Bartending School?

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Mizugori
i dont have problems moving beer kegs. YOU try picking one up by yourself, and hoisting it onto a shelf 4 feet off the ground-its just horrible for your back i dont care if you're mr universe its a bad system. the shape and top only handles also make it an awkward lift.

I have though...not professionally though.

My back is fine.

Others have answered that the classes are not going to help...not much you are going to get out of it in a week anyway.

Experience is the key to a good bartender, you don't need work experience just drink experience.

When on the interview you simply tell them to name a drink and you pour it correctly and even better with a bit of flair for the type of bar you will be working you are a shoe in.

South Florida is big on good bartenders and they can make excellent money if one can handle the hours.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: ChrisIsBored
So I don't look like a complete ass.. I'll add some input.

First, you have absolutely no skill in bartending, therefore automatically you assume that 1) You can get a job straight off and 2) You deserve a job with no prior experience. Let that soak in for a few seconds.

If you truely want to spend some time behind a bar (and i've had a lot of fun and made a lot of easy/non-taxable income the last 3 years of my life) then you're going to start at the bottom. Even people with prior bartending experience will start out bar-backing (that is unless you have a nice pair of tits). <---- so a man with a nice pair of tits will get preference over a woman with no tits.



Bar-backing gives you the knowledge and experience of what's actually behind the bar. If you can prove yourself able to multi-task well enough for all the shit you have to do while bar-backing, then you've got potential to be a decent bartender.

Bottom line though, if I don't see you willing to do any hard work starting out bar-backing, then you'd have no chance in hell getting a job from me.

 

[Mizugori]

im frankly not surprised that a lot of people who at least claim to be bartenders or know them, are bashing on the schools... i mean it makes sense; you sweated your balls off and made crap money bar-backing to get up to bartending, so of course you are going to be outraged if someone else gets in another way. that doesn't mean that it can't be done; that's like saying just because one guy enlists in the army and it takes him years to make officer, he is somehow better than someone who gets in smarter by getting a college degree and starting as an officer right off the bat.

 

[slsmnaz]

I was a bartender in college and never worked with anyone who had gone to school. Most promote from within so you need to start somewhere. I was a server then barback then bartender. It's usually the most sought after position so you can't expect to jump ahead. From your job exp section, you haven't really even worked with customers yet. Get some experience, pay your dues like everyone else and you might make it. Either that or grow some tits, your choice.

 

[yoda291]

The school is a waste of time and money. Granted, if you have never seen a drink in your life, you could learn something, but you could burn through the useful portion of the course with an hour on google. It's things like how to pour a drink, basic measurements, a few simple drink recipes(martini, daquiri, manhattan IIRC). They can't teach the important things like how to navigate your area or manage where you keep everything because every joint is different. Job placement is a joke in the NYC area. If you believe they have so many job connections that they can get you a position to mix drinks anywhere in NYC from your 200 someodd dollars, I've got some unicorn hairs I can sell to you, cheap. To get the position you're likely looking for, you've either gotta know someone, be hotter'n hell, or be able to suck a golf ball through a cocktail straw.

You didn't seriously think this was a way of bypassing entry level did you? Here's a tip for you, nigh every career on the planet will require you to start at the bottom somewhere and work your way up unless you know someone, are hotter'n hell, or can get that gddamn ball through the damn straw. my recommendation is to work for your school internally. Pay will likely be on par with what you'll get elsewhere overall, plus you get access to internal school rsrces and they're a little more understanding of the fact that you have a courseload....unless your lifelong ambition is to pull beer and mix drinks...

 

[hdeck]

Originally posted by: Mizugori
im frankly not surprised that a lot of people who at least claim to be bartenders or know them, are bashing on the schools... i mean it makes sense; you sweated your balls off and made crap money bar-backing to get up to bartending, so of course you are going to be outraged if someone else gets in another way. that doesn't mean that it can't be done; that's like saying just because one guy enlists in the army and it takes him years to make officer, he is somehow better than someone who gets in smarter by getting a college degree and starting as an officer right off the bat.

lol @ comparing bartending school to college.

 

[Mizugori]

oh i have work experience up the wazoo... cashiered at 15-18, then at 18 started working in a liquor store, got promoted to assistant manager in 4 months, worked there until leaving for college and part time (over vacation periods, holiday weekends, etc) until january 06, then worked at a mortgage company for a few months, hated it, politely left, got hired at radio shack but couldnt get placed in a location close enough to me to make it workable, so ended up getting a job at applebees... worked there until jan 07, then worked at an english career school teaching chinese students, proctoring TOEFL tests, etc... started an internship doing perl/mason programming/tech support/unix admin/misc server stuff/etc in march, which i am still doing... i think between the liquor store (i did a ton of customer service and 1-on-1 work with clients, especially wine buyers) also i did a ton of customer service at the mortgage company... and i regularly helped out at the bar at applebees, getting people beers and taking snack orders, and taking drink orders for servers who were over-sat, sitting people when the hostesses were two busy being dumb whores, etc....

