Working as a professional chauffeur might not seem to require a college education, but many employers view a four-year college degree as implying a work ethic and the ability to follow instructions. College graduates also tend to be perceived as calmer and more self-controlled than less educated candidates, a desirable characteristic for a professional chauffeur.
Different Positions
The scope for chauffeuring jobs is remarkably diverse. Many employment hunters will find the following five positions to be especially attractive targets.
- Las Vegas Chauffeur. With a mean annual wage of $32,450 for chauffeurs, the Las Vegas metropolitan area offers an opportunity for professional drivers to garner lucrative tips from repeat customers who regularly troll the bright lights of Las Vegas’ famed casinos. Chauffeurs who understand that what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas likely will do best in this region of sin and expanding suburban developments. Limousine services in the Las Vegas metropolitan area typically want their chauffeurs to have clean criminal records, businesslike attire and the ability to keep their mouths shut.
- Real Estate Chauffeur. Some real estate agents and brokers, especially those catering to high-end clients, employ professional chauffeurs to shuttle them and their clients around the local metropolitan area to view private homes and commercial properties. Salaries for this position cluster around $38,090 annually, which sharply exceeds the $23,210 median annual salary for all chauffeurs and taxi drivers reported for 2014 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition to a professional demeanor and extensive knowledge of local roads and destinations, a clean appearance works well for a position that requires contact with a wide variety of clients.
- Wall Street Chauffeur. Unsurprisingly, the torrents of money that wash through Wall Street spill over into beefy salaries for the people who drive around stockbrokers, bankers, investors and other heavyweight players in the financial industries. These drivers earn an annual mean salary of $48,180, and if friendly passengers let slip the occasional insider tip, then that’s just another benefit. Businesslike attire is almost mandatory for the position, and high-rolling employers tend to demand impeccable manners and a clean-shaven appearance in addition to a spotless criminal record and several years of prior chauffeuring experience.
- Hollywood Chauffeur. The glitter of Hollywood extends to chauffeur salaries with an experienced driver for moneyed clients in the motion picture and video production industries realizing an annual salary of $53,580 or more. Dealing with temperamental stars, drunken producers and a host of odd characters comes with the territory, and working hours may be highly erratic. Furthermore, celebrity chauffeurs operate under an unspoken code of silence that forbids publicly spilling the beans on the antics of their famous passengers. Still, having entertaining tales to share in strict confidence with close friends after work is an undeniable perk.
- Private Chauffeur. More than a few wealthy individuals and families prefer to rely on a trusted private chauffeur or chauffeurs. Deep familiarity with local road conditions and significant destinations surrounding the employer’s private residence is usually a must, and the position may carry such additional responsibilities as skill at armed and unarmed combat and training in defensive driving. Strong candidates typically possess squeaky clean criminal records and driving records, extensive prior experience with chauffeuring, solid knowledge of vehicle maintenance and unusual awareness of possible problems or threats. Working hours can be long, but the compensation for this favored position can reach $65,000–70,000 per year.
Interesting Duties
Far from being a mindless driving machine, a professional chauffeur may run sensitive errands, babysit children, humor prickly guests and even frighten off criminals. A top chauffeuring job may more strongly resemble a bodyguard position than an ordinary taxiing career.