacovic has no clue of the hospitality industry!
* Its Principal is ‘world renowned’ Newton Cross, but a Google search only provides links to his Academy’s website! Cross has trained as a butler in the UK, worked on some cruise liners, at Fancourt in George, and at Clarendon House in ‘Fresnay’ (sic)! It is claimed that he has worked for Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, and ‘George Senior Bush (sic)’.
* Butler student applicants should be fluent in English, but neither the Academy’s website, its Facebook page, nor Mrs Novacovic’s writing reflects this fluency!
* The ‘Academy is the finest in the world’, and ‘the finest Private Sector training institute in the world and most certainly in South Africa’, but these claims are not substantiated on the website!
* The Academy ‘is World renowned for our modern approach to Butler Service in private households, resorts, exclusive yachts and passenger liners‘. Again, no substantiation is offered.
* The Mission Statement is the ultimate in exaggeration by the Academy, no substantiation reflected in its website or via Google: “The Academy is tantamount with professional Butler training which prides itself on the highest form of dedicated Butler Training. At The South African Butler Academy you will be taught how to run an effective modern private estate or household with grace and professionalism not just and estate but also a Yacht, Hotel Butler department and Boutique Resorts. The Academy course is 8 weeks of intense Butler training governed by experienced celebrity Butlers who are qualified as professional Butlers. The Academy will provide you with all the skills and certification to perform Butler duties. Our Training standards are exceptionally high and admired by International press and media. We are the world’s number one leading Butler Academy and the apex of all estates and households. Become part of SABA and celebrate service” (our underlining).
* The logo (provided cheekily by the Academy yesterday) reflects five stars – however the Academy is not graded by the Tourism Grading Council, and its use of the stars is therefore unlawful, SA Tourism having decreed that the star quality denotion is exclusive to the Tourism Grading Council!
It is the claim “We are proud to have a legacy in the market as our clients are kept confidential and above all “disclosure” is our highest priority” (our underlining). Clearly they may have meant ‘discretion’ or ‘non-disclosure’, which ironically is the most dishonest of all the SA Butler Academy claims, with it publishing the slanderous feedback of Mrs Novacovic on its website, reflecting the unprofessional nature of the Academy and its graduates. Any potential employer of a SA Butler Academy graduate should fear that ‘discretion’ is not guaranteed by The SA Butler Academy or its graduates, and in particular by Mrs Novacovic.
Discretion is the most direct association one would have with a butler, and it is reflected in the Florida-based Institute of Modern Butlers’ Professional Butler Code of Ethics, which highlights Integrity, Confidentiality, Service, Lawful Behaviour, Dedication, Personal Development, Respect, Professional Relationship, and Promotion. The SA Butler Academy and its graduate Mrs Novacovic have breached this international Code of Conduct in a number of respects. Interesting is that the SA Butler Academy does not have a Code of Conduct!
At a cost of R19500 for an 8 week course, it would appear that The SA Butler Academy students themselves are being taken for a ride, as this time period is not long enough to teach any student the full theoretical spectrum of hospitality, customer service, staff management, table service, silver service, etiquette and protocol, security, home automation, interpersonal management skills, culinary training, household management, and executive housekeeping, all elements of The SA Butler Academy curriculum, and certainly not at a practical level!
Mrs Novacovic made no effort to learn my job, which she was meant to take over, lurking in the kitchen and washing the dishes most of the time, the most expensive dishwasher we have ever employed! Our staff are served breakfast during the course of our very busy mornings, prepared by our chef, a different egg type daily, which Mrs Novacovic enjoyed too, and they are provided with lunch too. I love writing this blog, and do so mainly at night, as there is no way that I could do it justice in writing it while sitting in a busy Reception dealing with the guests that we accommodate daily, e-mail enquiries and correspondence having priority during the day. We deny Mrs Novacovic’s false and libellous allegations, deplore her attempts to discredit ourselves, our staff, and our guests, and reserve our rights to take action against Mrs Novacovic and the SA Academy of Butlers for defamation.
Needless to say, we would warn any potential butler student, and any potential employer of a butler via The SA Butler Academy’s Guild Recruitment, against any dealings with The SA Butler Academy!
POSTSCRIPT 27/2: We have received feedback from a number of our blog readers and past guests that their comments in support of ourselves have not been allowed on the SA Butler Academy blog, another proof of its unprofessionalism and one-sided presentation of information!
POSTSCRIPT 4/3: The SA Butler Academy has taken note of our comments about its exaggerated claims and spelling errors, having removed all the quotes we featured in the above blogpost. Profiles of the owner Newton Cross and his partner Adriaan Coetzee have been removed. An attempt has been made to remove the illegal use of the five stars in its logo!
