How to Become a Bartender in a Week
The easiest way to become a bartender is to go to bartending school. But that's not the only way to obtain the knowledge you need to start making a living as a bartender. On-the-job training provides a quick and effective means of learning the ropes, sometimes in as little as a week for quick studies.
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Instructions
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How to Become a Bartender in a Week
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Determine if bartending is the career for you. In order to be a good bartender, you must be able to keep your cool under pressure. You need to enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life and be able to add and subtract quickly in order to make change. Team skills are important for almost any bar, since most bartenders work in teams of two or more. And surely: Having a good personality won't hurt, come tipping time.
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Choose a bartending school and start learning cocktail combinations. Going to a good bartending school can be the difference between a good career and a great career as a bartender. Most bartending schools will have you out on your own in as little as seven one-hour lessons, which can be accomplished within a week. Having a certificate from a well-known bartending school can also give you an edge up on the competition when it comes time to look for a job. You'll need to learn how to make mixed drinks, different bartending tools and what they are used for, garnishes, and which glasses are used for which drinks.
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Get a job as a waitress or barback. If you decide to skip school, you can still get a job as a bartender this way. It just might take you a little more time to get there. You'll need to work your way up the ladder. If you can land a job as a barback (bartender's assistant), learn the ropes quickly and prove you know your stuff; you can become a bartender in a week. Many bars and nightclubs hire from within.
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Get licensed. Some states require bartenders to be licensed to serve alcohol. Determine if your state is one of those that do, and if so, take the examination.
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Get certified. Bartenders do not have to be certified, but it's another edge on the competition when it comes to landing a bartending job. You can get certified online by taking an online test.
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Tips & Warnings
Most bars and nightclubs hire from within. The best way to get a bartending job is to start out as a cocktail waitress or barback. Real-world experience is the best teacher.
