How To Earn Extra Money By Becoming A Bartender

Bartending is an excellent way to earn extra money. There are both positive and negative things relating to becoming a bartender such as working long nights and having to turn away customers that have had way too much to drink. Learning how to bartend can make you the head of a party, if you don’t mind mixing for pleasure. There are steps to fulfill before officially becoming a bartender.

Besides just thinking about the fun aspects of bartending, take some time to consider whether you can deal with the not-so-fun aspects as well. For instance, how will you handle telling a customer who has had too much to drink that they need to stop, even when they are demanding more? How will you keep your boss convinced that you are bringing in the most money possible while keeping your customers happy? Can you handle a large crowd of people, all demanding their drinks right away? These are the stresses that bartenders face every day, so seriously consider them before going after this job.

You need a great memory to be a good bartender. There are lots of things to remember, starting with what specific drinks individual customers have asked for and how those drinks are made. You also have to remember all of the prices for different drinks offered through your bar. You may even have to deal with special drink requests and know what to charge for them. You also need to be conscious of drinkers who may be under the legal drinking age, since serving them drinks could cost you your job. You have all of that to worry about, and in the end you are working for tips. You never know how well you will be tipped or if you will be tipped at all by some people. Tips can be quite rewarding in some bars, and extremely bare at others.

While mixing drinks doesn’t seem like a demanding job, it does require a lot of skills. You will need excellent communication skills to deal with customers and math skills to add up the tab for each customer and quickly hand back the proper amount of change. You will also have to work with others behind the bar, especially when there is a large crowd around the bar area. Finally, your personality has to be considered. A great bartender is someone who can remain calm under any amount of pressure and who can keep a smile on their face no matter how they may be feeling inside.

Choose a bartending school that is right for you and where you can start to learn drink combinations immediately. Going to bartender school can be the difference between making and breaking your career. Many bartending schools can teach you in under a week with seven hour lessons per day.

Those who don’t attend a good bartending school tend to have a more difficult time finding jobs, since employers are looking for people who already know how to mix their drinks, which tools should be used, and who understand that different drinks require different types of glasses.

Obtain a job as a barback or waitress if you decide to skip school as this may be the only way to gain experience and note it on your resume. If you get a job as a barback, which is a bartender’s assistant, you’ll learn the ropes quickly and prove that you know your stuff. This can make you a bartender in no time.

On a final note, whether you attend school or not you will have to get a license if your state requires it. Go online and check your state’s guidelines. If you do need it, the test can often be taken online.

Brian has helped dozens of aspiring bartenders to find a bartending job with no experience. His newsletter is read by hundreds who want to learn how to become a bartender and get bartending jobs