Bartending

I've been working odd jobs for the last few years and the other day it hit me.."why not bartending?" It's something thats always interested me but for some reason I've never pursued it. Anyway I really don't know where to start. There are some "bartending schools" in my town that offer quick courses on becoming a bar tender but for some reason I feel like there has to be more to it than that. I mean, do you really just go to some school for a few weeks and then all of a sudden you can find work bartending? Don't you need a license of some sort? Or is that what these schools offer? I'm hella confused, so if someone could shed some light that'd be greatly appreciated.

I absolutely want to know all this too. I don't want a real job in New York.

Most bartenders I know would laugh at you if you went to bartending school to be a bartender, they cost a fortune and are a joke.

The best way is to start as a barback, basically a busboy for the bar. Prove you worth to the barstaff and they will want you to be one of their own. Every place I worked, every bartender either came in with experience or was a barback for us first.

The other option is a brand new restaurant. When they are opening a new place sometimes the dynamic is a bit different and they are looking for something else and are more willing to train you to be exactly how they want you to be for their new place. That worked for a couple people I know.

I was a bartender for 10 years and a barback for 2... good business. Generally probably looks more fun than it is when the tenders are slammed but over all good money, and you meet a lot of singles.

My brother is the assistant manager of a club. He left home to go and be a bartender and worked his way up. Go for it.

From what I understand from the friends I've bartended with (from waitressing), bartending schools are apparently a sham. They take your money and don't come through on the job placement like they promise.
Ask around if you have any friends who can get you an "in"...lots of bar/waitress job are come upon by people's friends refering them or getting them in.
If you start waiting tables at corporate places like TGIFridays and the like, they promote people to bar. They never hire bartenders, but promote the best wait staff.
Also Xixax (above) had really good advice in getting a club job barbacking (for girls it's cocktail waitressing)--they also promote within.
It's a real competetive industry but good money and fun....good luck.

Bartenders' Group.

don't bother with bartending school. they'll still make you start at the bottom, and you'll just be out whatever you paid in tuition.

Yes but the person asking for the advice was male---the other obvious place to work up from is waitressing but that is something exclusively for women.

Thank you

The whole bartending school thing seemed kind of fishy to me, I can't believe they'd rip people off like that (oh wait, yes I can). I'm moving in about 8 months to a new town, hopefully I'll be able to find work there but for now I guess I can start working in a restuarant. Where I'm moving is a college town and the majority of work there is in the service industry.

Instead of spending the money at bartender university, you should just buy all sorts of booze and party,.... I mean "practice" at home. If you don't have a suitable bar area you can just use an ironing board and a little imagination. Depending on the company you keep, you may have to "practice" being a bouncer as well.

[Edited on Dec 10, 2004 by ensignricky]

Ironically I'm virtually a non drinker, which is actually most likely a good thing when it comes to bartending.

I had class a few quarters back with a girl that went to one of those bartending "schools." She went to get a job at a place, told them she'd done one of those bartending school gigs, and they told her it didn't matter, she had to work her way up through the ranks. So she wasted about $800 on the classes just to do what everyone has to do any way.

Spell it with me, kids. S-c-a-m.

Hmm, yeah you have a point there...I guess I have to go on a binge now, who's with me?

My best advice is to get index cards, and mark ounces of certain liquor on them, and have a friend quiz you.

"Make me a liquid heroin."

Then you grab a glass, and put the appropriate cards inside.

This is how a friend learned, and it worked really nicely.

[Edited on Dec 11, 2004 by zerendra]

i started out as a busser at my restaurant, then moved to barback and now i' bartend. you'll get along a lot better with bartenders where you work if you move up from barback. I think the harderst part of bartending is not overpouring other than that its not very hard and its fun even when insanely busy.