POSTSCRIPT 4/7/17: We were summonsed early this year by the SA Butler Academy with an intermediate interdict, demanding the removal of this Blogpost, four years after I wrote it. This came after a written request by the Butler Academy that I remove the Blogpost, which I was not prepared to do. Last week the judge hearing the case rejected the Butler Academy demand. I am extremely grateful to my superb advocate, for this outcome. The Butler Academy is threatening a further legal case, to claim compensation for alleged defamation, a case which is likely to be heard in 2018.
See the Blogpost of 29 December 2020 below, which summarises the misleading Marketing allegations against the SA Butler Academy, and which confirms that we won the court case brought against us by the Academy in 2017, in attempting to have this Blogpost removed. It remains on the first page of Google, causing the Butler Academy huge harm due to the negative picture which I have painted about the Butler Academy, and about its untruths.
POSTSCRIPT 29/12/20: On Sunday 27 December 2020 Carte Blanche broadcast an 11 minute insert on the Marketing misrepresentation of the SA Butler Academy, a program which was instigated by its former 2019 Singaporean student Lin Yang, who is trying to get a refund on her 2019 course fees after being expelled by the Academy on her third day of the course, due to alleged lateness, a tireless warrior in this battle of the past 18 months. She and I, as well as an anonymous student, were interviewed by Carte Blanche presenter Derek Watts, as was Newton Cross and Braam West from the SA Butler Academy. The program left the viewer with the impression that what I had learnt in 2013, when I wrote this Blogpost about the misleading marketing of the Butler Academy, is still true today! The link below contains a link to the Carte Blanche insert, as well as my summary of the SA Butler Academy misrepresentation story as told by myself and Lin Yang, with another anonymous student too.
Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein, My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt Guide Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide
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Any future employers for Mrs Novacovic will I’m sure read the semi illiterate diatribe will I’m sure run a mile from her and her husband on pension !!
For what its worth I have never heard of the SA Butler Academy, I would be interested to know what butler experience the trainers have ??
Terrible terrible experience with SABA!!!!! Newton Cross, Adriaan Coetze and Braam West are liars. They dominates and subjugates clients. Newton Cross is extremely rude and has a big ego. What he claimed himself to be are all lies, he didn’t have the professional training himself, and never worked for the celebrities and politicians. SABA certificate is a piece of waste paper unrecognised by the hospitality industry in South Africa and overseas.
Together clients can get help from https://www.westerncape.gov.za/general-publication/national-consumer-protection-act
Your action matters – it will stop more clients from falling into the SABA trap!! Please spread the words to other clients who had the same experience.
Please go on there Google page and make a comment about this school. This place can’t get away with it anymore.
TERRIBLE TERRIBLE experience! They are not registered as training academy.
Some ex-clients are in the process of suing the company collectively, if you want to part of the action to stop more people falling into its SABA’s trap, please contact: viajarprolongatuvida@gmail.com
Terrible to see so much negative feedback about the SA Butler Academy! I do hope the former students will take action.
I wish I read this blog and comments before I paid for and attended the course…. I’d like to get in contact! There are a bunch of us that feel mislead, and are currently still unemployed and we lost a lot of money.
You can email me at chrisvonulmenstein@gmail.com
Thank you Mila
Chris
Newton Cross’ husband Adriaan Coetzer’s company Guild Recruitment placed “dummy ads” in its website advertising high-paid jobs. when unsuspecting candidates applied for the “jobs”, Coetzer said they were not qualified unless they had a butler certificate. And he sold Newton’s butler training to them. After the worse-than-circus training, no one got the jobs, of course. Coetzer and Cross then blamed candidates that they lacked of work experience. Coetzer and Cross did get several candidates low-paid housekeeping jobs, and they took as big as 25% commission from students.
They have always taken 25% commission.
How shocking is that they continue their unprofessionalism.
I’m so devastated to read this blog almost a year and a half after falling for these scammers called SABA! Newton Cross and his cronies are conmen of the highest order and I smelt a rat the moment I saw the so called butler mansion and the hogwash they call butler training. An arrogant, rude, crude Cross used underhanded scare tactics to intimidate the likes of me who have been in hospitality for over 10 years and can see through their scam. We actually paid R45k to be used and abused and then given certificates not even worth the paper they written on! I was greatly embarrassed to produce that useless certificate in the UK last year and told what they thought of SABA!!!!
That establishment must be shut down to save future victims! I’ll gladly join any kind of action to see those abusive crooks brought to justice
Newton Cross was born in 1982, he must have started working as a butler while he was still in diapers. Or else, how could he be the butler for George Sr Bush, Mandela, Mbeki, Tiger Wood, Michael Shumacher, Shanna Twain …? Hahahaha, how hilarious!
SABA – NEWTON CROSS HIS PARTNER ADRIAN COETZE AND BRAAM WEST HAS NO SHAME AND STILL ON THE MARKET AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS – INCREDIBLE !!!!!!
This company has build their foundations since the beginning with the clear intend on cheating and misleading all the students that come in good faith and believe in those 5 fake stars and all the lies that come along.
Newton Cross should try to change his job and compete against David Copperfield would have a better success and appreciation, the illusion it’s his speciality.
