How To Become A Valet: What It Is and Career Path

What is a valet and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A valet is an individual who provides parking and car retrieval services to guests at hotels, restaurants, events, and other establishments. They greet customers, park their vehicles, and retrieve them when requested. Valets are responsible for keeping track of keys, ensuring the safety of the parked cars, and providing exceptional customer service. They may also assist with luggage and provide directions or recommendations. Valets must have excellent driving skills and a clean driving record.

ScoreValetUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,233

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.09%

Asian 6.19%

Black or African American 10.36%

Hispanic or Latino 18.97%

Unknown 6.47%

White 56.93%

Gender

female 15.48%

male 84.52%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.7

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a valet?

Pros

Tips can be good
Flexible schedule
Opportunity to drive and park a variety of vehicles
Potential for advancement to management positions
Working outdoors and being active

Cons

Irregular and unpredictable income due to reliance on tips
Working in all types of weather conditions
High-pressure situations when parking expensive or rare vehicles
Long periods of standing or walking
Dealing with angry or impatient customers

Key steps to become a valet

Explore valet education requirements

Most common valet degrees

Bachelor's

40.2 %

High School Diploma

30.8 %

Associate

17.5 %

Start to develop specific valet skills

Skills	Percentages
Retrieve Guest Vehicles	17.58%
Cleanliness	10.06%
Patients	8.85%
Customer Service	7.30%
Professional Appearance	6.94%

Research valet duties and responsibilities

Manage the register in accordance with POS guidelines.
Perform valet automobile parking duties, and provide customer service and directions to patients
Train in CPR, blood borne pathogens, and first aid.
Design tattoo art and do tattoos on custumers

Prepare your valet resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your valet resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a valet resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable valet resume templates

Build a professional valet resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your valet resume.

Apply for valet jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a valet job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do valets rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Valet reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Pros

Working as a butler I got to interact with people on a personal and a professional level. Helping and getting assistance promptly. Traveling with persons that needed my assistance.

Cons

When someone a mic are passed away