Frequently Asked Questions About Our Courses

Why Bartending?

Bartending is a great skill to have. It is comforting to know that should you suddenly find yourself short of cash, unemployed, or moving to another state, you can always fall back on bartending. Regardless of the economy or the time of season, there will always be social drinking and therefore a need for bartenders. Bartending has put thousands of students through college; much, much more lucrative and fun than tossing burgers or waiting tables. Bartending is the perfect job for actors who need to audition during the day and is a great job for mothers with young children; they can work evenings, spend all day with their kids and have hubby baby sit at night rather than putting them in a day care, and of course it is a great second job for anyone looking to supplement their income; it's a nice feeling to have cash-in-your-hand when you leave that night, and it is no secret that bartenders can make some really good money....and we can all do with some more of that.

FLEXIBLE HOURS:
What other job offers such flexible hours? Work days or evenings, weekdays or weekends, only one day a week or three days, part-time or full-time, or maybe the occasional private party when you feel like it!

GREAT PAY:
Bartenders are known for their ability to make a very good living, you will be surprised at how much money a good bartender can make. It is one of the very few jobs that actually pays you for socializing. So how much do bartenders make? Well if you checked it out on a salary survey site all you will get is $5 to $10 an hour in most establishments and $12 to $18 in hotels (with benefits); however, they don't provide you with information on cash tips, and tips are a huge portion the bartenders take home pay. In Manhattan a good bartender can rake in an average of $200-$400 cash-in-hand on a busy night. We have bartenders working in high-end establishments making much more than that. It all depends on the establishment, the clientele, and your personality and bartending skills.

HAVE FUN / MAKE FRIENDS / MAKE CONTACTS
Where else are you going to get paid to party with others? bartending is a great way to make contacts for business and personal (you will never ever need a dating service, that's for sure).

How old do I have to be to Bartend?

Every state is different. In New York, it is 18 to serve and 21 to drink (go figure; you can vote, fight for your country, get someone else drunk, but cannot drink yourself).

Do I need a license (certification) to bartend?

Certification and license refers to one of the same. Certification is not required by law in most states. However, that it does not necessarily mean that is not a requirement by some establishments, for example, we are finding that at our South Florida bartending school location (New York Bartending School of South Florida) many owners/managers are requesting certification from a licensed bartending school. But in general, the certificate is not going to help you land a job, it's all about the training! Certification is only as good as the training you received from the school you attended. All bartending schools MUST be licensed by the state otherwise they will be closed down (and remember a 'licensed to do business' is NOT the same as a license from the State Education Department). All State licensed trade schools offer a certificate (diploma) as required by the State Education Department. Unfortunately due to every Tom. Dick and Harry issuing bartending certificates without any real training; it has little meaning to most employers. You can even get a certificate on-line for under $50, not that it will do you any good; please don't go waiving it in front of the manager when you go looking for a job, unless you want to be laughed out of the bar. Don't forget, a bar manager will ALWAYS try an applicant behind the bar before hiring, regardless of experience. A good place for the on-line bartending certificates and many bartending schools, is the bathroom wall!

So when looking at bartending schools, don't think 'certificate'...think 'training'.....because that's what is going to land you that job! The certificate may help, quite often it will not! Personality, knowledge, confidence and efficiency behind the bar are the attributes that the manager/owner is looking for in a bartender. Bartending is much more than being able to make a few drinks! Bartending schools in general have received a lot of bad publicity in the past, and most of it is simply due to licensed bartending schools with poor training (unfortuantely state licensing does not neccessarily reflect the quality of training), scam fly-by-night schools (unlicensed; they move on and change their name after they have been closed down); college/university bartending courses that are taught while you sit at a desk and watch an instructor making drinks on a desk; on-line bartender certification training (certification hype; zero hands-on training), and job guarantees (a school can give you leads, give you tips and advise on landing a job, provide you with bartender training, but they cannot guarantee you a job, YOU still have to go through the interview process, just like every other bartender).

So what does certification from the New York Bartending School mean? To us, and the establishments that send their staff and hire our graduates, it simply means that our graduates have received modern hands-on bartender training that covers much more than basic drink-making skills of yesterday. Training that that will give our graduates the knowledge, skills and confidence to land a bartending gig (with or without a certificate)!

What should I look for when choosing a Bartending School?

Years ago it was much simpler to find a bartending job, much easier to be trained on-the-job. Drinks were more basic; 'red or white' was the standard question when someone ordered a glass of wine. In the old days it could be said that all bartending schools were the same, that does not hold true today; the skills of bartending have certainly changed over the years.

The following tips will help you evaluate a school; weigh one school against another, help you make the right choice so you can receive the necessary training to land that great bartending gig!

NOTHING BEATS A VISIT!

We would NEVER ask you join our school BEFORE you checked out our facilities, sat in on a class, talked to the students and instructors. But even then you should hold off your decision UNTILL you have checked out the training and facilities of all the OTHER schools that you are interested in. This will give you the real picture! By visiting several schools, you will walk away with an informed and educated decision as to what you will receive for your tuition dollars. Research and compare!