Braai West – I believe he is just a submissive slave to his master.
Newton Cross has no hospitality education, to not talk about Butler background specially at his age.
He is younger than an bottle of fine wine, but is talking laud about being Butler to Nelson Mandela and so many others UHNWI….I was wondering if he still meet face to face one in his life !? Really
He feel he is a very street smart with a HUGE ego. The so-called Butler course training is a complete Circus, run by someone who has basic knowledge in hospitality and can be spotted from a Mile away. The paper of the certificate they release is not recognize locally, it’s a waste of time to mention INTERNATIONALLY.
The quality is bad as the Butler course they promote, you cannot polish a Crystal glass with it.
For all the future Butlers : do not make the same mistake I did, do a better research and spend 3k more but choose wisely your Butler course, and run as fast as you can once you came across those above names.
If you really like to learn something and have good understanding, knowledge and a job in your hands choose another school unless you would like to waste your money and your time !!
I support anyone who take any action against them, they must stop.
SABA is worst than any circus. In circus we laugh and we are entertained. At SABA, we get abused, intimidated and threatened, and reduced to slave labours.
Or maybe he was born in another body !!! Never say never :)))
As I said his younger than a bottle of fine wine …. so by saying this I believe I said everything you need to know, and make you run before choosing to enroll in such a “school” !!
It is terrible. It nearly employed a Butler’s from the academy.
Where can one find adequate Butlers with recognized proper training in South Africa? I was wondering how can someone with a mere 8 weeks of training can do the following as advertised on their website, this is now the people you rent for R200 an hour, R2000 a day or R15000 a month on their website:
“Standard duties: (But not limited to)
Oversees the household staff usually of one residence.
Knowledge of high social etiquette and formal service.
Knowledge of proper maintenance for fine dining equipment.
Receives guests at the door and supervises the reception of visitors.
May double as a House Manager.
Assists with staff training and organizes the duties and schedule of domestic staff.
May assist or be charged with keeping the household budgets and inventory supplies.
May schedule and oversee household maintenance and other constructive duties.
Assists with household and family security measures.
Oversees family packing and travel preparations.
Assists with planning and organizing parties and events in the home.
Answers resident telephone calls.
Oversees and participates in proper table settings and entertainment prep.
Serves meals and drinks and performs wait services related thereto. Assist Chef or prepare light meals and breakfast
Knowledgeable about wines and spirits and oversees the wine cellar and liqueur inventory.
May also serve as personal valet to the household and/or gentleman of the house.
Performs light housekeeping duties.
Liaison with other staff as needed, i.e., aircraft personnel, chauffeurs, yacht personnel, and employees from other households within the family, and corporate office staff.
Works closely with the Estate Manager or Major Domo or House Manager and Personal Assistants.
*We only make use of candidates and Butlers who successfully completed or busy with the 8 Week Butlers Course at the South African Butler Academy”
How do you like this?
If I can someone to do all this for me with a 8 week training certificate registered no where, that will be a miracle.
This in the same article:
“The days of “cheap labour” are gone. Far gone! The days of requiring a single person to walk the dogs, mow the lawn, lock the house, set the alarm, be on guard 24 hours a day, make breakfast, lunch and dinner, drive the children to school, wash & iron your R15 000 garment or Gucci suit with a R200 iron, do the shopping and entertain your friends without proper compensation are long gone. The days of paying your *Qualified Butler sub R120K per annum are gone forever.
If you can afford a R2 Mil car & R50 Mil property, surely you can look after the person taking care of you, your children, jewels and the Bentley? More than once has a bottle of wine been served that is more expensive than their 240+ hours pm of hard labour…
At SABA you will undergo an eight-week intensive training program which is not only focused on skills, but also on interpersonal relationship management skills, being mindful and within the sophisticated environment of Butlers.”
They use YOU in all of the paragraphs in the same article.
So YOU the client that can afford R50 million properties, YOU “will” undergo an eight week intensive training program.
Please advise where I was find a reputable Butler.
Thank you
Kind Regards
Rob
A tough question Rob.
SABA is the only Butler training academy in our country, and it is taking its students for a ride.
There are international butler training schools, perhaps offering courses online?
Good luck
Chris
My legal case against Newton Hilton Cross and Willem Andriaan Coetzer was submitted in July 2019 at the Equality Court, Case no. EC21/2019. The previous case no. with SABA was at high court 2488/2017.
How to present your legal case by yourself at the Equality Court: http://www.justice.gov.za/EQCact/eqc_main.html
If you have any questions, please seek advise from Equality Court clerk, whose contacts can be found in the link.
Please you are also a client whose rights have been abused by these two persons, and want me to be your witness, or if you want to be my witness, please contact me at viajarprolongatuvida@gmail.com
Thank you for sharing your contact details, and for the advice of the route to go in addressing disputes with SABA. The complaints just do not stop coming.
