Becoming a Bartender – The Process
Becoming a bartender is now simpler than ever. With local bartending schools growing in popularity, many people are taking advantage of this lucrative job choice. There are, however, some rights of passage one must take before becoming a professional drink-pourer.
Here’s the process of becoming a bartender:
Meet the Basic Requirements
If you are becoming a bartender, you must be a minimum of 21 years of age. It is California state law that bartenders meet this age requirement prior to landing a job in the field.
Complete Bartending School
Bartending classes vary in length, cost, duration, etc. They all, however, teach students to prepare hundreds of different drinks, shots and garnishes. From the go-to classics, to the obscure drink requests, students leave bartending school with a wide-rang of knowledge that will have them prepared to serve just about anything.
Attending bartending school is the most modern and efficient way of becoming an employed bartender. Students learn quickly, efficiently, and are ready to work as a bartender within weeks.
The traditional process of landing a high-paying bartending job has always been through a job as a waiter/waitress or barback. Through this method, staff would spend months or years within an organization in hopes that they could move up the ranks into a bartending position.
Though both methods prove effective, attending classes has become the streamlined means to becoming a certified bartender quickly.
Get Practice
Whether attending a bartending school or working your way up through a restaurant staff, practice is necessary. There’s a lot of hand-eye-coordination and repetition required to be able to poor multiple drinks a minute, and practice is the only way to reach this level of competency.
As most bartenders can attest to, it takes some work to get to a professional level—though worth it.
Find Work
Once you’re a certified/trained bartender, getting work is the easy part. Whether a restaurant, bar, club, hotel, casino or music venue, numerous establishments need your service.
Another great way to find work as a new bartender is through an event staffing company. Here, you will be found work within a range of events, including weddings, corporate parties, etc. Working events is a great way to hone in on your skills as a bartender, while getting exposed to a number of different venues.
Enjoy Becoming a Bartender
Though there’s a specific process to becoming a bartender, have fun with it! Enjoy learning a new craft that will surely pay off in the long run. Have fun working with and for people, work hard, and you’ll go a long way.
Cheers to becoming a bartender!
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