How to Get Started as an Independent Bartender
Bartenders are the heart of service in an event. You can see this in the progression of the day or night as people move from food to more drinks. Whether it was a corporate event or a social one, the way it will end fall back to the bartender. This is why if you wish to get bartending jobs in events such as weddings, you need to come prepared. There is no shortage of such events, nut only if you are ready for them.
Before you start looking for such jobs, you need to first know how to bartend exceptionally well. You need to have gone through bartending training, as well as gathered some experience in the same. Where you have no training, you will not be allowed to get any experience. A lack of experience will hinder your chances of getting hired. There is heavy praise for experience in this industry, but it is something you will only acquire if you are trained. You, therefore, need to have gone through a bartending school. You will be taught how to produce high-quality drinks, and to be consistent in such production. You will also have to invest in your tools. There are bartending kits each bartender prefers and proceeds to buy and keep in good condition. You shall find a great selection on this site.
You will soon get a job, of which you have to name your price. You may go with the popular method of charging per hour using a flat rate. Others prefer to charge as per the season, and the kind of event they are serving. You should make a point of doing some research first into the market in the area before settling on one price There may be other bartenders in the area you can find out from the commonly quoted prices there, for a clearer perspective. Remember to never sell yourself short. As much as you think you will get more gigs, you will only end up looking cheap and unprofessional. Charging higher always magnifies your skills and makes you more money at the end of the day.
Bartending at events shall come with other benefits. You, for example, will find it to be highly flexible with your schedule. This allows you to select jobs you are ready and motivated to work on, not the formal employment scenario where your motivation or needs to not count. This is also a way for you to make more money. The hourly rates tend to produce more money in a month than what a monthly salary can give you. It shall be more fun to attend and serve in different events all the time. This is also how you launch your own business and keep that sense of independence.