Curmudgeon!

[stressmint]

It sucks that my first post in quite a while will be a rant, but so be it.

For those that know, I spent money taking bartending courses so I could learn the trade and perhaps get a job doing said bartendering.

In fairness, they did warn us that a man becoming a bartender was difficult, but at the time, with all  was learning, I couldn’t see how my

Comments

[blueimber]

Definitely go back to the school for the free brush-ups; and talk to the rep at the school about job placement. Also, take advantage of the training bars, even if at first it is barbacking or busing tables... it's still the experience and getting to know the industry; getting to know the day to day.

I would also suggest bars in hotels/hotel restaurants. There are generally equal opportunity laws and they try to hire evenly when it comes to males or females. Lots of regular bars are already outside of the realm of those kinds of considerations, tho if you can prove that you were not hired or considered fairly on the basis of your sex you can sue. So if someone says "we're only looking for girls" or "we don't need/want males" you can retort assuredly that those kinds of discriminatory statements and hiring practices are illegal.

I would also suggest the bars and pubs in midtown as opposed to those that are downtown and hipster-like; Sure it might be a big crowd and a famous name, but i bet that you would do much better in a classier situation with a more mature clientele; you might get a dollar or nothing on a 5 dollar drink from a hipster, but be entertaining and amusing to a group of CEOs or people just getting out of a business meeting and more as not, you'll get 50 to 75 percent tip; three to four dollars per drink, or even 20%on a bill of hundreds of dollars. There is also less chaos and more opportunity to talk to people and to share the experience, rather than just laboriously slinging drinks.

Also look into the Hudson River cruises... there are lots of tour groups that have bars on the boats; not only are you paid handsomely for your time on deck, but you also end up with lots of tips from toasted dinner guests who compensate for an open bar at a party by flirting and tipping the bartender. ((On my cousin's cruise wedding, the guy had to put up several tip glasses because people just kept stuffing bills in there, and then i am sure that my cousin took care of him additionally at the end, as is custom with wedding staff))

The catering suggestion is gold too; through those kinds of connections you can get connections into the smaller, more intimate types of bar tending scenarios, and the more intimate it is and the better you do it is almost proportionate to the tip you get at the end.

It will take a lot of footwork to land the bartender position. It is a sad truism that it is easier for a girl because lots of 'popular' places want to cater to male drinkers. It is also a truism that bartender is the most swank position at a restaurant; making everyone compete for one or two job slots and be willing to do other, menial work just on the hope that someday there will be a chance to apply for that slot.

Go back to school, get your TIPS certification and brush up your skills and then get back out there and try again. We're rooting for you!!!

^_^