With all that being said, bartending classes aren’t a complete waste of time and money. In fact, if you’re going for the right reasons, they’re absolutely worth it.
What a bartending school primarily sells you is a wealth of industry knowledge, low-stakes practice, and networking opportunities. And, ideally, the legal permit or certification you need to tend bar where you’ll be looking for work. You’ll need to devote about 40 hours of class time to graduate from bartending school.
The best way to get experience bartending is to bartend. But bartending has the classic catch-22 of job seeking. You can’t get hired without experience, and you can’t get experience without being hired. Enter bartending school.
The best parts bartending school are the expansive curriculum, being forced to get bartending experience, and networking with people in the industry. The topics and bartender responsibilities covered at any bartending school will be far-and-away more extensive than topics covered during new-hire training at a bar.
40 hoursThe state of California requires 40 hours of class curriculum to obtain your bartending license. These 40 hours are broken down into two hour classes, each one covering one of ten chapters. Every class is divided into two parts; one hour of lecture and one hour of lab time behind the bar.
The most common advice you'll hear from actual bartenders is that you should start out as a barback if you want learn how to be a bartender. The barback position requires no experience, only a willingness to work hard.
On average, bartenders probably do 10-12hr shifts, sometimes with no break. There are hours of prep work, hours of clean-up, and hours of catering to the demands of people who have no concept of a bartender's actual hours.
An experienced, knowledgeable and skilled bartender is not necessarily a good bartender. A good bartender is any bartender with the ability to provide outstanding customer service, using their experience, knowledge and skill.
TIP: it's highly unlikely a restaurant will hire you as a bartender without any previous experience. Instead, expect to start as a barback. A barback is basically the assistant bartender who helps refill inventory, clean the bar area, and support the wait staff.
While it's true that it's a social job with a lot of fun aspects, it's also hard work, both mentally and physically. Seriously. You'll be on your feet all day, you'll be dealing with a lot of people who all want your attention, and you'll constantly be on the go. When bars get busy, bartending becomes stressful.
Bartending is one of the most lucrative side hustles for people who work or attend school during the day, and it can even be a great full-time position for the right person.
The average bartender salary in California is $30,400 with an additional $175 in tips per day.
Bartenders are below average when it comes to happiness. At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, bartenders rate their career happiness 3.0 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 35% of careers.
Put your bartending job description section in the right spot. Write it just below your resume introduction if you've worked in the industry longer than Dale DeGroff or below your education section if you're writing your first resume.
5 Traits of a Good Bartender1) Knowledgeable about drinks. A professional must know their craft. ... 2) Maintains cleanliness. ... 3) Good customer service skills. ... 4) Great time management and memory. ... 5) Situational awareness.
In addition, a bartender must be able to handle intoxicated customers and decide how to handle the situation. A good bartender maintains all the above qualities—memory, communication, organization, and friendliness—regardless of how much pressure is placed upon them.
For instance, depending on the school, you may be able to complete all 40-hours in a single week… or you may be given the option to attend weekly classes (one class per week) throughout the course ...
Typically, online bartending schools can last anywhere between 1 to 4 weeks, or 15 to 40 hours. While online schools may still have a time-constraint, unlike offline bartending schools, you will be able take classes at your own convenience.
Most bartending license courses won’t take more than a day to complete. Generally speaking, most bartending license courses will only take 2 to 4 hours to complete. Reader Interactions.
The best way to get experience bartending is to bartend. But bartending has the classic catch-22 of job seeking. You can’t get hired without experience, and you can’t get experience without being hired. Enter bartending school. You’ll spend hours simulating pouring, mixing, and drink-making techniques using real liquor bottles—of all liquor bottle ...
What a bartending school primarily sells you is a wealth of industry knowledge, low-stakes practice, and networking opportunities. And, ideally, the legal permit or certification you need to tend bar where you’ll be looking for work.
If you’re totally new to bartending or are having trouble getting your first bartending job, yes. It’s worth it. If you have some experience bartending and only need the specific certification or permit required to work in your area, no. It’s not worth it.
This is something a lot of bartending schools don’t necessarily want broadcast, but bartending certificates and licenses aren’t required to bartend. Some towns, counties, or states do require a certification or permit to bartend, but it varies from place to place. And some municipalities don’t require anything.
