Bar Associate Review

As a bar associate, I mainly serve customers behind the bar, providing drinks and taking food orders. I also help to run drinks to tables that have ordered through the company's app, along with running food and clearing tables and keeping the floor clean and respectable in between customers.

I have been working with the company for just over 2 years and I am always learning something new. As the pub I work in is a hotel I have recently been taught how to check in the customers. I am currently learning how to change barrels, alongside constantly developing my customer service skills.

I enjoy the programme because there is always something new for me to learn that I am then able to use in my job, this has been from the legislation side of the hospitality industry, to how to better react and help the different variations of customers, as not every customer is the same and there can be different needs and wants from each one. The programme has helped me to better understand how I can adapt to make sure the customer has a better journey throughout their visit.

I find the programme is very well structured, on the website I use everything is easy to find, each module is broken down into various sections, so if there is a time where I need to go back over a certain subject I know it will be easy to find. My trainer is always organised in our monthly meetings, and is always guiding me on what I need to be working on and what I need to be working towards.

I have monthly meetings with one of the managers who is also my mentor for the course. We regularly talk about what I'm working on and has always helped me when I have not fully understood something. They have been so supportive and my employer were the ones who gave me the confidence to join the programme.

I have received so much support from my trainer. They have helped me to understand some of the topics better in terms that apply to my job, as some of the training I do, don't always get shown from a hospitality point of view. They've always been quick to answer any emails if I've needed to contact them other than my monthly meetings.

I feel that the qualification has helped give me the confidence to talk to customers more other than just taking their orders. I also feel that the programme has helped me to learn more areas my job role as well as develop skills I already had. There has always been something new to learn that I have used in my job role and it has helped me perform better.

I have never been aware of any extra curricular activities. The company sometimes holds events to raise money for our charity that has on occasion been a company wide event. For example there has been a football event where different pubs competed against each other to help raise money. I would definitely like to see more opportunities for such events either within individual pubs or company wide.

Yes

It has helped me fall in love with my job again, and there is always room to improve and the company has helped to provide it. Before I started the programme I was never confident enough to ask for help or to learn a new skill so I can better myself and help to improve the pub I work in.

I would say to make sure you plan days to complete your course and to make sure that you definitely use one of your days off to just relax. Another tip would be to just enjoy it and make the most of it, you learn so many skills that are transferable to other areas not just hospitality. It doesn't necessarily mean you have to stay within the industry.