Bartender 101: Become a Bartender Trainee

Are you ready to learn to be a bartender? Bar tending is an enjoyable and profitable career. To see some of the possibilities, take a peek at A Career as a Bartender: What to Expect from Wages to Advancement Opportunities.

I learned early that it's more than just mixology. Anyone can learn to mix a drink. A bartender makes the bar buzz, keeps the party going, and maintains control.

Breaking into the Bar Business: Become a Trainee

Do you have an outgoing personality? Are you a fast learner? How are you at memorizing? Are you driven to succeed? Are you willing to start at the bottom and work your way up?

I taught many bartenders how to bar tend from the ground up. Why? Because they asked. They wanted to work at my bar. They were familiar with the clientele. They were hungry for a job. They needed a supplemental income. The list of reasons goes on and on.

Before training a perspective bartender, I reviewed past employment, checked references, and interviewed the applicant to ensure they were up to the challenge. One major hitch for applicants was that Texas requires servers be at least 18 years of age. If everything checked out on the application, the interview went well, and the age requirement was met, then training began.

To train a bartender I literally put them to work behind the bar. I would sit at the bar and direct them as orders came in. Regulars would assist me by ordering different cocktails to acclimate them and give them some variety.

Granted, situations would arise where I would have to take over the bar. I never knew when the bar would get slammed. During heavy traffic I had my trainee waitress and observe me as I made drinks.

For three shifts we would work this way. At the end of those shifts I would send the trainee home with a list of drink recipes to memorize.

There was a time or two that an additional training shift was necessary. Frankly I did not mind. It allowed me one on one time with regulars and gave me more time to give the trainee pointers.

During training, bartenders worked for half starting pay plus tips. Not one trainee ever complained about the lowered wages. They were gaining valuable knowledge and earning money while they did it.

After training we set up a probation period. The base pay would increase; the trainee would be assigned a shift and offered shifts as a waitress. During probation, the trainee had to acquire bartender certification (a responsible server certificate, it must be updated annually, and is required in many states). Bartenders could not work full-time until certification was established.

My bar reimbursed certification fees in exchange for a certain length of employment after probation and yearly after that. You should check on your state's bartender certification requirements.

How do you become a bartender trainee? Ask! Show interest and a desire to learn. Before you head to the bar, take some time and learn some of the basics on your own. A little bit of determination goes a long way. The more you know before you embark on a career, the better.