Shameful, am glad we are finally going after them! Must stop now they damaged my reputation on the industry all because I attended the so called training
Heilbron Hospitality won the court case against SABA, Newton Hilton Cross, Willem Adriaan Coetzer and Guild Recruitment in 2016 at Cape Town High Court (Case no.: 7819/2016). Newton wrote malicious, defamatory email about Heilbron to Kempinski Hotel in China, in order to grab Heilbron’s client. Newton also infringed Heilbron’s copyright by posting Heilbron’s photos at SABA website, passing off as theirs in order to create a false impression that SABA has international clients. The two leopards do not change their spots. They had to pay R22,500 to Heilbron for its lawsuit.
34 Suikerbos Crescent, the house owned by Butler Holding Pty Ltd with Newton and Adriaan, have been used illegally as a training venue in a residential zoning. Their application to use it as a place of instruction was REJECTED by Parow Municipality. (City of Cape Town, reference: ERF20231, Regarding Application No.: 703. Rejection record can be obtained from the Deputy Information Officer in City of Cape Town: ayanda.mngqinya@capetown.gov.za)
if you would like to be part of the joint legal action against SABA, please email lawyer Kathleen@dunster.co.za or call her at 021 4223 020.
You can also approach National Consumer Commissions http://www.thencc.gov.za You can represent yourself without a lawyer.
SABA graduates, do not be afraid of the intimidation by SABA and Guild Recruitment. The contracts they forced you to sign has no legal binding, as they violates the basic human rights and consumer rights. In the free and equal South Africa, Guild Recruit has NO right to monopolise job market. You are free to look for jobs on your own without paying Guild Recruitment. Read Consumer Protection Act, and Unfair Business Practices Act
Please let me have more details.
Chris
Consumer Protection Act – PDF download:
http://www.gov.za/documents/consumer-protection-act
Consumer Affairs (Unfair Business Practices) Act
http://www.dti.gov.za/business_regulation/acts/consumer_affairs.pdf
Expose the crooks to:
Carte Blanche tv series: m-net.dstv.com/show/carte-blanche
Radio: Medium Wave Cape Talk 567, National Consumer Commission
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. IF YOU SUBMIT TO BULLY, YOU WILL NOT GET FAR IN LIFE!
Watch Carte Blanche’s investigation on the so-called school. Please share it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1gCTW1aVFM
Absolutely TJ – one wonders if they are registered as a training academy.
Unbelievable puffery and self-congratulation!
Chris
Newton and Adriaan are married to each other. Although they and their companies are separate legal personas, they are for all intents and purposes alter egos of each other, E.g. SABA’s trainees are obliged to sign employment contract with GR
What kind of fool thinks they are a butler after 8 weeks and 20.000R ?
Tell me Jim. What kind of head would you like to be? A dickhead I’m sure. And the stain I presume is toothpaste!
Sorry Chris. I just had to come to your defense with this comment by Jim.
Chris, rise above this. I realize it is easier said than done, but try.
Thanks for the advice Lolla.
The kwaaaa is such a Sonia Cabernet Cabano give away!
Chris
Thanks a whale for your support Dave – Jim’s comment has been sent to the ‘rubbish’ bin, where it belongs!
Chris
Good question David, but clearly the Butler Academy students are fooled by the false marketing promises of Wealth and Fortune (note the capitals!).
Chris
Hi Chris
The shortest course for a recognised International Hotel and Hospitality Management diploma is a two year City & Guilds and that normaly works in tandem with an internship with most others being three years of very hard work.
Disney Land strikes again with yet another “Mickey Mouse”course that people buy into… or as the song says “Sad so sad it’s a sad, sad situation.
Thank you for your feedback Nigel.
I am shocked to have confirmation that The SA Butler Academy is not even registered as an accredited training establishment by the Department of Education!
Chris
Stay strong Chris. I overheard two of your archenemies last weekend, calling that bully of a Table Mountain account Ian.
Do you know an Ian?
Who could this possibly be? You have my support. Always!
Thanks Maria.
Ian Little would not shout that he is running the abusive account – it’s Sonia Cabano’s way of trying to hide that she is the abusive writer on the Twitter account – the funniest is when she uses the wrong account to Tweet her abuse, and it shows on her @LusciousCT or @SoniaCabano2 accounts by mistake! A dead give-away!
Chris
Dear Stuart
Thank you for your compliment, and for your concern about our Whale Cottage Portfolio.
I am unable to find any locally-based Stuart Davison via Google. Once you send me your questions again with your real name, we can answer your questions.
In the mean time, please do read this blogpost again, as you do not appear to have comprehended much of it. Any details you want to know about myself and the establishment of the Whale Cottage Portfolio you can read here: http://www.whalecottage.com/blog/about/
I look forward to hearing from you.
Chris
Please contact me about this school, i will share some things.
How do I get hold of you Phil?
Phil, how can I get in touch with you? This so-called academy is a completely waste of money R35,000 and time!!!! Newton Cross is a swindler
I do not have Phil’s details Alice.
