How to become a bartender with no experience and still land a decent job
How to become a bartender with no experience
How do you become a bartender? I’ve been in the bartending biz since the summer of 1989. I had just moved to New York, NY and was looking for a way to pass the time between early August and the start of classes at CUNY Brooklyn (Brooklyn College for those in the know).
I had spent a couple weeks doing audio work in an off-Broadway theatre called ‘Home’ and many afternoons in Midtown Manhattan frequenting Loews movie theaters watching second-rate films like ‘Lockup’ and ‘Relentless,’ etc. One fateful afternoon I came across a flier hanging in the front window of a local business lobby that was advertising a local bartending school for the low price of just $250
Now, I say fateful not because bartending school changed my life. I say fateful because BARTENDING changed my life, and I also met a lifelong friend at the school, but the school itself was a freakin’ joke! The course was 4 nights, Mon-Thur for 4 hours each evening. The instructor forgot to administer the final exam to me, so I passed without so much as lifting a finger (I managed to find a way to take the test, just for my own piece of mind)
The ‘job placement’ aspect of the school was an even bigger joke. They sent all the recent graduates to the same locations, of some lame-ass bars/ restaurants that would MAYBE be hiring in the future. It was great to catch up with the people I’d met in school, but landing a job proved to be a lesson in frivolity.
Somehow, I managed to land a job in a cheezy, East-side family-owned Italian dump, that to this day I’m convinced was simply a money laundering front for the classless owners who fit every stereotype I’d ever formed about the mob. The first thing I learned on that job was that I had learned very little in bartending school that translated to the practical, real world. So…
The one thing you need to know as you learn how to become a bartender is this: Stay away from brick-n-mortar bartending schools that promise you a trip to the moon, paid for by their ability to teach you the ropes and help you with job placement. In fact, any bartending course promising you job placement should send you running for the nearest exit point!
The best and only way to learn how to become a bartender is to pick up a few essential tidbits beforehand, like how to make a screwdriver, a martini and a fuzzy navel (there are others, but you get the point). If you know a couple insider things like what makes a martini ‘dirty’ then you’ll be well on your way to impressing an interviewer.
Next, you’ll want to land a job in an establishment as a bartender, or as a server (waiter/waitress) with the intention of moving up from within. See, what any self-reputable ‘bartending academy’ will NEVER EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, tell you is that most bartending jobs require experience to land. Any reputable establishment will want to promote from within, in order to see what they have available to them. Many of the best and most experienced bartenders you’ll ever meet will have stories to tell of how they had to pay their dues by bar-backing or bussing tables
Learning how to become a bartender with no experience is as simple as landing your first restaurant job. It’s possible to land a coveted bartending position right from the start, but that experience is rare. So, do what you can to learn the ropes. I’m here to help as much as I can. Then, you’ll be well on your way to learning how to become a bartender, and making a very nice income as a result…
Other terms being used to locate this article: how do I become a bartender, how long does it take to become a bartender, how to become a bartender in California, how to become a bartender in Texas, how to become a bartender in NYC
Related Bestsellers At Amazon.com
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
Prices are accurate as of May 19, 2012 1:50 am. Product prices and available are subject to change. Any price and availablility information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of any products.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon Services LLC. This content is provided 'AS IS' and is subject to change or removal at any time.
Related Posts:
2 Responses to “How to become a bartender with no experience and still land a decent job”
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You mean I don’t have to go to bartending school to land a job?!
http://travellingbartender.com/whats-in-a-long-island-iced-tea-recipe/