Are you considering a career as a bartender? Bartending is an excellent job or even second job, especially if you are a night owl. Restaurants, bars and pubs will always be around, so it is relatively easy to find work in this field. However, acquiring these skills doesn’t come easy. Most great bartenders have gone to school to learn these skills. Tips are an especially nice added bonus for highly skilled bartenders. The more skills you have as a bartender, paired with your personal skills and work ethic, the more tips you are likely to make. So if you want more tips you need more skills, and if you want to get the right skills it’s time to sign up for bartending school.
Have you thought about where you want to go to get your bartending education and experience? There are a number of schools around the country, and there are plenty of online options as well. In general, these programs aren’t overly expensive. Another plus to attending bartending school is that you can find classes that are anywhere from a few hours at a time over a period such as a semester, to condensed versions in which you can find yourself having completed your course in a long weekend. However, the schooling portion of your learning to be a bartender is only a small part of the education process. It takes time to really learn the inner workings of how to be a bartender and to establish your personal bartending style.
If you are more of a classroom setting type learner and prefer to attend an actual class, check with your local community college to see if they have a course for you. You can also review www.abcbartending.com to find courses nationwide. Do a quick search online for classes in your area.
Many schools also have job placement assistance. This can be beneficial to finding locations where you can fine tune your skills and put your bartending education to use. This may mean you are not working at your desired establishment, but it will get you some good experience.
Now that you know where you can attend school, what types of things will you be learning there? You will learn how to make a number of the classic drinks as well as new mixed drinks and cocktails. Generally, you will learn how to make a 100+ drinks, and get tips on how to memorize the recipes.
You will also learn customer service including how to deal with intoxicated people. If your course doesn’t cover barware, you should study up on that yourself. You will learn about the history of different liquors, particularly the types and brands. This is helpful if you are asked about various drinks, and if you know what you’re talking about people will remember and come back to the establishment you work at.
Make sure to do your homework to find the course that best meets your budget and learning expectations. Combine this with a good personality and a strong work ethic, and this job will be making you money in no time.
Written by the staff at Willie’s Pub and Pool in Columbia MO Willie’s has great drink specials and is one of the most atmospheric bars Columbia MO has to offer.