Dear Mrs. von Ulmenstein,
it was very interesting to read your blog entry on SABA. I wrote a request to them about a month ago but never got an answer. Luckily as it seems. I hope you don’t consider it cheeky but can I ask you for your advice? I googled around but have not found a satisfying solution to my challenge: We are a family of four and will spend the second week of July this year in Capetown. We have rented a lovely villa at Misty Cliffs and we are looking for a nice woman or couple to take care of the house, make breakfast, maybe an occasional dinner and take good care of us for this one week. How can I find trustworthy, able and willing people for this task? Any advice would be highly appreciated.
Warm regards from a freezing Vienna
Christian & Family
SABA NEWTON CROSS HAS NO SHAME! The company is run cheaters Newton Cross, Adriann Coetze and the sad-faced conspirator Braam West. Newton Cross has no proper education, he is very street smart with a super ego. The so-called training is A JOKE!!
I am soooo sad to see so many new complaints about SABA. Thank you for speaking out.
Please do contact me on Whats App 0825511323 for a recommendation for a lawyer and an Advocate, who dealt with my SABA court case.
Hallo Christian, vielen Dank für Dein Feedback. I will make some enquiries and will get back to you.
1. Chef Matt Manning : info@mattmanningchef.com
2. Chef Joanne Clegg: joanne@thefoodcrew.co.za
3. Charlie Sunshine Hope +27 71 494 1099
Chef Brad Ball: brad@bradball.co.za
Hallo Chris, ein herzliches Dankeschön!
I will contact them right away. Thnx a million!
Gern geschehen Christian.
The owner of this Academy is a lier and he minipulates the girls and boys. My son was there and he had to do private stuff for him, and then missed the poorly presented classes. This is a disgrace
That is shocking Eunice. Thank you for the feedback.
So chris what can l do l need to study butler course whre can l go
Do NOT study at SA Butler Academy.
How can I get in touch with you Eunice? Some trainees are taking legal action together.
The pompous Newton Cross treats clients/trainees as if he is a big shot himself and his clients are his butlers. And he wants them to be his subservient slaves.
Hi Bonny
Unfortunately I do not have contact details for Eunice. I am delighted that the students are planning a class action, literally and figuratively. Please keep me informed, so that I can write about it.
I have trained with a academy just a few years ago, colleagues and friends of mine were determined to go as well.
I took what I could out of the course, but its not all its made out to be, with my experience.They are pompous and self serving. yes student do many private tasks for them including their own personal tasks at home. Now while I agree their is a certain amount of practical training that is required, they are very forceful and at times extremely disrespectful towards student who challenges them or voices their opinion.
they state they their to help students, however its just to help themselves. they use students after training for volunteer purposes. students do events during training which is great, however its like slave labour and extremely long hours.
yes their are the fun part that you get enticed with, the glamour they make it out to be, but its not all they make it out.
They have a trainer who is amazing, but even this person who is supposedly a friend of theirs is mistreated and underpaid as well. Without Braam (Mr West as most students would know him) is the Essance of the Butler Academy. Without him and his passion and compassion and eagerness to truly help the students they would not be anything. They have chased away students who did not fit or fall into their way, they were never given a chance and this includes international students. Unfortunetly most of these students wil
l realise only later they have not really learned much.
They very eager to sue and pursue those who upsets them even unnecessarily so.
I wont even talk about my own experience cause I would not know where to begin.
I’d rather go the Butler Academy in Germany if I really have to go that route again, although their methods are stringent, they are much more worth it.
i also studied at SABA. I want to advise people not be fooled by those people .My experience was horrible the whole thing is scam .They are very racists.The training was not worth at all i never learnt anything that i could say has helped in the hospitality industry .
I stayed in the house with Mr West who is a heavy drinker i guese its due to the way he is being treated by his so called best friends thats Mr Cotzee and Mr Cross .It was hell living with an alcoholic he used to threaten us about how staying in the house would affect our results because we were under scrutiny .We lived in fear after paying R20 000 nobody wants to fail .We were belittled made to feel like shit all the time .
When ever they went to the radio station every Thursday all those call of people commenting on how amazing they were was basically us students made to call the station .We used to go and work in functions and the money went to their pockets everything from Facebook is controlled by the them all the nasty comments are deleted and only the good comments are posted .
I wish somebody out there can expose them for what they really are .
You are sadly one of many students providing this feedback. I would love to hear more. Can we meet? Cell 0825511323.
SABA should be closed down! Your experience is not alone. How can we get in touch with you Spicey? Don’t leave the action to ‘somebody out there’. Together, we can achieve something, would you like to be part of the force?
There are social media, and print media like Atlantic Sun’s consumer page “Off My Trolley” run by journalist Brian Joss, offmytrolley@mweb.co.za
A good call Brian. A student should report SABA for its unprofessional operation. My 2013 Blogpost about their unprofessionalism towards their students and exorbitant fees took me to court, but fortunately the judge allowed my Blogpost to remain on the Blog.
