There are many pathways to develop your skills, experience, and qualifications for a career in Bar management & Hospitality

Preparation & Development options: 

FET Centre Traineeship Supervisory Management & Leadership for Hospitality, Hospitality Operations NFQ level 5-6 search FET courses 

FET Centre PLC Course  Bar, Resturant, and Business management NFQ level 5-6 Search FET PLC Courses

Apprenticeship Bar Manager NFQ level 7 Entry requirements: 

Candidates for this programme must meet the following profile:

• Must be employed and sponsored by an employer.

• Must have a minimum of one year full-time or two years part-time work experience in the sector.

• English language entry requirements - CEF B2+ or equivalent. Candidates with English language levels below CEF B2+ must first reach this minimum standard before enrolling on the academic programme.

Candidates for this programme must hold at least one of the following academic qualifications:

• Leaving Certificate: 5 subjects at O6/H7 grade, to include English, and a minimum of foundation Mathematics.

• A relevant FET level 5 or 6 major award, with at least 4 distinctions

• Equivalent qualification mapped to the national framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Mature applicants [i.e. over the age of 23] who do not hold the above academic qualifications, but have the required work experience in the sector, are recommended by their employer, and who demonstrate the right attitudes and behaviours, will also be eligible to apply. Candidates are invited to attend a pre-enrolment session to verify that they meet the entry requirements. 

• By the end of your training, you will be able to:

  • Understand the industry, its product offerings and operating practices

  • Communicate effectively with many audiences such as customers, employees, suppliers, regulatory bodies and members of the public

  • Display general business skills in finance, marketing and people management

  • Plan effectively and put a roster in place for staff

  • Detail the importance of hitting targets and developing standard operating procedures to ensure standards are maintained.

  Duration

  The programme is a three-year degree apprenticeship with one day a week in the classroom for 30 weeks per annum.

  Curriculum: Griffith College Dublin

  YEAR ONE	YEAR TWO	YEAR THREE
  Licensing Law	Principles of Marketing	Leadership and Management
  Bar Environment and Equipment	Managing People	Food and Beverage Management
  Communications	Menu Management	HR Management
  Food Safety	Retail Marketing	Effective Procurement
  Food and Beverage Products and Service	Bar Legal and Regulatory Framework including (RSA)	Marketing Management
  Personal and Professional Development	Management Accounting	Business Development Project
  Customer Services	Bar Management
  Occupational Health and Safety	Business Development Skills
  Stock Management	Event Management
  Accounting Fundamentals

If you want to be a bar manager you'll need to be an all-round organiser, worker, business manager and sociable person. You'll need leadership skills to motivate staff and excellent interpersonal skills for handling customers. Some customers like a friendly ear to talk to, so you should be able to get on easily with people. You also need to be able to spot trouble before it happens and calm the situation.  
 
As well as sound business sense and an imaginative outlook, you'll need lots of energy - the hours are long and the work is physically demanding. You could be supervising a delivery of beer before breakfast and updating the pub's computerised accounting system at midnight. A bar manager requires a lot of stamina as bars and pubs are very busy and noisy and you are on your feet for most of the time and will often have to change heavy beer and larger barrels.

Financial and numeracy skills are vital for handling cash and book-keeping. Tact and diplomacy may be required when dealing with demanding customers.

Going to the pub/bar is one of the most traditional leisure activities in the country. It's the job of bar managers to make sure that customers in the pub/bar are happy, while the business makes a good profit.    

There are also different kinds of pubs/bars, including wine bars; inns; cafe bars; theme bars; super-pubs and, of course, traditional pubs. In some, the focus is on creating a family atmosphere. In others there is live entertainment. Many pubs/bars serve food ranging from snacks at lunchtime to high quality, restaurant standard meals. Whatever kind of pub/bar you want to run, there will be common elements to the kind of work you will have to do.    

One of the biggest parts of the bar manager’s job is to manage the staff. There are bar staff and cleaners, and there may be catering staff. Many could be part-time, so the work has to be organised so that there are the right number of people on duty at any one time.    

Bar Managers train, organise and motivate staff. They also do stock control, re-ordering supplies of food and drink before they run out. They supervise beer deliveries, do the pub's banking, and think about (and organise) activities, entertainment and special offers that will bring in more customers. A bar manager is responsible for the health, safety and security of the premises, staff and customers.    

Bar Managers also do the same work as their staff. They serve customers, collect and wash empty glasses, clear ashtrays, take orders for food and wait on tables.  

A very important part of a Bar Manager’s job is enforcing the law regarding the sale of alcohol on the premises. Publicans are required to have an age identification policy and ensure that all staff are fully aware of it.

• Understand the industry, its product offerings and operating practices

• Communicate effectively with many audiences such as customers, employees, suppliers, regulatory bodies and members of the public

• Display general business skills in finance, marketing and people management

• Plan effectively and put a roster in place for staff

• Detail the importance of hitting targets and developing standard operating procedures to ensure standards are maintained.

Higher Education & Continuous professional development options:

Higher education CAO entry: Progression Business management, Hospitality/ Culinary Enterprise, Hospitality Management NFQ level 8 search CAO courses  

Skillnets Food & Drink Skillnet Network CPD courses Hsopitality & Food and beverage management search Skillnets 

Springboard courses Hospitality management & guest experience NFQ Level 8 (Component certification) search Springboardcourses

Post graduate study Hospitality Management NFQ level 9 Search post grad courses

On completion of an apprenticeship if you feel you have the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience you may decide to set up your own business. The links below might be useful to support you:

• Local Enterprise Offices For profit Local enterprise support
• Local Area partnerships For profit enterprise support
• Franchising  Developing your business under an established franchise

To become an apprentice in Ireland you must be hired by an employer. Apprenticeship employers are formally approved by SOLAS in advance of employing apprentices. Apprentices get a formal contract of employment as part of their apprenticeship.

To find an apprenticeship, you can search apprenticeship vacancies and a list of currently approved apprentice employers on the Apprenticeship Jobs & Employers Portal. You can search for vacancies by location, and employers in each apprenticeship.

Use this link to explore a list of Approved Employers by Region and by Apprenticeship type.

Your local Education and Training Board may hold details of employers seeking to employ an apprentice.

Further information is also available from:

Jonathan Murphy
Griffith College
Tel: +353 (0)1 4150400
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.griffith.ie/faculties/apprenticeships/bar-management-apprentices

Finding an employer and securing your apprenticeship

Finding an employer or registering your interest with an official Coordinating Provider is one of the first things you need to do to start an apprenticeship.

Online Jobsites

Here are some direct links to employment websites that frequently list apprenticeship vacancies.

Note: These websites may include vacancies that are not QQI accredited Apprenticeships.

Student Contribution

Year 1	€1,000
Year 2	€1,000
Year 3	€1,000
Total Fee	€3,000

Apprentices complete their off-the-job training in a higher education institution, for which they are required to pay a student contribution.

The amount payable is a proportion of the annual student contribution for students attending a full-time course in higher education. The student contribution is paid directly to the higher education institution over the three years.

• As an apprentice, you earn while you learn. The employer pays you a salary while you are being trained on-the-job and off-the-job. The rate of pay is agreed between you and your employer.