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Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
I want to start bartending and have been asking around for opinions on whether taking a class is necissary. I've heard you can get hired without experience and they train you for about 6 mo but with a class you can jump right in.
What have you guys experienced, or do you know anyone who has taken these classes with success??
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Waste of money, unless you're in New York. You can learn on the job and get the hang of it pretty quickly, as long as you have a basic understanding of drinks, mixing, pouring, etc. I've done some bartending and enjoyed it, and never went to school; I just worked in restaurants for a decade and was around it enough to pick up the basics. In a lot of areas, all you're doing is pulling beers anyway.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Yea i agree you could just as well get a book on bartending and making drinks and you should be fine to go. How much would the school be if you don't mind me asking?
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
you might need to pay to get a license to bartend, though....
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Serving alcohol, whether waitressing or bartending, does require a liquor license. This usually involves a one-day class on how to recognize when people are drunk (gee, I know we all need help with that one! ::)) and the local laws regarding alcohol. Upon completion of the course, you get your card. Your employer should pay for the course, so you should get a job first and then go.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Waste of money. I used ot be a bartender and I took the class but it only serves you to know the recipe not the speed. So just learn your recipe and for the speed well it comes with time.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
My boyfriend took a class that was required to get a bartending license, but he never went to bartending school to learn to make drinks, he just bought a book that had all the recipes. The class he took was like $25 at the local tech school, and it basically just taught him how to spot fake IDs, tell when people are drunk, etc.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
The class is around $400..
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
I was a waitress then bartender, I learned the drinks while waitressing, and 80% of the time it is beer or wine, waste o $$
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Outside of teaching you recipies, its a complete waste of your time and money.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Thanks for the responses. Seems like the opinion is unanimous.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
I've been bartending for three years....I agree with the other posts. Don't waste your time/money. In Michigan, the bar must have the liscense to server, not the bartender herself. Depending on the place you work at will determine what drinks you'll be making.
For examle, if you worked somewhere like Applebees, you're going to be making a lot of drinks with fruit, vodkas, sour....either served on the rocks or blended. You'll be taught how to make these when you train I'm sure.
If you work at a hole-in-the-wall like I did, you'll be serving 95 percent "wedding drinks," i.e., draft and bottle beer, jack and cokes, bacardi and cokes...that's about it. In three years I've only made two margharitas.
As for learning recipes, you don't need school for that either. Try doing a search on google for "drink recipes," you'll find everything you need. The only way to learn and get good at it is to just go in and do it...and have somebody there that you can ask questions to. And don't put up with any shit--learning to be "a bitch" is a must unless you want to get walked over by old, drunk, perverted men.
Hope this helps and good luck!
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Well...I am a bar manager and if I may pat myself on the back our unit broke our wekly sales record already this year and our daily sales record as well...we are a 4 mil + unit. I also was once a bartender. None of the people that work for me took a bartending course. I personally think it depends on who you are and what you want to achieve in your bartending career. If you are looking to pull mega cash at a high pace club than your ability to pour drinks quickly, look good and hustle are all that will be required. If yo are looking for that more traditional role of the handshaking neighborhood bar kind of thing it's obviously not necessary either. There are SCADS of trade magazines out there that are worth a peek. Even the mixology part of tending is very self teachable. Integrity, interpersonal skills (both with your guests and your coworkers) and speed of service are what wil make you money and build a career for you. Believe it or not I taught myself to sail (solo including a 30+ ft morgan islander, catamaran and dinghy as well) to fly fish and tie flies with the "for dummies" books. They get great authors who are industry moguls to write the books and I have found after they launched my interest in something that they were spot on with the right info for beginners. I mention this because just getting drink recipes is helpful but if you don't know what goes with who than getting creative will be a little frustrating. Also be prepared for the fact that bartenders can be really, really hard to work with. It's a lot like what you may have see as a dancer, basically the new person is cutting into the money! Lastly be careful if you are a compulsive person. Do you like to drink? Better yet do you REALLY like to drink?
