How to become a bar staff
Official title: Bar staff
Also called: Bar help, Bar maid, Bar helper, Bar person, Bar tender, Bar worker, Bar steward, Bar handyman, Bar assistant, Bar associate, Bar attendant, Bar-cellarman
Bar staff prepare, mix and serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and beverages at bars in public houses, hotels, clubs and other establishments.
Main tasks
- Assists in keeping bar properly stocked
- Washes used glassware and cleans and tidies bar area
- Takes customer orders and mixes and serves drinks
- Receives payment for drinks
How to become one
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job. Vocational qualifications in relevant areas are available at levels 1,2 and 3.
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £23,182 a year The middle half earn £18,534 to null.
- About 209,600 people work in this job now, and about 201,800 are projected by 2035. (-3.7%)
Related jobs
- Bar and catering supervisors
- Hospital porters
- Kitchen and catering assistants
- Waiters and waitresses
- Coffee shop workers
- Leisure and theme park attendants
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Questions people ask
How do I become a bar staff?
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job. Vocational qualifications in relevant areas are available at levels 1,2 and 3.
How much does a bar staff earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £23,182 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is a bar staff a growing career in the UK?
Employment is projected to fall 4% by 2035, from about 209,600 to about 201,800 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a bar staff?
Usually not. Only 22% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03