Jobs in Galway; Bartending?

rolo454

Hey guys

I'm a student in Galway. I have a level 5 and a level 6 business degree.
I'm taking a gap year before I start in GMIt or NUIG.
So I'm looking to get a part time job in Galway City.
I'm open to most work: retail, food industry, anything really; but bar-tending has really caught my eye and I'm thinking of trying to find a bar-tending job for the Summer anyways; and see how it goes.

Does anybody have any ideas of an interesting place to work?
Or what it's like to work in a bar?
Or of any job's going at the moment in Galway City?

Cheers!:D

Raging_Ninja

If you don't have bar experience more than likely if you do apply to work in one you'll be put on as floor staff, which means you get to collect glasses, get ice, clean up puke, piss and whatever else ends up on the floor.

If you work in a busier bar, it is a fairly stressful job with longish hours. If you work nights you'll need to develop a thick neck because I can guarantee you will take a good bit of abuse whatever position you will be put in. If you're a girl, more than likely you will be groped a fair bit if you are put on the floor and not kept hidden behind the bar.

On a late night (serving till 2am or so), more than likely you won't be finished work till at least 4am or later depending what kind of routine they have at the end of the night.

Lockstep

Bartending is the best minimum wage job IMHO. A lot less montotonous than working in a shop.

It's tough to find work if you've no experience though. Hard to reccomend anywhere as a good place to work as the most important part is finding somewhere that will take you on.

If you've no experience, best bet is to get as floor staff/bar runner and stick with it. Chances are you'll get a bit of training behind the bar and will find it much easier to find future work.

rolo454

Thanks Raging Ninja
I'm a guy and I was thinking about doing some work experience in a quiet enough pub for about a month or so to get some experience, so a pub should take that into account.
Also I think it would be good to work in a bar at some stage in your life as if I have some experience it would be easy enough to get work in other places around the world.

Lockstep
My friends have told me working in a pub is tough at the start but it's very interesting. Last Summer I worked in a luxury retail shop and i hated it. It was so boring, dealing with pretentious customers complaining about stupid things. I feel that a pub would be much more exciting and a good life experience.

TristanPeter

The work really depends on the type of bar I think. I worked in a country pub which was fine, friendly but often boring and I worked in a city hotel bar which was sh*t. The owner was always watching us on his cctv.If you happen to work during the Galway Races you will think Galway City is hell on earth. I have never come across so many idiots in one week as I did then.

TristanPeter

Just an add on to my post above:

I did meet lots of nice people whilst working in the city bar, both staff and customers alike so it's not all bad. Also, I can only tell you of what my bar job was like so this isn't a blanket statement.

rolo454

I know how that feels. The retail job I mentioned previously was like that. I was never at ease as the manager or owner was always watching you on his CCTV camera. I was in their office one time and I could see EVERYTHING. It was so clear, he could see what I wrote on a piece of paper; sickening.

I can only imagine the sh1te you'd have to put up with during the races. You don't have to be behind the bar to see all the idiots around. :pac:

Lockstep

Raceweek bar work is horrendous. Busy, exhausting and low paid. I got punched, groped and had beer cans thrown at me by drunken rich people.


Tips are savage though, made more in tips during race week than I did in wages.

Raging_Ninja

Lockstep wrote: »

Raceweek bar work is horrendous. Busy, exhausting and low paid. I got punched, groped and had beer cans thrown at me by drunken rich people.

Same here, except for the groped part. Except when a couple of times they tried to grope a girl and instead got me.

rolo454

Lockstep wrote: »

Tips are savage though, made more in tips during race week than I did in wages.

Worth it! :rolleyes:

AngeGal

Think it really depends on where you work (what the clientele is like and that) and what the owner is. Worked in a bar in town twenty plus years ago and had a great time. My son has worked in two bars, first one awful beyond belief, treated like crap, second one, complete opposite. Try to find a busy bar but one that is mainly locals in my opinion, of course these days that's alot easier said than done.

Lockstep

rolo454 wrote: »

Worth it! :rolleyes:

It's really not a job for everyone. Fair few of the staff quit after one shift once they realised how demanding the work was. Whether or not you consider it worth it will depend on how you see it after doing the job yourself.

