Bartender 101: The Bartender School Approach

So, you want to be a bartender? A career in bar tending can be lucrative and interesting. To see some of the possibilities just check out A Career as a Bartender: What to Expect from Wages to Advancement Opportunities.

I bar tended for years and branched into bar management. I followed the path as far as I wanted to take it. Now I want to share some of the knowledge I gained before I was a bartender.

Breaking into the Bar Business: The School Approach

I have to admit that I went to bartender school. It was fun but unnecessary. Bartender courses offer you a lot of what you can learn on you own plus a bartender certificate. Had I known then what I know now, I would have saved the $400 plus dollars I spent and taught myself. The following is what the bartender course was like.

Bartender schools are set up similar to a bar. All of the tools you need to learn the trade are supplied, from the glassware to the colored water filled liquor bottles. During bar tending school you will get the hands on feel of operating a bar with out the pressure of demanding customers.

A typical day (or evening) in school lasts for 4 hours and the course runs for about two weeks. There are longer courses available with variable times. Everything depends on your bartender school selection and how much you want to pay.

When classes begin you are assigned a station behind the bar. During the first class you familiarize yourself with the bartending implements set up before you. You also learn a few bar and call drinks, your extreme basics: Rum and Coke, Vodka Tonic, Bourbon and 7-up. At the end of class you are sent home with a recipe book and an assignment: memorize the first set drinks.

Through the rest of the course, until examine time, the instructor bellows out drinks and you make them. Each class orders are varied to accommodate the memorized recipes, you scurry to mix multiple drinks, and set them out as they should be served. The pace advances as the number of drinks learned increases.

The last night you are given a final exam. The exam is three fold: written, speed and presentation. The written exam is part multiple choice, part fill in, and part short answer. This portion counts as 1/3 of your grade.

The speed and presentation test are counted together and are 2/3 of your grade. The instructor calls out a list of 10 drinks once. You are required to make them in under a certain amount of time. The drinks should be off the station mat and on a tray, with garnish, and ready to be served. I bet you are wondering, what's the time limit? 00:01:10.

At the end of the course you are officially a bartender. You are certified in a matter of days after the coursework ends, which is a requirement in most states. Certification means you have passed a state mandated course on being a responsible server. The certification course is usually a one-day class and is separate from the bartender coursework.

Once it's all said and done, you hit the bars and find yourself an employer. Most bar tending schools offer leads so you are not blind-sided by rejection.

Bar tending school is not a bad option. You get the feel of working behind a bar, how to increase your speed, and how to multi-task. For everything else you are on your own. For those needing that hands on approach, along with coaching from an instructor, learning to be a bartender in school may be for you.