It saddens me that there are continuous stories that are presented to me, after parents and students have found my Blog on Google.
Thank you for this very informative piece.
I have had the pleasure of serving you “German Herring Salad” .
I was informed at the time, that the recipe, given to me was your Grandmother’s . Served in Llandudno for Christmas lunch.
At the time I was unaware of your status as a blogger.
Would you be able to recommend a reputable recruitment company?
Who source staff, for Private House Holds.
Myself, I have over 20yrs professional hospitality experience as a chef and almost 3yrs working privately.
Please bring this to light on Google u can type in a review about the school does not have to be under your own name.
Yes! because comments on youtube/FB are closed or deleted by the scammers Newton and Adriaan. Google is the only place we can place comments now
True. But even in the darkest of nights , one candle can be seen from far. So please post or like others comments.
It was my mother’s recipe Grant. What a small world.
Unfortunately I have no experience with recruitment companies.
Dear Chris von Ulmenstein
Thank you for your blog and your professional journalism. I pray there is no more consumer who would fall into the scam of SABA.
Sincerely yours
Craig
Unfortunately there are students who do still fall into the SABA trap. A foreign student is the latest victim. I will publish details when she has received her study fees back from SABA.
I don’t know where to start I am glad I came across with this post, I was planning to do this course with SABA. Please someone tell me their legit now. I only see thats the only school in SA. Please help
Don’t you ever get tired of spreading negative comments Chris. I find your reviews quite petty. At your age you should rather focus on being less toxic
Haha ‘Maria’. At my youthful age of 18 years I am learning that what others say mirrors them…. how toxic and ageist this comment is from you! This post dates back to 2013!
the so-called ‘Maria’, you are one of the SABA guys. Comments posted here by clients valid, because I was one of SABA clients and my experience mirrored theirs.
Oh please. I have no business or history with SABA. You on the other hand have, but you can’t seem to get over it. Have you run out of victims ‘chris’
Not one bit Maria. I am not looking for victims, unlike you, harping on me here. The number of complaining students is seeing no end…. poor reflection on SABA.
Wow! I’m glad I searched you online before making an a opinion about SABA. You’re despicable!
Former SABA student here.
Our experiences are identical with regards to SABA.
False claims, disrespect and unpaid servitude.
I’m in support of any action to that is being taken to bring these people to task.
I worked very hard to save up for that course, only to find out it was all BS. I wish I had found this blog post when I was researching the academy.
I’m shocked that this saga continues….. 😡
I am also a former servant (…I mean student…) of the ‘academy’. It is, honestly, a joke. It is highly expensive, and although there is some training, it is not nearly sufficient to qualify a person for gainful employment. From my class, I think 2 people found employment in the hospitality industry.
I also lived in the house with Mr. West, which is horrendous. The male students were allowed to pick their chores for the week, and when they didn’t do them, it’s a matter of ‘boys will be boys’. The female students were held responsible for the cleanliness of the house, as well as doing the laundry from the academy (such as napkins, tablecloths, etc). The house was always filthy, and there was always fighting. People would eat other people’s food, not clean up after themselves, and generally act like a bunch of fools. Mr. West didn’t intervene much.
At the academy, you are made to feel like a proper servant, and making mistakes is not an option. (I vividly remember a hot cup of coffee being thrown at a student, tray and all, because a certain person was not satisfied with the service.)
The emotional and verbal abuse is rather constant while attending the academy.
They take pride in appearance, and have inspections often. And if you are not perfectly presented, they will make sure that you know it. And harp on about it for the rest of the day.
Honestly, if you are considering going to SABA, don’t!
Chris, you won the case, please update this in the postscript of this blog!
I almost applied but something in me told me to Google them then this article popped up. This is horrible 😳
Unethical and in short scammers, a despise for the industry.
Also false positions advertise to lure candidates in for “training” and more importantly the fee.
I’ve been in the industry since 2003, started with the previous SA butler school, worked in numerous countries (UK, KSA, US, etc.), furthered my studies in the UK, USA and Europe and am apparently not qualified for SABA’s (or rather their “guild recruitment”) positions, which obviously does not exist, was told do do their course again, (not sure who need to teach who during that time).
I am now part of the law suit and public awareness programme agains SABA and as a matter of principle will not let this matter go until SABA is closed down and being stopped from scamming people with false intensions and financial gain.
Thank you for sharing your SABA experience A.J. It is shocking that the Butler Academy is allowed to cont8mue operating.
Well done in joining Lin Yang’s joint class action against SABA.
Chris
SABA is a total scam hidden with man behind fancy suits I just can’t believe I fell for it also. Everything they post is the total opposite of what goes down at that school I feel terribly bad for those who can’t say anything because of the NDAs they signed but I am sure they still carry around the same grief we have I only hope and pray that one day karma will work against them and they get what they deserve for lying to people who travel as from far away countries only to be told the recruitment agency will call you in less than a week but 2 years later still waiting anxiously for that call
Dear Tripple 11
If you want the join the joint student class action, please contact Lin Yang at +27 71 280 6608.