  1. Do a little research online. Pick 2 or 3 schools you like. Don't make the mistake of choosing only school(s) that are the closest route to your house! You are looking for the bartending school that provides the BEST TRAINING. We see so many people coming into our school that spent a fraction of out tuition fee because they figure...eh! all bartending schools are the same...as long as I get my license! WRONG!
  2. Once you have chosen several bartending schools, then check with the New York State Education Department to see if they are licensed. Copy and paste the following link in your browser. http://www.highered.nysed.gov/bpss/DIRECTORY1.htm
  3. Inquire if they offer a hands-on trial class (a good way to see the quality of training first-hand). Check out the school's training manual. Is it up-to-date? Will you learn ALL the trendy and classic drinks served in the bars, restaurants and clubs of today? Or will you be wasting your time learning obsolete drinks like the Angels Tip, King Alphonse, Pink Lady and Banana Banshee.
  4. All modern bartending schools should have a POS micros register system in their facilities, plus a full backbar and underbar and beer/tap system.
  5. Do they have a good seminars on wine & spirits?
  6. How busy is the classroom? The standard is 1 or 2 students per fully-equipped station. So if the classroom has 5 stations then there should be no more than 10 students. Stay away from any school that has 3 or more students per station! Go into the classroom and get behind the bar and count the number of stations!
  7. Do they offer a recognized alcohol awareness program?
  8. Does the school have a job placement director (quite often that position is delegated to an instructor) that will help you one-on-one whenever needed? Do they have an on-line job site with daily job leads (some schools ONLY allow you to call the school once a week, at a specific time)?

OUR GUARANTEE TO YOU - There is NEVER any pressure to sign up at the New York Bartending School. We will answer all your questions without any sales pressure. You may stop by the school anytime you want (NO appointment is needed). You can tour the school, sit in on a class, get behind the bar, talk to the instructors, job placement and students.
We are very proud of our bartending school and know you will be impressed with our facilities & professionalism of our staff. We want you to feel equally confident our training, which is why we offer a hands-on trial introductory class with no fee or obligation to sign up.

Do you have job placement assistance?

We feel the New York Bartending School has the best job placement program in New York, however, we do not use the sales tactic(bait & switch) of a 'guaranteed job' waiting upon graduation. Apart from being against state law for trade schools to guarantee or promise jobs, YOU are the one on the interview, YOU are the one who is initially going to land the job! Okay but don't you say that the New York Bartending School has a high job placement rate? Yes we do, and we contribute that to our training! We will do all we can to help our graduates find work. We provide excellent training and job placement assistance resources, but the bottom line, it is your personality, determination and persistence that will land you that bartending job. We understand the confidence builder of real on-the-job experience, which is why the training at our school is similar to working behind a real bar. To top it off, however, we then follow up with guest bartending nights to provide our students with some actual experience and confidence behind working establishments. After graduation we follow up with a job hunting seminar that includes interview techniques training, resume building, and the occasional guest speaker to prepare for your job search. We provide one-on-one assistance along with a password protected job placement site that offers our graduates real job leads.

"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! CREDITED!
Really do a good job at placing people when you finish the course".
- Tory Johnson, CEO of Women For Hire, on FOX 5, Good Day New York

Our job placement assistance does not stop at New York, it also includes reciprocal job placement assistance at 37 affiliated state licensed bartending schools nationwide and 23 bartending schools worldwide.

Can I retake the course again?

Sure you can! In fact you can take the full course over again as many times as needed, as often as you like for the rest of your life! You will never pay an additional fee!

How can I learn so much in only 40 hours?

Simple really! We don't overcrowd our classes; we are the ONLY school with two classrooms, so we don't need to overcrowd. We provide great learning aids and individual attention. Of course, it certainly helps that we have excellent instructors that are experienced and enthusiastic about what they do. And remember, if you can always take the course over if you need more time.

Do you have a Payment Plan?

YES WE DO! and we do NOT charge you an additional fee for this service. Call us at 212-768-8460 or drop by the school. We will be more than happy to assist you.

What if I take an online bartending course, will I be able to find a job?

Bartending is not brain surgery by any means; however, if you think you can learn professional bartending by reading a book, watching a videotape, or through an on-line bartending course then YOU may be a good candidate for brain surgery. Bartending is totally HANDS-ON. A good online course (if there is such a thing) may be good for bartending theory, but there can be no substitute for hands-on learning; you simply cannot learn the skills & speed needed to work in a bar any other way. Walk in any bar and apply for a job with an online bartending certificate and you will bring the house down with laughter.

Do you offer flexible schedules?

Yes we do! We do it all the time. Come and and talk to us, we will be more than happy to work a schedule to fit your needs.

I do not drink; know nothing about alcohol. Can I still learn?

Most of our students start out with little or no knowledge of alcohol, yet most still graduate the first time. It all boils down to a comprehensive curriculum and unique teaching from qualified licensed instructors. Still not convinced? Then try our free hands-on trial class and then come back and sit in on a class when our students are graduating. Talk to the students first hand!

And remember, ALL our students can retake part or the entire course as many times as they want and anytime they want, be it the following week or ten years down the road and never have to pay another dime!

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