Has anyone gone to National Bartending School? And been placed with a job through them?

When I called them, they seemed really proud of their classes and the jobs that they get people who are certified through them.



Are they really as good and reliable as they say?



Thanks!Has anyone gone to National Bartending School? And been placed with a job through them?
A 'barback' is a person that assists a bartender, usually by restocking their supplies.



DON"T go to bartending school, a total and complete waste of time and money, and all it really does is give you a worthless piece of paper that FALSELY proclaims that you're now a qualified bartender, which these graduates are anything but. And I am endlessly stunned by the haughtiness and holier-than-thou attitude displayed by your average bartending school graduate. HELLO!!! It's not like you've earned a college degree here! It's not like you're now intellectually on par with a rocket scientist. I can't count the number of times I've watched a "graduate" get behind the bar for the first time, and wind up getting totally smoked and snuffed by the patrons and onslaught of a moderate sized crowd, all while begging me for answers to "how do you make this drink" or "how do you make that drink"?. Stop wasting my time dammit.



First, get a job as a barback and look, listen, and learn. Or, for a female, cocktail waitressing is another easy way to gain experience, especially if your bartender is willing to teach you a bit, plus, as a barback or cocktail waitress, instead of wasting your money on a completely worthless certificate whose value is only one grade up from toilet paper, you'll be earning a decent income as you learn. While on the job, absorb as much information as you can from the bartenders you are working for, and ask questions, as time allows. Get a few good bartending books, read and try to memorize the more commonly requested cocktails in your area, and also the classic types. Beware--for lots of drinks, 10 different bartending books will give you 10 different cocktail recipes (try looking up Mai Tai in a few and you'll see what I mean)--so don't freak out. Another weird thing, I was bartending in the FL Keys for 20 years, and I dealt with a lot of international tourists and tourists from all over the U.S., and (don't freak out here either) the same drink with the same name will be made completely differently where they (the tourist) is coming from. For instance, a european martini is far different than an american martini, so if I was asked for a martini by someone with a european accent, I'd have to stop and clarify it with them (60 to 100 years ago, the american and eurpoean martinis were exactly the same, not so anymore). A hick coming outta South Dakota will insist that his Tom Collins is red and has grenadine in it, and yes, that is in fact what you get when you order a Tom Collins in SD. I now call that one a Sven %26amp; Ole Collins (because a Tom Collins it surely isn't). And that's just the tip of that iceberg. Bartending is far and away more art than science, there are very few 'right' answers--some right answers, but not a lot. Get used to that.



Bartending school will try to teach you the science, little of the art. And bartending school graduates will of course tell you how great the experiance was for them, and how much better of a bartender they are versus the non-schooled bartender (that holier-than-thou thing I mentioned earlier, simply because they cannot intellectually digest the fact that they have flushed $500 to $1000 of their money down the toilet. And you'd better be a people person, someone that people want to talk too, and you HAVE to talk to them, whether you want to or not. And patience--you MUST have a well of patience 100 feet deep or more.



In summary, artending schools are a waste. Get yourself a job as a barback or cocktail waitress, buy a coupla good bartending books (yes, they same drink will have different ingredients in different books--don't freak out), learn the standard drinks, learn your regional favorites (they vary greatly), and do it yourself. It ain't rocket science. Here's a little secret: real bartenders snicker and laugh behind the backs of bartending school graduates. I mean puh-leeze, get a life. .



Also, don't just learn at work. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, which of course happens at HOME.Has anyone gone to National Bartending School? And been placed with a job through them?
Would you rather be,... a high school drop-out or have a college degree?



A degree is just a piece of paper also..... but that piece of paper will get you much, much further in life...



You tell me...?



EDIT: OK, I see your point. If you just want a job to help pay your way through school, then NO... I would not invest in a bartending school. Chances are, you'll go on with your life in your chosen field...... GOOD LUCK !!!