How to Get a Job that Pays in Tips

It might seem counter-intuitive, but many people hold jobs where their pay is mostly cash or card write-on payments from customers. The plus of a tip-based job is that you can make more than just a straight hourly wage. However, you can also strike out on a slow night. The tip-based job is a more "volatile" pay environment where workers have to analyze their take-home pay more closely to find out if they are being well compensated. On the other hand, a good tip-based job can be a great income-booster for someone wanting to get prepared for their next career step.

Instructions

1. Wait tables. Statistically, this pervasive occupation is the easiest way to find a job that pays in tips. Partly because of the astronomical turnover of the job, there is usually no shortage of server jobs in a particular area. Servers make their money not through wages (they can legally be paid as little as $2-3/hr), but in gratuities that are more or less expected from customers by a mostly unspoken contract. And servers can get paid well, depending on the restaurant, clientele and location.

2. Go to bartending school. Bartenders get paid in tips, and paid well. With customers dishing out as much as 25% for delivery of drinks (which take as little as a half minute to serve), bartending is among the most lucrative "commission-based" jobs. And the best way to get a bartending job is to go to a bartending school: you'll get the diploma and the skills to set yourself up behind a bar anywhere.

3. Visit swanky clubs, casinos and restaurants to find other options. From restroom attendants to cocktail waitresses, a wide variety of positions are available at high-end venues that pay mostly in tips. These jobs may or may not pay well, so do your research before jumping into an "attendant" type job (such as a porter or concierge), that pays mostly in gratuities.

4. Become a parking valet. Valets are used in many places, from restaurants and hotels to auto auctions and other large auto shops. First, get a clean driving record and get savvy about being behind the wheel. Then market yourself to employers as a trustworthy and reliable employee. You may find yourself getting well-paid through cash tips from the owners of those BMWs and Porsches that you expertly stow in a parking space.

5. Find out about tip-sharing. As a dishwasher or line cook for a restaurant, you may be eligible for tip money if the restaurant participates in a tip-sharing program where servers pool the received gratuities for even distribution at the end of the night.