How do I become a bartender?

How can I move to Las Vegas and become a bartender at a nightclub ?

• My name is Mike. I am in my thirties and I just got layed off from my banking job. I am enrolling in bartending school to become a bartender and then my dream is to move to Las Vegas and become a bartender at a nightclub. Can someone out there tell me what that will take ? How can I accomplish that goal with no experience ?

• Answer:

  To be qualified for most casinos, you have to have some amount of experience in the hospitality industry. This means high-volume hospitality environments, not a mom-and-pop restaurant that dishes out a few drinks here and there. We're talking thousands of customers per shift. If not, your best bet is to take a class in bartending or dealing when you get here. Don't bother taking a bartending class before you head out as Las Vegas bartending requires a unique set of skills for serving the clientele. Some of the places I found while scouring the streets are: * ABC Bartending * PCI Dealers School * Las Vegas School of Dealing * Dealers Training Center These schools say that they will teach you "Las Vegas Style Bartending" in a week or two and they will provide a qualification class to help you obtain your Alcohol Awareness Card. Of course, prepare yourself to have to put out the money up front and find a place to stay while going to class and job hunting. However, most of the schools in the area provide placement counseling to help you find a job when you graduate.