Is It Hard To Get A Job As A Bartender?
So you want to be a bartender huh?
Well… you came to the right place at the right time!
And to answer your question… Not if you go about it the right way!
Becoming a bartender is something everyone at some point in their life considers doing. They think it will be fun, you’ll make good money, be the life of the party, and life will be great. Sounds good in theory, but it doesn't exactly work like that.
Restaurants and bars notorious for having very high turnover rates. Meaning that employees come and go, all the time. Not necessarily because the job is a bad fit, but because of how employees value the job. To many servers and bartenders, the job is a temporary position, and is a placeholder until they find a position in the field they go to school for, or until something better comes up.
However there are those die hard industry workers that have decided they like the job so much, they are going to do it forever. And to those people, we tip our hat! A smaller percentage of the restaurant industry decides to make the commitment long term, and make a career out of bartending/serving.
SO… to answer your question, is it hard to get a job as a bartender?
The answer is NO.
It’s not hard to get a job as a bartender, because there are so many restaurants that need someone. So if you are applying to every bar, restaurant, and nightclub in town, eventually you will get hired. Now that doesn’t mean that the job is going to be one that you love working at, that pays all your bills, and gives you the life you want.
Anyone can play football. Not everyone can play in the NFL.
Point being, almost anyone with a hint of experience can get hired if they apply to enough places. But not everyone is going to be a "startender" that makes a six figure income from it. It all boils down to how you apply yourself, and how serious you take the job.
Treat it like a side gig, and it will pay you like one.
Treat it like a career, and it can pay you like one as well.
If you are looking to make great money, have fun while you work, meet new people every day, and work in the nightlife industry, then you need to apply yourself. You need to dedicate time to learning, sacrifice aspects of your social life, and treat it how you want it to pay you. If you do that, the opportunity is ready and waiting.
After the pandemic, the hospitality industry saw a massive loss of employment. When bars and restaurants closed down, many of the workforce had to go back to old careers, or family businesses just to make ends meet. Once the world opened back up, a huge percentage of the workforce never returned. This left bars and restaurants in a situation it had never before faced. For the first time almost ever, there was a shortage of people seeking work in the industry. This forced most bars and restaurants to struggle to get by. Overworking the staff that did come back, and cross training employees to be able to do every job.
Today, we are still seeing this problem exist across the globe. Bars and restaurants are in dire need of full-time employees, and will take pretty much anything they can get. This is great news if you are thinking about getting into the industry. You can get a foot in the door as some of the best places in your area, with little to no experience. If you have some training, desire to work full time, and the right attitude, chances are someone will take you in. So if you are thinking about getting a job as a bartender, it is probably as good of a time as ever to get started!