How to Start & Open a Bartender School

Bartenders are looked at as service workers, but some make more money than people who sit at a desk all day. So if your town or city doesn't have a high-profile bartender school yet, you might want to embark on this new business idea. Anyone can open a bartender school, but it is easier to start this type of business if you have a background in bartending yourself. That way you can start off teaching students and grow from there. Your biggest expense will most likely be in advertising your new school to prospective students and hiring certified bartenders to teach.

Instructions

1. Get a license from your state to operate a bartending school. Even though most bartending schools use fake colored water instead of actual liquor when training new bartenders, you may also have to get a liquor license in your state. See "Resources" below for a list of state business websites and their requirements.

2. Find a location to open your bartender school. The ideal location is a former pub or club that was closed down but still has a full-service bar. You want your students to get the full feel of working as a bartender, from grabbing the bottles from the wall to serving the drinks on the bar.

3. Hire experienced bartenders in your local community to teach classes on a part-time basis. Set a schedule for when classes will begin and how long they will last before the students graduate. Decide if the classes will overlap; will you have two or more sets of classes going on at the same time?

4. Set your prices for the bartender school tuition and draw up forms for your new students to sign. Many bartending schools charge anywhere from $500 to $1,000 for a course that lasts from 2 weeks to a couple of months.

5. Purchase supplies and materials for your classes, including jiggers (1-ounce glasses), bottle openers, pourers, glasses, wine openers and fake fruits for drinks. Develop and print study guides that list the drinks your students will be taught how to make. Purchase books that list all of the most popular mixed drinks for your students to study at home.

6. Develop relationships with as many bars, restaurants and hotels in your area as possible. Let them know that you have a bartender school and would love to work with them in sending them your best students to apply for jobs when the students graduate. The better the job you do at getting your students employed quickly after graduation, the more students you will attract in the future.

7. Advertise your bartending school in your local paper and on the radio. You want to target people who are either unemployed or underemployed (seeking additional work). Generate more interest from word of mouth advertising when people see the high quality of your school.

8. Draw up a certificate for you to use to represent graduation from your bartending school. While most states don't require that bartenders get official certification in order to work, having a certificate from your school might help your students get employed quicker.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to start collecting empty labeled bottles for your new bartending school. You will need these for training purposes.

Resources

• State Business Requirements
• Bartending Guide
• Common Bar Supplies You'll Need for Your School