• Pub Work

Pub Work

Do any of you guys remember Cheers? It might be a bit before your time (and boy does that make me feel old) but it was an American comedy show – a bit like the Friends of the 80s – centred around this group of people who had all become close because they drank at the same bar. They were the most unlikely group of buddies you could imagine, but the bar they spent all their time in somehow brought them together. Even the people who worked there were happy!

So that was once upon a time in TV land. You're probably wondering why this is all relevant to you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that bar work can be a lot of fun!

A lot of you guys probably want to be rock stars or doctors when you grow up, so I can understand why you would switch off if someone starting talking about a career working in a pub. But hear me out. While you're working hard at bagging your dream job – at college, university or otherwise – you're gonna want some cash to burn. Bar work is not only a great way to earn some extra pennies, but you might actually have some fun, too.

Yes, the prospect of long hours and being on your feet most of the night might not sound exciting. Having experience of working in bars I'll admit it's not always the best job, but the perks can be good. So good that it makes pulling pints all night worthwhile!

The pay off doesn't just come with the wage at the end of the week. While I was at uni, I loved nothing more than meeting friends in work and having fun while I was there. I worked in a club, so I got to enjoy the busy nightlife of Glasgow, get paid to dance to music for free, and would  leave every night with a pocket bulging with tips. And when I say pocketful, I mean it weighed me down while I walked home. Tip of the day: get a taxi!

So I was lucky enough to work in a few great bars; one of which was a music venue (free gigs!) I met James from Busted one night, that's my claim to fame. But while I had a blast before I moved on to other jobs, a lot of people discover that they can't leave the buzz of bar work behind. Some people work their way up from cleaning to cloakroom assistants, and have a brief spell as a bar tender before finding themselves bar manager of the hottest new venue in town! The money is as great as getting to mix with different people. The guys who own swanky Bar 29 had to start somewhere!

Bar work may not seem as glamorous as appearing on the X Factor, but it can take you places you never dreamed of. It's the kind of job that's easy to learn, easy to get and can potentially take you across the world. If working with beer doesn't give you a thirst for the job, then you could always consider being a cleaner or a door attendant – there are lots of positions available in this career. As a stop gap or as your aspiration, this accessible adventure only requires one thing: being good with people! And with the amount of friends you'll make along the way, that's not hard work at all.