Get a Bartender Job Without Going to Bartending School

Bartending can be a financially rewarding career, and one you don't need a four year degree to enter. My goal is to show you how to get started in the field without the upfront cost of bartending school.

First be warned that bartending is not all fun and games. Besides mixing drinks, you could be responsible for inventory and ordering, keeping up with server's orders, the legal aspects of serving an intoxicating product, and waiting on impatient customers. None of these are very physical tasks, but bartending can be very stressful mentally. Of course if you've worked in customer service before, and can just grin and bear the worst of it then you may just make a good bartender.

Before you start job hunting, you should familiarize yourself with some basic bartending tools and philosophy. Check out webtender.com and Wikibooks.org to get familiar with the terms and responsibilities of a bartender.

I believe the two best ways to land a good bartender position with no schooling or experience are:

A: Find a restaurant you would like to work in, and apply for a 'foot in the door' position, such as host or busser. Then take advantage of any opportunity to cross-train into a bar position.

B: If you want to get behind the bar right away, start as a bar back. The job will be based on setup, take-down, and keeping the bartender(s) supplied with everything they need. A good bar back in a good bar will still make a decent amount of money being tipped-out by the bartender(s), and it's good real world practice for making the leap to bartender.

In addition you should also patronize your local establishments and ask the bartenders there how they got started in the field, as well as the pro's and con's of the job.

Besides knowing how to put together a good martini, think about the other half of bartending. Ask any professional bartender about their strengths and I'm sure being a good listener will top the list. Personality goes a long way, not just behind the counter, but in the interview to land that job in the first place.

If you still prefer to have the educational credentials on your application, think about your alternative schooling options. You can get certified by Bartend.com for only $49.98. Compared to traditional schools that I've found tuition costs running between $250 to $2,500 for, an e-course could be a viable alternative.

Here is one more good link, full of interviews with bartenders about how they got started in the trade. Good luck!