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Also...we watch trends in the market. People are drinking less of better stuff. Ten years ago people drank more from the rails and less from the shelves. Today that's not the case. Much more top shelf stuff...shots and shooters are still raging. Every day many people will ask many questions of whether my Bt's know how to make a ->insert ridiculously named drink here<-! Sex with a calf, red headed back flipping double spanky
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
I just finished bartending school and I wish I could get my money back!!! Waste of time and money! Pick up a drink book and learn the basic drinks. The teacher talks for a bit then you spend time practicing behind a bar. The play bar I was at never had the bottles in the right order, half the time they were empty, so you really couldn't even learn the "speed" aspect of the job. And anyone could go buy the bar recipe flash cards to study with (or cheaper yet, make your own!), that's 90% of the course right there. Then they try to sell you on the price you pay for the course by saying that it's free/lifetime placement. I got my weekly listing and every single one was already posted on Craigslist 1-3 weeks before! So not only were they just taking stealing their listings, they were old too. Waste of time, waste of money! >:(
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
When I left college I started looking for reception/office work, and then fell in retail. Almost ten years later I am having a bit of a rethink and have actually been to the local hospitality institute and did the Bar Operations course.
Granted I had the luxury of last December of being unemployed, so no commitments or needing to wrangle time off, and also under the goverment schemes here in Australia I didn't actually have to pay for myself.
I was looking into a barista course and the ever essential Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate, but after getting the costs and allowing for concession prices it worked out cheaper to pay for me to do the full bar course then two individual componants from this course!
Mixing drinks I've done a lot of myself over the years at home and at friends places and my bookshelf is full of "guides" so there wasn't a lot new to me there.
I'm finding however that locally a lot of places want staff that have had X amount years in the industry. In some of the more upmarket places I can understand this but in bars and clubs, so much of it is pouring beer or opening pre-mixed cocktails.
Shots and shooters are very very popular in the clubs particulary, I suppose since they tend to attract a younger crowd. I would have liked more practice making these, especially the layered ones.
I can't really judge if it was worth the cost, but if I had to find the money myself I may have hesitated some more before committing.
But a really good guide to mixed drinks or bartending won't go astray. And as one of our instructors (20+ years in the industry) told us on the course when working at a bar always ask if they have any guides and if not take one yourself.
This is just my experience, I don't know if it's of any help.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Well, I have an appointment with the Bartending school today at 1pm. I'm really looking forward fo it.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cinammonkisses
Well, I have an appointment with the Bartending school today at 1pm. I'm really looking forward fo it.
Let us know how it goes. :)
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Hope it all goes well for you. Best of luck!
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
Here here! I may not have posted this thread but it helped me understand that I don't need to shell out $400. I'm looking in the classifieds as soon as I get a paper!
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
I agree fully with SS&B.. I learned by jumping behind the bar when the Hotel I was working at need a Bartender, I wasnt even 21 but they didnt ask so I didnt mention. Shame on me, Oh well I think BARTENDING SCHOOL is A WASTE OF MONEY.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
My exfiancee used to have ownership in bartending schools around the country and i used to work at one for him. i taught classes even though i was too young to even bartend in the state and had never even bartended yet. its a business, not a school. i was also placement director and it was nearly impossible to get any of the graduates work. trust me, a waste of money.
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Re: Bartending school - waste of money or worth it?
cinnamin if everyone told you its a waste,why did you ask if you knew you were gonna go? I can tell you first hand that the Club I work at will not take someone from Bartending School and "US" bartenders laugh at the thought of wasting your money and time. YOu should take those 6 weeks and get a job at a local shithole bar that wants you because you are young and attractive, Im assuming...work for a few weeks until you are confident..and then go to the bar/club you want and tell them you have more experience than you really do, we all did it, as long as your confident you will do fine. Spend some time at the bars just looking at the bottle placement ask questions from the bartender and sit at the bar and watch her, at first youll feel clumsy but youll get it, speed comes with time and experience not bartending school..Just my 2cents. Good Luck..