Is Bartending School Worth It?

IS BARTENDING SCHOOL WORTH IT?

We have established and reiterated that bartending is a very demanding job. Every night you find yourself mixing cocktails and pulling out pints over and over for lots of customers at a stretch, without breaks, and on your feet. As demanding as it is, the job is one of the most exciting and bartenders have lots of exciting job prospects. There is so much that a bartender can do and if the establishment you work allows you to take tips, you could make a lot in tips commensurate with or even more than your salary. So, if you are thinking of towing this career path, what is the best way to get started and land a job? Should you attend a bartending school? Is attending a bartending school worth it? There are different opinions about it, but we will dissect the big question for you.

Are bartending schools worth it?

The answer to this is mostly yes regardless of what you want to achieve as long as you want to take up bartending as a career. A bartending school costs money and time as each course you have to take could cost somewhere between $50 and $500 with a sizable number of instructional hours.

Therefore, before deciding to enroll in a bartending school, you must be sure that this is something you would be willing to do long-term as a career. You do not attend a bartending school because you want to serve drinks at a bar over the weekend or as a side hustle for your summer holidays. Bartending school is serious business on its own, and it should only be taken up for serious reasons. A good bartending school prepares you in many ways such as helping you learn in a formal environment, connecting you with the right networks for your career and of course, a credible certificate from a reputable institution which proves that you put in the effort to learn from the best in the industry.

Also, a bartending school gives you all the support you need to succeed as a bartender, and this is not only about teaching you the rudiments of working as a bartender. They also offer you career support, such as helping you secure a good bartending job after you have completed your training.

When Is It a Good Idea to Attend a Bartending School?

Getting a bartending certificate from a reputable bartending school with international recognition can offer you lots of opportunities such as extensive knowledge about cocktails, opportunity to travel to other countries and work there, profound career support to get you started. If you would also like to know about mixology or work as a mixologist, attending a professional bartending school can give you an edge.

Attending a bartending school is a serious business that requires both financial and time dedication. Therefore, you need to first think about where you see yourself in a few years as a bartender. If you are sure that you wish to make a career out of bartending, then you could give bartending school a shot. But if you only want to gain bartending skills for fun or so that you can take weekend jobs then attending a bartending school may not be worth it for you.

What Are the Questions You Should Ask a Bartending School?

As a prospective student of a reputable bartending school, you stand a lot to gain than you could gain elsewhere or on your own. Thus, before you decide to enroll in a bartending school, below are some of the important questions you should ask and get answers to;

On average, how long does it take graduates of the school to secure professional bartending jobs after the completion of their programs?

• Can you talk to some of the past students?
• Does the school assist with job placement after graduation?
• Can you speak with employers and establishments affiliated with the school to check how much they like the courses the school offers?
• After a year, what percentage of graduates from the school work as professional bartenders?
• Do students receive health and safety training?
• Do students receive training on Point of Sale restaurant systems?
• Do students receive training on the handling of cash and the financial aspects of bartending?

Getting answers to these questions is important, and you must make sure of that before you decide to sign up with any bartending school.

SOME BENEFITS OF BARTENDING SCHOOL

1. Learn excellent customer interaction skills before even setting your foot in a real bar.
2. You get to learn about all alcohol laws in details and in a more organized setting so that you do not miss it on any important law.

• Learn about everything sanitation while working at the bar from your hygiene to the handling of bar tools.

1. Learn how to pour correctly and avoid spilling of drinks.
2. Learn some essential business tips and upwelling techniques. Offering additional items to a customer’s order could help make the customer decide to stay loyal to the establishment you are working at.
3. Learn bar control techniques and about the laws of alcohol intoxication and refusing to serve an intoxicated patron.

• Learn how different drinks, spirits, and beverages are made. You get to learn about ingredients and everything in between.
• Make your resume look better. By including in your resume that you attended a bartending school makes you stand apart from a lot of other applicants for the same job who did not attend a bartending school. Couple that with some experience working as a barback, waiter, or even a bartender and you become the number one choice candidate for the job.

CONCLUSION

A bartending school does more good than harm, and when you start to reap the benefits of attending bartending school, you would be glad you did. From the numerous connections, network, in-depth bartending curriculum, creating your network of prospective bartenders and many more. A bartending school delivers so much more than just teaching you the basics.

American Bartending School is conveniently reached from any of the cities in the Palm Springs – Palm Desert area; including Palm Springs proper, Indio, Cathedral City, Coachella, LaQuinta, Rancho Mirage, Desert Hot Springs, Yucca Valley, and Beaumont, California. Proudly serving the community as the oldest school with behind-the-bar. hands on training classes and bartending job placement assistance.