Bartender

What bartenders make

Job Bank's national median is $20 an hour, about $42,000 a year full time. That is the wage only. Tips are on top and in a busy bar they are often the larger half of the night.

No lower rate for serving alcohol

Ontario has no separate, lower minimum wage for people who serve alcohol. Quebec does: tipped staff there can be paid $13.30 an hour before tips.

Where pay is highest

Job Bank's Quebec figures reach $40 an hour at the top. Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta sit at $20.00, and New Brunswick is lowest at $16.23.

What it costs to get there

Bartending schools advertise hard but almost no Canadian bar requires one. The certificate plus floor experience is what actually gets you hired.

Benefits

Job Bank reports that 39% of bartenders get at least one non-wage benefit.

• Cash at the end of every shift

  Tips are paid out nightly in most bars.

• Shift meals and a staff discount

• Flexible scheduling

  Works around school or a second job.

• Health and dental

  Hotels and large groups yes, independent bars usually not.

The path to becoming a bartender, step by step

In most provinces one legally required certificate, then you earn the bar by working next to it.

1. 1

   Get certified to serve alcohol

   1 day

   Smart Serve in Ontario, Serving It Right in British Columbia, ProServe in Alberta. Online, self-paced, a few hours, then a test.

2. 2

   Get hired anywhere in the building

   Weeks

   Barback, busser, server or host. Bars promote from inside because they need to trust you with cash and liquor.

3. 3

   Barback

   6 to 12 months

   Stocking, ice, glassware, cutting fruit, watching every drink the bartender makes. This is the apprenticeship.

4. 4

   Get a bar shift

   1 to 2 years

   Usually a quiet weeknight first. You learn speed, pour counts, the point of sale system and how to cut someone off politely.

5. 5

   Move up

   3 years and up

   Head bartender, bar manager, cocktail bar work, brand ambassador for a spirits company, or your own bar.

High school courses that help you become a bartender

• Math

  Fast mental arithmetic for tabs, splits and pour costs.

• Drama or public speaking

  A bartender is on stage for eight hours.

• Chemistry

  Dilution, temperature and balance are the whole craft of a good cocktail.

• A part-time restaurant job

  Any front of house experience beats a bartending certificate on a resume.

Time and money, at a glance

The one legal requirement, in most provinces

An approved alcohol service course is the law in every province and territory except Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and Yukon, where it is recommended but not required. In Ontario that is training approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, such as Smart Serve. British Columbia uses Serving It Right and Alberta uses ProServe. There is no licence for the job itself and no school you must attend.

Things that raise what you earn

• Cocktail craft

  Classic technique and a good palate are what move you from the low end of the range toward the top.

• Wine and spirits study

  Courses from WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) are recognised worldwide and lead toward sommelier or brand work.

• Bar management

  Ordering, inventory and pour cost control is how you move onto salary.

• Events and festivals

  Short contracts, high volume, good money for a weekend.

• Brand ambassador work

  Spirits companies hire experienced bartenders to train and sell. Salaried, with travel.

Nice-to-haves

• Speed

  Being quick under a three-deep bar is the single most valued skill.

• Calm with conflict

  You will cut people off, check ID (identification) and end arguments. Doing it without drama keeps you employed.

• Competitions

  National cocktail competitions get bartenders noticed and sometimes sponsored.

• Resort and cruise contracts

  Seasonal work in Banff, Whistler or at sea, often with staff housing included.

About bartending schools

Private schools sell a weekend course for a few hundred dollars and promise job placement. Most Canadian bar managers do not care. They hire barbacks and servers they have watched work. If you want a course, spend the money on the alcohol service certificate first, then on a wine or spirits qualification that actually carries weight.

A typical shift

In at 6pm. Stock beer, cut citrus, make batches, count the float. Quiet until 8pm, then it builds. By 10pm you are making four drinks at once, running tabs, watching who has had enough and keeping an eye on the door. Last call at 1am or 2am. Then breakdown: clean lines, restock, cash out, tip out the barbacks and kitchen. Home at 3am, and you do it again tomorrow.

The honest pros and cons of being a bartender

Work life

Similar paths

• Restaurant ServerA job you can start within days, where tips decide what you actually take home.
• SommelierThe wine expert on a restaurant floor. Years of study and tasting for a job that only exists in a small number of restaurants in Canada.
• Restaurant ManagerRun the room, the schedule and the money. The one hospitality job with a real salary, and the one that eats your weekends.

The law cares more than your boss does

There is no bartending licence, but ten of Canada's 13 provinces and territories require an approved responsible service course before you can pour a drink for money. In Ontario it takes an afternoon and costs about $45.

You can be held responsible

Canadian courts have found bars and their staff partly liable for harm caused by a customer they kept serving. That is why refusing service is part of the training and part of the job.