How to get into bartending?
Don't worry...LOL this isn't "yet another extras/ecsorting" thread. Recently, I've taken time off from dancing to focus on my day job(which will be transitioning into a full-time career in the next couple of months). Also, I was getting very tired and burned out from dancing. I have to eventually take on a second job to help pay the bills and to pay for Christmas expenses. I was thinking about bartending.
Here's the deal though: I don't have any bartending experience. I have a lot of customer service-oriented experience, and experience working in a bar environment(as a dancer), but I've never actually bartended. Would I need to go to bartending school to get my foot in the door? If so, how long does this take, and approximately how much does it cost? My friend went to bartending school a few years ago, and they offered her a job when she completed schooling. That would be perfect for me, since I seem to suck at securing jobs. :( (I tend to be kinda shy and indistinctive at job interviews, and my lack of experience always seems to screw me over when I'm competing against other job candidates.)
Or, is there a way I could get my foot in the door without going to school? I have some friends that bartended. My one friend told me back in the summer that she could show me how to bartend and it wouldn't be hard to get a job at the bar she used to work at, but for me, seeing is believing. If she follows through, great; otherwise, I'm not gonna count on that(seems like a bit of a pipe dream?).
One last question: Do bars generally pull background records? I'm a little worried because I'm on probation, and although the charges will be expunged at the end of my probation term, I've been hindered from jobs before because of my record. That's why I'm a bit hesitant to apply to the slotmachine casino that just opened up around my city.
Thanks for the advice!
Re: How to get into bartending?
fake it until you make it.
rather, i worked as a banquet server in a hotel and my bf was head bartender. so he used to show me on slow nights, i did it a few times, then have proceeded to stretch my "experience" from like 2 days to 5 years--it has worked. most places don't really check, and just put down a friends' # and/or say the place was out of state. sorry, i know that sounds shady but it's really not--bartending is an extrememly easy job and certainly does not require, i'd say, more than a month to know it for life. i mean sure there's prob like 20 drinks you want to memorize, not too bad. too bad i landed the bomb job, and then left it for stripping! hehe
Re: How to get into bartending?
OK I searched for "bartending" on this site and found some more helpful information(since I didn't get too many replies). Basically people are saying that I don't have to go to bartending school, and that I might be able to find a small, somewhat slow bar that might be up for hiring me without experience, right? Any other suggestions? Also, if I did decide to attend bartending school, how much would it cost on average, and do most schools set you up with job placement afterwards?(cause I have a HORRIBLE time getting hired by places)
Re: How to get into bartending?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PhillyDancer1982
OK I searched for "bartending" on this site and found some more helpful information(since I didn't get too many replies). Basically people are saying that I don't have to go to bartending school, and that I might be able to find a small, somewhat slow bar that might be up for hiring me without experience, right? Any other suggestions? Also, if I did decide to attend bartending school, how much would it cost on average, and do most schools set you up with job placement afterwards?(cause I have a HORRIBLE time getting hired by places)
Bartending schools have job placement in that they send you to interviews with bars that are hiring. They do not guarantee employment.
I have been to bartending school and IMO, while I learned some great techniques and cool ways to remember drink ingredients, it wasn't necessary. You can learn all you need to know on the job.
Can't you just bartend at a strip club? The clubs around here always hire inexperienced ex-dancers. You could do that for a little while then move on to a different type of establishment once you get some experience.
Re: How to get into bartending?
Thanks for the advice, DylanAngel. As far as strip clubs go, that would be an ideal environment! Because I would still be able to flirt with guys, use my looks/cleavage to my advantage moreso than at a regular bar, and I'd get to see hot girls all shift long. However, I've noticed that there is a very high demand to be a bartender at my city's strip clubs. I have a few friends who tried to bartend, and were told that they couldn't, or were told that they'd have to wait a long time until something opened up. One girl that I know was dancing at a club, wanted to be a bartender, so they limited her to bartending on Sunday afternoon shift(not a good shift for tips, but hey it's an essential stepping stone). Now she is still at the same club, but bartending full-time and not dancing anymore. If I could do something like that, that would be great. But I haven't been dancing in a little while, so it's not like I'm already "in the door" at a club(the girl I know has been at her current club for a long time!).
My friend M--k actually suggested the strip club bartending thing also. I'm just concerned that there aren't many(or any) openings right now(esp since we are entering the dead winter period), and that they would hold out for a more experienced bartender. But it's worth a try!
I've been searching craigslist for bartending positions(that's how I landed my day job). I found an ad with a 1-800 number for bartender trainees. It's worth a shot. But the 1-800 number thing makes me wonder if maybe it is just an ad for bartending school? I don't know, but I will find out soon.
Re: How to get into bartending?
You'll never know till you try hon. Apply everywhere and anywhere (well, not dirty places) until you find somewhere to train you. You can then use that experience to step up to a nicer establishment.
As for the 800 number thing. Yup, you guessed it. It's more than likely a bartending school.
Good luck to you. By reading your posts, it sounds like you'd be a good bartender. Outgoing personality is key with this job.
Re: How to get into bartending?
To be honest, bartending schools are a ripoff-Noone will want to hire you without any experience. The best way to get in is to take a night job cocktailing at a bar and move your way in...
