I want to be a bartender to support myself through school how do I start without attending bartending school?

then apply for the job but im pretty sure you have to go to school to do it.I want to be a bartender to support myself through school how do I start without attending bartending school?
Bartending schools are a waste of money. Even if you did go, a restaurant or bar wouldn't hire you without experience.



Keep trying for the server jobs. The economy is kind of tight right now, so jobs are hard to come by, especially in small towns. If you keep applying long enough, someone is bound to hire you. The more restaurants you apply at, the better your chances of getting hired. Get out the phone book and send a resume to every restaurant in town.... even if they haven't posted an ad in the paper or on craigslist. You can also apply for jobs as a greeter/hostess, cashier or a bus person.



Because the economy is so bad, employers are getting deluged with applications and resumes. They can pick the cream of the crop. There are tons of people with lots of experience looking for jobs, too, and you have to compete with them.



It would also be good idea to contact your state's alcohol licensing board/commission and find out how to obtain your alcohol server's permit. You'll need one if you get a job as a server. All you have to do is take one class, pay a small fee (usually about $30) and take a test. If you have an alcohol server's permit, you can add that to your resume to make it look better.



As far as I'm concerned, becoming a server (or getting any other front of the house job) is the ONLY way to eventually become a bartender.... either that or having a friend in the business who's willing to hire you as a bartender without experience. Bartending schools are considered to be a scam in this industry. The only thing they provide is to swindle you out of your money.



The reason that restaurants will not hire someone as a bartender unless they have experience is because people who have never worked in a restaurant can not handle the pressure of working a busy bar. Working behind a bar requires someone to be fast and to have the ability to multi-task. Plus, restaurant managers want bartenders who have excellent customer service skills. The only way to learn these skills is to wait tables.I want to be a bartender to support myself through school how do I start without attending bartending school?
Be a server instead, you'll make much more in tips that way and you'll also get a shot at bar tending through proving yourself worthy of it.