So, maybe you're dazzled by the hustle and bustle your local bartender doles out each and every night, serving up drinks as fast as possible, dealing with unruly customers, and generally, having an awesome time. Or, maybe you've just seen Cocktail or Coyote Ugly one too many times, and now have the itch to become a bartender.
Lucky for bay area folks looking for bartending jobs in Tampa, there's definitely no shortage of great bars in nightlife-centric neighborhoods like Ybor City, Hyde Park, and Channelside.
To find a bartending job in Tampa, though, you've got to have experience. There's just no way someone with no experience serving drinks to the masses can just hop on at a high-volume bar and not crash and burn miserably.
You've got to prove yourself as a valuable asset to the bar you'd like to work at. Bartending school is one great way to gain professional experience in this field. There are two notable ones in the Tampa Bay area; ABC Bartending School and American Bartending School of Tampa. These schools typically consists of a few weeks of classes, testing, and insight into what it takes to be a great bartender and typically cost anywhere from $300-$500. If you land a bartending job in Tampa at a popular spot, you could easily earn that amount back in a single weekend.
Another way to prove yourself valuable (if you think you've got the skills) is asking your desired bar if you can do a test-run of sorts on a slow night to prove you've got what it takes. Start text messaging and calling friends to come out prove you can draw a crowd of regulars. If management sees what you can do and who you can bring right there, in the flesh, then they can see if you're what they're looking for.
These are just a few tips and there are surely many more out there. Bartending jobs in Tampa are some of the most sociable and high-energy in the area, so keep searching if you really want it. Good luck and happy hunting!
