Barista Training: 10 Things You Must Know
Before You Decide to Be a Barista
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Being a Barista is a Social Job
What makes a barista job so amazing is the possibility to communicate with your customers and coworkers constantly. Every day is a learning process – and this is exactly what you want to do when you are a barista. Your barista training is the key to your future success. There are plenty of things to learn from other baristas, coffee roasters of coffee buyers, and even from your customers too!
A barista job is all about coffee, and if you really think you’d love it, don’t miss the opportunity to learn as much as you can. It can open up a variety of opportunities to grow and build a career out of. Your budding passion will pay you off in the future.
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You Might Need to Get Up Early
Like any other job being a barista has its ups and downs. While there are many advantages, you also need to expect that your shift will sometimes start as early as 4 a.m. It’s often required to be at the coffee shop early to accept and arrange goods on the counters. If you are a morning person, it might be a great thing for you.
If you’re not a morning person, you still might be able to negotiate a later start. However, most coffee shop owners and managers often have a bigger need for early shift baristas because mornings are considered their busiest times.
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You might have to lift heavy bags.
As a barista, you are sometimes expected to lift and carry things like coffee bags or delivered goods (milk, syrups, snacks, etc.). Be ready to do some heavy lifting from time to time. This might as well replace your working out at a gym. Lifting, bending, and other physical movements are often required for the job. If you think you might have some challenges with this, consider asking your prospective employer what types of accommodations they may be able to provide for you to do the job's basic functions.
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You Might Have To Do Other Things Than Serving Coffee
Besides common barista duties, you might be asked to do coffee cuppings or go through extra barista training. These are among the pleasant things about a barista job.
Among other things, you might need to clean your workstation, counters, and the whole coffee shop. In some coffee shops, it’s rewarded with extra bonuses. As you develop your experience as a barista, you may be required to train or help younger and less experienced baristas when they start their job.
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Dealing With Customers Can Be Difficult
Some customers can be more difficult to deal with than others. While most people still are, some of them are not really nice or polite to you. People who place an order while talking on the phone are a widespread thing today. It might be annoying because you can mishear them or think that they address you (when they are not) and interrupt your drink building.
Other people will complain about the drinks or tell you rude things about your work. In a few articles before, we discussed and gave a few tips on dealing with horrible customers.
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Great Job Prospects
If you have traveled anywhere, you would probably notice that people drink coffee there. Behind water, coffee, and tea are the most consumed beverages in the world.
Among other perks of being a barista are your future job opportunities. After you finish your barista training and get some experience, you might decide to pursue another coffee path and become a roaster, coffee cupper, coffee buyer, sales representative, café manager or even owner, quality specialist, barista trainer, and many, many more!
As Mark Twain once said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Turn coffee into your career, and this will be the most rewarding job.
Starting as a barista can propel you to opening your own coffee business. If you want to learn how to open a coffee shop, you might want to explore Coffee Shop Startups.
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Transferable Skills
One of the best things about being a barista is having a skill that will help you any time and in any place. Even if you move to another state or country, you can easily find a barista job because the language of coffee is universal.
Whenever you look for a part-time job or want to improve your finances – getting a barista job might be great for any other position requiring inventory management, customer service, and management. All these skills are transferable to other jobs and careers – not to mention that I will most certainly help you manage your personal household. Consider that baristas often get good tips. You can make just as much in tips (and even more) as your daily wage.
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Boost Self-Confidence
Nothing can boost your self-confidence better than the responsibility you assume as a barista. When you feel that you are in perfect control of the coffee shop's flow, you can’t be knocked off-balance by minor accidents, morning rushes, rude customers, and other challenges.
If you can make money yourself and be independent, you control the hold of the keys to success in your own life.
Besides, being a barista allows you to practice and develop your charisma – namely, your “likeability” by other people. It’s a perfect place to train your persuasion and conversation skills – the beneficial abilities in a regular life beyond the bar.
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You Need to Know Coffee Basics
It goes without saying that to be a better barista, you need to know about coffee. You need to know about finances if you are an accountant or about lays if you are an attorney. Coffee is your field of expertise, and before you even start your work, you need to have some basic background in coffee. No, your mom drinking instant coffee every morning doesn’t count. Coffee goes through a long chain of production, and every step affects the taste in your cup.
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Barista Training Can Help You Get The Job You Want
Barista training will undoubtedly help you in the early stages of your barista work. It might also be helpful even before that – when you look for a job. Any extra thing about coffee in your resume will increase your chances of being hired in a coffee shop that you want. This might be an online barista class you took. This might be a coffee book you read. Or it might be a part-time job in a café or restaurant you had when college.
For young people who seriously consider a career in coffee but yet lack any experience, we prepared a barista training book called “The Beginning Barista. Your Ultimate Prep Guide to Getting Your First Job as a Barista”. While other resources or barista training classes require a lot of financial investment, this book covers the most important barista training and working issues for a very affordable price.
Brought to you by Barista Training Academy, “The Beginning Barista,” Your Ultimate Prep Guide to Getting Your First Job as a Barista” is an ultimate resource that is available online. It is affordable for anybody who is looking to start a career in the coffee industry. For more information, visit our blog.