Chris
What would a cocky person like that guy teach you,how old is he by the way,he looks more like a hustler street creds in a suit.ive seen a lot of hotels and privates sending their employees to be trained there and i laughed myself out,what a lot of crap they do there
Dear Tawanda
Thank you for your comment.
Chris
I did this course some years ago.I quickly picked up it was just a quick scam.Most of the people in the class had no hospitality experience of any kind.I knew most would never step foot in private service as been the case with most of the people they ‘teach’.The world of private service is extremely hard to get into but not impossible.I will be honest that most that graduate from this course are not suited for this type of work,but the problem here is the dishonesty of SABA!Newton has never worked as a butler.He did some contract or hotel work.Yet he embellishes his experience and lives off the adoration.I think the worst of their crimes that he and his husband are outright racists!The way they operate its very obvious.I am happy to see that people are not letting them get away.
On the flip side I have been fortunate that I have joined the world of private service.That is because I had other experience and never give up attitude.I have worked for the real celebrities,flown on private jets alone.Earning as much as a CEO in South Africa.I have left South Africa permanently and acquired foreign citizenship.To those that have a passion for private service do not let your bad experience with these charlatans put you off.KEEP learning and improving your skills.Don’t Give up!You might land that one job and get your foot in the door.
Happy 2021!
Thank you for sharing your experience about SABA Luc.
Congratulations for overcoming this terrible education experience. Please contact Lin Yang, who is co-ordinating a joint student class action. Cell 071 280 6608.
Chris
Chris,
Thank you for writing this and being part of the Carte Blanche insert.
I, myself was a student of SABA, five years ago and wish I came across your review before becoming a student of SABA. At the time I was looking into SABA and a school in the Netherlands but SABA won out as they were cheaper. I guess you get what you pay for. I had worked my butt of for 3 years to save the money I needed for the course.
A couple of days in, I started suspecting something wasn’t right but with no other options, I closed my mind to these suspicions and decided to push through.
I had no backups, no family or friends who would be able to support me if this failed so I had no choice but to make a success of the course. One thing that kept nagging me was the fact that SABA did not encourage you to speak to previous students. In the years since I have realised that if they did this, they would have closed their doors long ago.
Like I said, I had no choice but to make a success of this course. I am very happy to say that I did. Make no mistake, this was not due to SABA. This was due to my hard work. I got a temporary job after the course and then through the temporary job, managed to line up a permanent one.
In my class of about 23 students, only 4 got jobs. I am sure that you would agree this is a ridiculously low rate. Two of whom had previous hospitality experience and the other two coming from highly demanding financial backgrounds (myself included in the latter category). Though all of us continued to work in the highly exclusive world of private butlers for years afterward, it was not due to SABA that we made a success of this career choice but rather our own dedication, strong work ethic and absolute drive to be a success. However, I did find it odd when the lady I was working for did once mention that it was my strong financial background credentials that lead to her considering me as a potential candidate rather than me having completed the course. Once again, I was at the point where I had no choice but to silence the doubts I had over the Academy as I was just starting to build a new career path.
Unfortunately due to worsening health, I had to step back and fall back to finance which although certainly not less demanding or stressful, does provide more predictable hours.
I am also happy to say that several potential students have contacted in regards to SABA since I was a student there and I have always told them to save up more and attend the accredited schools in Europe.
The final nail in the coffin for me came when I applied to cruise companies that Cross worked for and “provides training” for telling me that my training credentials were not sufficient. How is this remotely possible?
Actually, it doesn’t matter since we already know the answer to that question.
Thank you for work in this matter. I will most certainly carry on from my side to do what I can in my country to make sure others do not become victims.
Wishing you all the best for 2021.
Jean
Thank you for your detailed feedback Jean. Nothing shocks me any more about the SA Butler Academy.
Please contact Lin Yang about the student joint class action against SABA: 071 280 6608.
Thank you
Chris
Anyone who can rob from the poor and give to the well off, must be using a blue print from the 20th century. People will not take abuse anymore and education systems are improving where younger people are smart enough to know when someone is taking them for a ride?
I believe that your legal systems do not appear to be on the side of victims and although there maybe nothing wrong in South Africa with charging students for finding employment, there are many companies in other countries that earn their fees purely by charging client and not candidates. I remember meeting a friend in south Africa in Cape Town who ran a nanny agency, she did the same and I saw the financial burden it put on so many of her students. The jobs were not that well paid and the work they had to do was horrendous.Nanny, cook, housekeeper, chauffeur.
Imagine if you have paid an agency for a job that you do not like, what guarantees are there that they will be refunded?
I believe South Africans need to protect themselves and end this ridiculous practice, what agency will stand up and show a different way?
