If you think that drinking is an expensive form of entertainment in Australia, then working in a bar can be win-win for you. You’ll be forced to forgo all those pub crawls in the city with your mates.
But more importantly, you’re entitled to what bartenders refer to as “staffies”. In plain English: free drinks. Most owners allow this, but it’s up to their discretion as to how generous they are with “free booze”.
Oh and last but certainly not least, you’ll get a fairly decent wage. Bar workers get around $20/hr with penalties (usually time-and-a-half) after midnight and Sundays if you’re a casual employee.
Tips vary from bar to bar and can be as little as none if you’re in a little pub or up to $200 per shift if you’re in a top-notch cocktail bar or nightclub.
If you’ve had no experience with bartending then it’s best to start at the quieter pubs where training will be provided on the job. There are one-day bar courses you can attend, but the best way to learn is by diving in head first. Before you walk into a pub with your résumé, make sure you’ve got your Responsible Service of Alcohol Certificate (RSA). That’s a qualification most people will need before they can work with alcohol. It only takes a day to get and costs about $65-75. But beware, it often only applies to the state where you do the training. The best way to get a bar job is to walk in and speak to a manager.
Experience isn’t mandatory, it’s personality that will seal the deal. Trying to keep that personality up when you’re dealing with piss-heads is another story… If you work in a clothing store, you’re expected to wear the clothes, and in bars, once you finish your shift, you’re expected to drink. And there’s nothing more satisfying than that first sip of alcohol after you’ve clocked off – it really feels like you’ve earned it.