 

[Mizugori]

Originally posted by: yoda291
The school is a waste of time and money. Granted, if you have never seen a drink in your life, you could learn something, but you could burn through the useful portion of the course with an hour on google. It's things like how to pour a drink, basic measurements, a few simple drink recipes(martini, daquiri, manhattan IIRC). They can't teach the important things like how to navigate your area or manage where you keep everything because every joint is different. Job placement is a joke in the NYC area. If you believe they have so many job connections that they can get you a position to mix drinks anywhere in NYC from your 200 someodd dollars, I've got some unicorn hairs I can sell to you, cheap. To get the position you're likely looking for, you've either gotta know someone, be hotter'n hell, or be able to suck a golf ball through a cocktail straw.

You didn't seriously think this was a way of bypassing entry level did you? Here's a tip for you, nigh every career on the planet will require you to start at the bottom somewhere and work your way up unless you know someone, are hotter'n hell, or can get that gddamn ball through the damn straw. my recommendation is to work for your school internally. Pay will likely be on par with what you'll get elsewhere overall, plus you get access to internal school rsrces and they're a little more understanding of the fact that you have a courseload....unless your lifelong ambition is to pull beer and mix drinks...

you didnt even read my post (its 600 not 2) so don't bother responding to it.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Mizugori
you guys are being idiots. how about this rule: don't post unless you are a bartender, or have gone to bartending school. because otherwise your opinion is just conjecture and i don't need it.

welcome to aTOt noob..

hell, welcome to the interwebs

now answer htis question:
WHY do u want to be a bartender?

if u think it's a cool fun thing to do, then go for it.

if it's for $, then stick w/an internship in your major.

i know a bartender (female). she said it's hard for a guy to immediately be bartender. you work your way up (barback) or gota know someone.

if your a hot girl, then no prob. hell, you dont even have to know how to make drinks if your in this catagory. your hired by the bar to basically bring in the guys

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: Mizugori
im frankly not surprised that a lot of people who at least claim to be bartenders or know them, are bashing on the schools... i mean it makes sense; you sweated your balls off and made crap money bar-backing to get up to bartending, so of course you are going to be outraged if someone else gets in another way. that doesn't mean that it can't be done; that's like saying just because one guy enlists in the army and it takes him years to make officer, he is somehow better than someone who gets in smarter by getting a college degree and starting as an officer right off the bat.

wow. Well I think you should go to bartending school. Because you are going to get out, think you can get a job and then proceed to be unemployed. Or if you do get one you are going to be so slow (I have been bartending my own parties with my 40+ bottle liqour collection for over a year and I could never be fast enough to tend anywhere) that you will be fired very quickly.

Then you can come back and post a thread about how much your boss sucks, or how bartending sucks, or whatever and that will amuse me.

So for the ultimate goal of my amusement, please go to bartending school.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Mizugori
im frankly not surprised that a lot of people who at least claim to be bartenders or know them, are bashing on the schools... i mean it makes sense; you sweated your balls off and made crap money bar-backing to get up to bartending, so of course you are going to be outraged if someone else gets in another way. that doesn't mean that it can't be done; that's like saying just because one guy enlists in the army and it takes him years to make officer, he is somehow better than someone who gets in smarter by getting a college degree and starting as an officer right off the bat.

So let me translate:

"Don't answer unless you tell me the answer I want to hear."

You'll do great in a cube farm.

 

[slsmnaz]

By reading your posts here it looks like you have great personal skills. You should go far in the service industry (where you have never truly worked). Please make sure to post which bar hires you so I can mark it down on my "avoid at all costs" list.

 

[yoda291]

Originally posted by: Mizugori

Originally posted by: yoda291
The school is a waste of time and money. Granted, if you have never seen a drink in your life, you could learn something, but you could burn through the useful portion of the course with an hour on google. It's things like how to pour a drink, basic measurements, a few simple drink recipes(martini, daquiri, manhattan IIRC). They can't teach the important things like how to navigate your area or manage where you keep everything because every joint is different. Job placement is a joke in the NYC area. If you believe they have so many job connections that they can get you a position to mix drinks anywhere in NYC from your 200 someodd dollars, I've got some unicorn hairs I can sell to you, cheap. To get the position you're likely looking for, you've either gotta know someone, be hotter'n hell, or be able to suck a golf ball through a cocktail straw.