Imagine taking extra training, on the promise that it would improve your chances of a job, only to discover that the training only gave you an introduction to the Butler World, the remaining experience would be gained by taking a low paid job as a housekeeping, gardener or cook. You would be horrified that you could have been so foolish, or that you had been so easily fooled. It is horrible that this still goes on and that nothing has changed, I would be embarrassed to run such a scheme which took advantage of low paid employees. Its almost like stealing and it is greedy, because the agent would also charge the client.
The promise of a better life is the bait and how many students have got into debt because they believed the marketing and the allure of opportunity. The potential promise of a job? How many were told, no you cannot apply for that job, because you were not trained as a Butler? We may never know. But ethically, one business appears to be supplying the other?
If your Country really wanted to create opportunity, it would open hospitality schools with Hospitality programs that created Butler Training and I would be happy to work with those in Hospitality Schools to help them develop their aims and goals, I am sure that we have enough luxury hotels and globally proven Butler Trainers who could help create schools of greater opportunity and.
Chris, Your country deserves great Hospitality Training. The big question is, whether there a demand for professional Butlers or “servant type butlers”? The rich south Africans employ lots of household staff and don’t necessarily understand what a modern Butler can do for them?
Even white middle class families in south Africa often employ 2 or 3 people in their homes to help with housekeeping and home care, cooking and gardening, Would anyone understand what to do with a trained “Butler ” Is the role of Butler in South African different from that of a Butler working for families in Europe or around the world. The people who know the answers are not the Trainers, but those currently employed?
The proof in the pudding is whether their is a saturation of Butler Students and whether most of them have found work, with very wealthy families? Or whether most have had to take other jobs and other work not related to the training they have paid a great deal of money for and how much have they had to loan to go on such a course, what is their debt and how much do they still have to pay back?
We should always challenge the status quo, we should always ask questions.
So how do we encourage hospitality schools to create the opportunities that so many people are seeking.
Fast track learning is about fast tracking new careers, but with in depth experience needed to be world class butlers, often a 6 or 8 week course fails to deliver the experienced needed. Here in Europe, students need a solid foundation in hospitality and additionally time in Hospitality schools for 2 or 3 years. Those Butlers who will need to manage others will additionally need Management courses and time in in the industry. It doesn’t stack up, False promises are being made to Students to become professional Butlers, when only years of experience make a Butler.
The opening criteria for anyone wanting to be an experienced Butler is an in depth understanding of Hospitality, Entertaining, People skills, life experience skills. event management, and going on a eight or ten week course will only give someone an overview because Experience is only gained by years of solid practice.
Sadly, I wish south Africa well, until it can regulate, those who promise rainbows. Employers will expect someone experienced and trained and able to cope with the pressures, stress and demands of guests with incredible high expectations. If a new Butler student has never faced a guest before, they are in trouble as soon as they begin a job.
No training company should take money from someone if a person is not ready to deliver luxury services.
No recruitment company should present candidates who have no experience unless they make it clear that that person is not industry ready and is a pure novice, wanting to learn and grow.
Additionally, no training company, should use its students to staff private events, especially if it benefits financially, unless, the students also benefit financial. It would be considered slave labour to expect students to work for nothing. Although experience from managing and serving at private events can be great experience, it should form part of a course where everything is transparent and included within a contract and should reduce the price the course if they are not being paid.
Having travelled in South Africa extensively, I am sure the training bodies and Hospitality Colleges are in awe of a private training company proving itself to be successful, but equally, they need to ensure the practices are ethical and proper and do not abuse those who are only trying to better themselves so that they can have a better life. Anyone praying on these basic instincts may prove that all that glitters does not shine.
Finally, no matter how photogenic PR and Media can be, no matter how nice the photographs, classic marketing is creating a belief of a successful life and this conjures up dreams and aspirations. People assume an image can quantify a persons quality and experience. Trainers who tell the world that they are the best without validation from the world, is just someone with an inflated ego and a big mouth. Humility is the first skill of a Butler, so if the teacher does not have it, you can guarantee, they will not teach it to their students. So with that, how does a a would be student validate a persons credentials and experience?
The truth is, anyone can open a Butler School and even claim to be something they are not, they can market lies and insinuate they are the best and there is nothing that can stop them. Most politicians cannot change the law or have the time to investigate these facts and a judge would have to identify whether false advertising is actually damaging when a company is giving hope to those who need to change their life. We live in the world of dreams, no matter how false promise of hope might be, how many judges will see it that way?
I wish everyone in South Africa and beyond a better life. for the working class, life is tough and you need good ethical companies to encourage, motivate and inspire, to support and help show you how it can be done. Those companies must be headed up by quality professionals with excellent proven experience. The sad thing is, without a money back guarantee, a person is not free to leave a course once they buy into it and if they are made to sign contracts on the first day of course, saying they agree to confidentiality clauses, Malpractice will continue forever. When will the legal profession begin supporting the people of South Africa by teaching people their rights?
Kind regards