A lot of people love the idea of being a bartender, but it’s a more demanding job than you might assume. If you’ve never worked in a bar and are considering bartending as a job option, here are some things you should know.



If you want to start as a bartender you might want to consider working at a smaller bar, or a place that is not too busy, so you can develop your skills and learn how to make multiple drinks quickly. If you like it you’ll want to move on to a faster-paced bar, where the tips you make will be more worth your time and effort.

As a bartender, you will be earning a very low wage, so your main source of income will come from tips your customers pay. A skilled bartender knows how to maximize tips by “working" the customers while doing the job quickly. He or she has a keen sense of what individual customers want: who expects a little extra attention, and who wants to get their order quickly and get out of there. Of course, a bartender will benefit from being a little flirtatious with customers, it’s important not to lay it on too thick or come across as phony.

Bartending can be hazardous to your health! First of all, the night-time lifestyle doesn’t work for everyone. The pace can be highly demanding, and you are regularly dealing with drunk people who can cause you trouble. Bartending is not an cushy corporate job. You will be standing all night, and if it’s a busy one you won’t get to stop until after last call. When customers are waiting, there’s no time to go for a half-hour dinner break! Many people find the stress of the job is just not worth it, while others have the personality to thrive in the bar world. Think about whether you are temperamentally suited for this type of work before you decide to take training courses or seek a job in a bar.

And don’t forget—a bartender’s busiest (and most profitable) period is on the weekend. If making time to go out with your friends on a Friday night is part of your routine, bartending might not be the right job for you. Many people in the bar industry are frustrated at losing touch with all their friends with regular daytime jobs, not to mention working all night and missing a lot of daylight hours sleeping.

Bartenders need a strong memory: you may get an order from one customer for several different drinks at a time. A manager might test prospective hires by having them make about five drinks in rapid succession—gin and tonic, Jack and Coke, vodka soda, rye and ginger, vodka tonic, for example. If they can’t remember the quickly-recited drinks correctly, they probably won’t get the job.

Bartenders must be able to multi-task. Not only must you remember the customers’ drink orders, you must keep track of whether your bar is properly stocked, clean, and so on. Crucial sales can be lost if you run out of, say soda water or cranberry juice 15 minutes before last call and have to get more from storage.

A good bartender must have well-developed social skills, and be prepared to cater to a variety of people, not all of whom may be to your liking. A good bartender knows how to find just the right balance between being friendly and professional. You need to know when to interact socially with your customers, and to make them feel special and valued without slowing down your bartending duties. Remember, every minute you spend chatting with a customer in a busy bar is a minute less you’re spending getting the next person’s order. Not only will that frustrate the other customers who are waiting, it will potentially reduce the total number of drinks you make thus lowering your night’s tips.

And don’t forget, you have significant professional and even legal obligations when you serve alcohol. You will need to obtain some form of certification. So being a bartender is definitely more than glorified playtime. But if you have the right skills, personality, and a thick skin, you might just fit the bill!