Drinknation Forums

[theceo13]

im thinking about trying to goto bartending school, and i was wondering about
how expensive is it to attend bartending school? i already have my alcohol
sellers license, so i dont have to worry about getting that. thanks in
advance.

[TapMaster]

Expect to spend anywhere from $400-500 for bartending school tution.

[unthirsty.com]

Make sure you do some research on the school. An old roommate took a class at his community college. He had a good time, but I don't think he learned a lot. I would definitely try and find someone who has taken the course before hand and make sure it's going to be worth your while.

Best of luck,

[Fountainpen]

Working as a barback could set you back months or even a year. Do you have that kind of time? It's better to just cut to the chase.

If you ask most bartenders about schools they'll tell you "Be a barback". WRONG. What will I learn as a barback? I'll learn to carry beer, mop up vomit in the ladies restroom, take out the trash, cut garnishes, assist the doorman when someone needs to be kicked out, get ice, liquor, etc...not what I had in mind. I checked out the schools and made my decision.

Go to school. By going to school I learned a LOT of things that would take me months or YEARS to learn as a barback...that's IF I got promoted to bartender.

Here's what I did.

Be VERY choosy when it comes to bartending schools.

They differ like night and day! Pick a place with small classes and an instructor that's really been there in the weeds and knows what it's like to be slamming with three deep at the bar, not some 25 year old kid with a couple of years experience that's in between bar jobs.

If your'e doing an internet search use BOTH Google and Yahoo. You'll find different results.

Ignore all claims about job placement. Do NOT make "promises of jobs" your reason for choosing one school over the other (ask ANY successfull, working bartender that went to bartending school and they'll back me up on this ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!), also don't make location the reason either. If you're gonna go to bar school you'll only be going once so pick the best one even if it means driving 30 minutes out of your way. The cost of the course means nothing in the long run. Most schools charge between $400 and $800. In the long run picking the better school (even if it's more expensive than the others) will be worth it if you're financially benefitting to the tune of $300 or more per shift.

The school with the best *training* is the way to go.

My advice: After finishing up at school go to some caterers and get a weekend nite gig. You won't make much money but it's a start. If they ask if you're experienced say YES and make up another catering company in another city or state or something. If one won't hire you another one will. It works...That'll get rid of the butterflies in your stomach and you'll feel like a real bartender with some confidence under your belt. After that, hit some local bars and restaurants. When filling our the application do NOT state you went to bartending school, just list your experience with the caterer and make it look like you worked with them for a while. That's how you get your foot in the door. Then to the faster paced places where the money flows in your tip jar. Trust me, I've been where you are. I got started and within months, not years, I was making great money at a club. It's been a few years since I started and I'm still making BANK.

Go to the right school. If you take my advice and follow the steps above you'll have no problem getting started. IT WORKS!

Good luck

[unthirsty.com]

I second that about not telling people you went to bartending school. I've worked 8 years in different restaurants, and several managers told me that they'd never hire someone who just went to school. they've also said that they don't like to untrain people who learned poorly, so experience is the way to go. however, be cautious with lying about working for catering companies, but that is a great way to get some experience.

Jason
www.unthirsty.com