But networking doesn’t end when the course ends. Use your bartending course as a springboard to attending industry events, expos, and conferences or joining online communities. Then you’re not just increasing your job prospects, you’re getting a whole new drink-slingin’ family.
Most states don't require any formal education or training to be a bartender. The most basic requirement is being over the legal drinking age of 21. Beyond that, the requirements will vary from location and employer.
There are many different schooling options, but the cost of a bartending certification ranges between $200 to $800 for a 40-hour program. If you're already working as a barback, earning your certification can give you the skills you need to advance in your career.
The biggest concern people have before investing in any type of formal education or training is whether it will help them get a job. No one wants to fork over hundreds or thousands of dollars only to wind up earning the same amount they do now.
National Bartending School offers classes up to three times per day, Monday through Saturday.. Students are also encouraged to log class hours in the bar in between scheduled classes, where you can go to study, mix drinks, and practice your speed. Lab hours count towards your overall class time.
If you need to space out your classes, you have up to one year to complete the course. The amount of time it takes to finish bartending school is completely up to the individual student. You are free to schedule classes around work, childcare, and other schooling- the sky is the limit with National Bartending School!
The state of California requires 40 hours of class curriculum to obtain your bartending license. These 40 hours are broken down into two hour classes, each one covering one of ten chapters. Every class is divided into two parts; one hour of lecture and one hour of lab time behind the bar.
The school offers classes six days per week, up to three times per day. Most campuses are closed Sundays.
Lab hours count towards your overall class time. You can also schedule practice tests during this time. It is wise to take advantage of extra practice time, to help prepare you for the practical exam, and employment in a bar..
The bartending school usually lasts a week or two for the price of less than $600. At the higher end of the cost scale, in Pacific Coast Bartending School in Santa Barbara, for example, the two-week course costs $600.
Instruction in tapping and pouring beer, and instruction in some basic facts about wine, are usually included in the bartender training.
The job of the bartenders is to fill orders for drinks at bars, restaurants, and private catered events. The work of the bartender requires social skills and friendly disposition; yet, some bartenders work at a service bar in the kitchen while wait staff brings patrons their drinks.
They often reorder supplies and manage the cash register, and they need to keep the bar clean, and according to the sanitary standards. Training is not required for bartending; however, training may help students with little experience begin to develop skills in mixing drinks.
The costs for an in-class type of bartender school are substantially higher than an online course. You’re paying for the instructor, materials, and, of course, part of the rent and utilities on the building/classroom.
Alcohol Awareness Training is required in many states. It’s a simple class, kind of like a “Food Handler’s” class, that you take to learn about the laws involving alcohol. Most likely the topics will be similar to this:
Do bartenders make good money? Yes, they do. Of course, it all depends upon what type of bar you’re working at, how many shifts per week, and whether or not the place is high-volume. Experienced bartenders move up the ladder and do really well.
The European Bartending School runs some of the most comprehensive & well-known courses, but they’re also the most expensive – around the $2000 mark. These courses last for 3-4 weeks and include over 100 hours of instructor led classes. So although it’s expensive, you get a lot out of it.
The other reason why bartenders discourage formal bartending education is because they’ve met some graduates who think that they’re amazing bartenders even though they’ve never worked behind a real bar before…
This is exactly the same way I feel about formal bartending classes. Except instead of peeling potatoes, you’ll be washing glasses, taking out the trash, changing kegs, and waiting tables. You’ll spend a lot of money learning bartending theory and techniques that you won’t necessarily need.
One is a ‘Drinks & Preparation’ course that goes through the basics of mixing drinks – it costs $395 and takes 1 week (around 20 hours) to complete. The other is a bartending/mixology course (which includes an alcohol awareness program – very useful) that costs $695 and takes 1-2 weeks/40-50 hours to complete.
As I’m sure you’re aware, one of the difficulties aspiring bartenders face when they’re looking for work is that most bartending jobs require the applicant to have experience. If you don’t have any, landing a job is difficult – this is where bartending classes are “supposed” to help you out.
Stay humble and be willing to work your way up. With all that being said, bartending classes aren’t a complete waste of time and money. In fact, if you’re going for the right reasons, they’re absolutely worth it.