Re: How to get into bartending?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
virgoamm
To be honest, bartending schools are a ripoff-Noone will want to hire you without any experience. The best way to get in is to take a night job cocktailing at a bar and move your way in...
Umm sorry but that's just not true. Plenty of people from my class got hired right after completion. And you can absolutely get a job bartending with no experience...depends on the place.
I only think that school was a waste because you could learn the same thing ON the job.
When I managed I hired and trained quite a few girls who used us for experience before moving on to nicer establishments out of the business. Most of the places around here do that as well.
Re: How to get into bartending?
^^Really? That was so not the case where I lived at all. I'm sure where you live, job conditions/unemployment, etc., the economy and how competitive the job market is at the time all are factors in whether you end up getting a job after just going to bartending school...Something to think about, anyhow-I'm sure it is different everywhere.
Re: How to get into bartending?
I'm sure all of that plays a factor. But two kids I went to school with landed jobs at really trendy NY places and one in Hoboken (huge party town) and a few in Morristown (another big party town).
Funniest thing I ever heard was, that the girls who went to work in NY had to provide head shots to the bar to even be considered!
I still don't think school is your option though...even with all I've said above. You're better off starting small in a place that will train you and then move up without spending the money and wasting your time.
Re: How to get into bartending?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PhillyDancer1982
One last question: Do bars generally pull background records? I'm a little worried because I'm on probation, and although the charges will be expunged at the end of my probation term, I've been hindered from jobs before because of my record. That's why I'm a bit hesitant to apply to the slotmachine casino that just opened up around my city. Thanks for the advice!
I didn't see this question! In my experience, no they don't. Restaurants either. Casinos, most likely, yes. I did, however work at a casino outside of Seattle (one of the biggest ones) and my record was not a problem. You just have to be honest.
Edited to add-There were two people that bartended at the casino I worked at that did get hired after just going to bartending school, so it can happen! You just have to remember that it's a pretty popular/competitive job since the $$ is so good, and at a lot of places you will be going against people who have worked there for a while in other positions that are vying for that job, so it can be tough to get in with no experience. But obviously, from what DylanAngel said, this differs from place to place so you won't know till you try!
Re: How to get into bartending?
DON'T go to school. Bars don't take those schools seriously.Find a place that will train you. Most places prefer it that way cuz then you know thier bar. Being an attractive AND outgoing girl will help you get hired. Then just show them how hard you're willing to work.
Re: How to get into bartending?
In Australia we have loads of agencies that supply lingerie barmaids to local pubs. So you show up in your underwear, get paid AND they will teach you everything.
Cheap plus you make money doing it.
And bartending isnt that hard.
Here you need to know how to pull a beer and open a bottle. You will get by with those two skills, which can be googled (tho Im assuming most people know how to use a bottle opener :-) )
Re: How to get into bartending?
OK so I checked out a few "towny bars"(as my friend calls them LOL!) today, because I realize that I don't have the experience or credentials to demand a job at a high-end place just yet. Two of them had me fill out applications, talked to me for like 2mins tops, then said they'd call me in a week or so after making a decision. At the one dive bar, the manager asked if I'd been to bartending school and I felt silly telling her that I hadn't. I did mention that I was thinking about enrolling soon, though. For two of them, the manager wasn't there and it was kinda busy, so I didn't want to wait around and then bombard the manager once he/she made it through the door. Then, I decided to check out a local strip club in my town. It's kinda a topless dive bar. The people there seemed a lot more receptive than the other bars, probably because strip clubs emphasize more on looks(!), and because well...I don't want to look like I'm bragging, but I was probably one of the hottest girls there(I'm just trying to be honest. Sorry! :-() So the DJ kinda flirted a bit as I filled out the app, I explained to the manager about how I used to dance but I'm not about doing that anymore, and the manager said that he would pass the app along to the other manager, who wouldn't be in until next week. Damn, it was going so well until he said that part! I am VERY leery of people who say that they'll call me in a week, or pass it along, because usually that means that they don't...want...to...hire...me. :-( Maybe a miracle will happen, though. Hells, a freakin miracle happened when I got that insurance office job this summer, so maybe it'll happen this time around?
Either way, I'm gonna make a list of other bars(both strip club and non-strip club), and call places on either tomorrow daytime or Monday. I made up a little bartending resume on the computer during work today(!), so I might send that along to a few craigslist.org ads for bartenders...although it doesn't really have anything bartending related. Unless I mention dancing(which I don't want to, unless it's a strip club-related bartending position), or some of the short-lived restaurant jobs that I didn't give my two-weeks notice to when I quit.
One thing though...I'm undecided about bartending school. I called the school today, and found out that tuition is under $500 and classes last for a week. My friend went to that school and she got a few job offers at country clubs and nice places, before she even finished school! The lady at the towny bar asked if I went to bartending school. However, the manager at the strip club told me that I wouldn't need bartending school, that they train new bartenders, and that he prefers real work experience over "fake" experience(aka bartending school). So I'm wondering if bartending school will do nothing more than put me in debt and make me overqualified?(heh heh, kinda like what college did?). But then again, maybe bartending school will help me to land a job more than if I do it myself?(cause God knows that I am HORRIBLE at landing jobs!!!) So now I'm confused. :-( Anyways, thanks to everyone for responding. I hope to hear more feedback soon! :)