There seems to be heated commentary all over the web about this topi. I've read a lot of message boards over the past couple of years relating to whether or not you should go to Bartending School if you want to be a bartender. No, you certainly don't have to and it is something you can learn the hard way over time behind an actual bar.
There are benefits to taking the time to attend a certified school. Those benefits are that you know the basic makeup of specific types of drinks. How they are mixed or not mixed and how it affects their taste and even the look of the drink. That is extremely important because not knowing something very simple about a drink that another person is paying $8 or more to have served to them can also impact the business, your regular customers, and more importantly your tips.
People of all ages bartend for different reasons. Some to get through college, some because they love the restaurant business, and others because if it is done correctly it is an art. In my case a drink should look like art, should be presented as art, and since it should be easy money for any restaurant should have as much time given to its presentation as food presentation.
Bartending school also covers a lot of the local laws for where you live and plan to work. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with handing a glass of alcohol across a bar. Sure, the place where you work may provide that training, but in the places where I worked there was only one who took the time and made it mandatory to attend for all bartenders and servers. It matters because it can keep you out of jail and can keep you employed.
Another nice benefit is that many bartending schools hire their graduates to work at events and they pay the bartenders well to work. If you go through a catering company to pick up extra work they take a large part of what they charge for you to be there.
It was worth the effort for me to go and I don't regret it, even if I am not bartending today. It often leads to other great things.
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