You didn't seriously think this was a way of bypassing entry level did you? Here's a tip for you, nigh every career on the planet will require you to start at the bottom somewhere and work your way up unless you know someone, are hotter'n hell, or can get that gddamn ball through the damn straw. my recommendation is to work for your school internally. Pay will likely be on par with what you'll get elsewhere overall, plus you get access to internal school rsrces and they're a little more understanding of the fact that you have a courseload....unless your lifelong ambition is to pull beer and mix drinks...

you didnt even read my post (its 600 not 2) so don't bother responding to it.

clearly you've already made up your mind and have determined this is how things are going to work. It doesn't matter than nigh everyone here is telling you the same damn thing. Really, if you wanted a "qualified" answer, all you had to do was walk into any bar in new york (there's a gazillion of them) and just ask the guy behind the counter how he started. The only answer you're looking for here is someone to give you a thumbs up and a pat on the back for working out this fantastic system of getting what you want. Clearly you're gonna make it through sheer force of will, the logistics of it be damned. By the power of grayskull, you should fight crime with these logic defying powers of yours! No, you're right, 400 dollars is a world of difference... like a nice business dinner for two...maybe. Verily the gilded gates of opportunity will open up and all will be made well. Since I've missed this distinction, I must not have any idea what's been said. It's not like there aren't thousands of other people out there in manhattan who'd also like to make that level of tips....people who don't have courseloads and can work any hours of the day...people who have experience mixing drinks...people who are already working their way up from barback. Yeah...crazy talk... no competition to you...you went to bartending school.

So since it's all you really wanna hear.
*pat on the back
*thumbs up.
*applause
Good Job!

 

[OdiN]

This is some good pwnage...but not good enough for a nomination...yet. Keep it up.

 

[montanafan]

First of all, I know nothing about bartending, but it sounds to me that the main reason you're considering this bartending school if for the job placement. I'd suggest you find out just exactly what they mean by that. Do they guarantee that they will find you a job as a bartender? Or does it just mean that they guarantee they will find you a job in a bar ( read bar-backing) where you can work your way up to bartender? If it's the latter, then it really doesn't seem worth the time and money, if it's the former then sure.

 

[XxPrOdiGyxX]

Seems like people are just saying that the SCHOOL is a waste of money since the chances of you getting a bartender position immediately out of school is slim to nil. They are also saying that if you are willing to work from the bottom up and willing to sweat it out then do so. If you aren't willing to or don't even want this to be a career it is a waste of time. I don't understand why you think these aren't good opinions from the posters.

 

[imported_weadjust]

I was a bartender for 6 years in a college town. I did not attend bartending school. The only way to get a job at the place I worked was to be friends with one of the bartenders or know the owner.

 

[amish]

Originally posted by: Mizugori
oh i have work experience up the wazoo... cashiered at 15-18, then at 18 started working in a liquor store, got promoted to assistant manager in 4 months, worked there until leaving for college and part time (over vacation periods, holiday weekends, etc) until january 06, then worked at a mortgage company for a few months, hated it, politely left, got hired at radio shack but couldnt get placed in a location close enough to me to make it workable, so ended up getting a job at applebees... worked there until jan 07, then worked at an english career school teaching chinese students, proctoring TOEFL tests, etc... started an internship doing perl/mason programming/tech support/unix admin/misc server stuff/etc in march, which i am still doing... i think between the liquor store (i did a ton of customer service and 1-on-1 work with clients, especially wine buyers) also i did a ton of customer service at the mortgage company... and i regularly helped out at the bar at applebees, getting people beers and taking snack orders, and taking drink orders for servers who were over-sat, sitting people when the hostesses were two busy being dumb whores, etc....

:laugh:

yes, proctoring TOEFL tests equates to bartending experience. i forgot how many times i had to tell people to stop cheating while i was mixing a margarita. your perl, mason, and unix experience will really help you when the POS system goes down too. :laugh:

too bad that none of your "experience" that you have stuck up your wazoo means anything. might as well get your head out of your wazoo too and learn from what other people are telling you.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Mizugori
oh i have work experience up the wazoo... cashiered at 15-18, then at 18 started working in a liquor store, got promoted to assistant manager in 4 months, worked there until leaving for college and part time (over vacation periods, holiday weekends, etc) until january 06, then worked at a mortgage company for a few months, hated it, politely left, got hired at radio shack but couldnt get placed in a location close enough to me to make it workable, so ended up getting a job at applebees... worked there until jan 07, then worked at an english career school teaching chinese students, proctoring TOEFL tests, etc... started an internship doing perl/mason programming/tech support/unix admin/misc server stuff/etc in march, which i am still doing... i think between the liquor store (i did a ton of customer service and 1-on-1 work with clients, especially wine buyers) also i did a ton of customer service at the mortgage company... and i regularly helped out at the bar at applebees, getting people beers and taking snack orders, and taking drink orders for servers who were over-sat, sitting people when the hostesses were two busy being dumb whores, etc....

Your attitude to the job is one of the biggest things that will work against you. Very few places have the hostesses doing anything but stay front and center giving guys dreams they can possibly hook up with them.

Your work experience is all over the place. Customer service over the phone and in an office is a lot different than a bar.

Waiting tables is a lot different than working a bar.

Bartending is not for everyone. Do you even know a list of 10-20 mixed drinks?

 

[alkemyst]

I want to add...almost any one week school is a sham. Things like this with no experience in it are better stretched over time. What a one week school is good for is the guy/gal that has been running their own home bar for a while, but know nothing of what should happen behind a bar where metering the shots and keeping track of what's selling as well as comping the right customers and slowing the wrong ones.