Places like the Radisson and G usually hire staff for Race Week, if you've zero experience they'll usually put you as a runner (Basically running around lifting crates of beer from the cellar to the bars) Exhausting work and no tips at all but you can apply to other bars claiming to have bar experience.

Raging_Ninja

Lockstep wrote: »

Places like the Radisson and G usually hire staff for Race Week, if you've zero experience they'll usually put you as a runner (Basically running around lifting crates of beer from the cellar to the bars) Exhausting work and no tips at all but you can apply to other bars claiming to have bar experience.

We used to call them stock monkeys.

stunt_penguin

rolo454 wrote: »

Hey guys

I have a level 5 and a level 6 business degree.

<pedantic grammar nazi>

and yet you put an apostrophe in 'Jobs'

</pedantic grammar nazi>

(sorry)

mikemac

You'll get a job at the track for race week easy enough.

If you want to work in a bar, you start on the floor.
Or you know you could go to a hotel and do porter work

Fuinseog

rolo454 wrote: »

Hey guys

I'm a student in Galway. I have a level 5 and a level 6 business degree.
I'm taking a gap year before I start in GMIt or NUIG.
So I'm looking to get a part time job in Galway City.
I'm open to most work: retail, food industry, anything really; but bar-tending has really caught my eye and I'm thinking of trying to find a bar-tending job for the Summer anyways; and see how it goes.

Does anybody have any ideas of an interesting place to work?
Or what it's like to work in a bar?
Or of any job's going at the moment in Galway City?

Cheers!:D

long and anti social hours. possibility of a bit of craic and chances of getting your nat king greatly increase, especially in a young persons bar.

Nugget89

The Skeff are hiring so get a cv in quick

rolo454

feelingstressed wrote: »

you know you could go to a hotel and do porter work

I've worked in a restaurant as a kitchen porter a few years back. That may help?

mikemac

Ah don't advise the lad to be a kitchen porter, that is an awful job, been there.
Scrubbing mountains of pots and bullying chefs roaring at you
But a job is a job and it's a start anyway

I was aiming more at porter in the hotel, like room service and tea/coffee for the lobby or setting up rooms.
Much easier

rolo454

Yea porter work is tough, I enjoyed it though, always abitta craic. scrubbing pots, cleaning floors, people roaring at you. We had to clean a pipe that led from the kitchen to the somewhere out when it got clogged. Worst smelling thig ever. But I didn't mind. You get used to anything eventually. Worked on a building site, landscaping and flipping burgers as well so i'm used to hard fast paced work.

rolo454

Anybody else have any opinions?
I am finishing college in a month from now so I am pretty set on the idea of getting work experience for 1 or 2 months, working for free. Then going to work in a pub bar tending or even as floor staff and work my way up. I'd like to work for a year and then see what it leads on to.

beanseile

tryin places nearby might be an option like claregalway, oranmore, etc? unless transport is an issue!

no harm printin off a stack of cv's and just tryin everywhere you pass-get your name out there! I got my job doing this. You might find somethin that hasn't been advertised yet or will be comin up for the summer

Raging_Ninja

I wouldn't work for free, even if it was only to get the experience.

Mrs OBumble

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

I wouldn't work for free, even if it was only to get the experience.

+1

With the exception of recent college graduates who are doing an internship programme in an area directly related to their study, and for whom the experience is 100% essential to their getting a professional position. Even then, in principle, I believe they should get at least minimum wage.

I especially wouldn't do it in a bar situation, where your colleagues will hate you for it, because all you are doing is taking paid hours away from them.

If you don't have experience you won't get bar work, but the only way you can get experience is bar work.

It's a vicious circle.

rolo454

Exactly so I could work for a month for free to get some experience. This would stand to me.Also I don't think other staff members would hate you for it as you would be working just like them just not getting any money.

joeKel73

Mc Swiggans in woodquay are looking for experienced bar staff.

daithijjj

Some of the stuff i have read in this thread has annoyed me but i wont go down that road for now.

I have managed a bar/restaurant/nightclub myself for years (albeit in the uk), hired countless staff and all that.

My hiring policy was not dependant on experience and there a few reasons for that. Alot of people with 'experience' have bad habits in my honest opinion. Whats grand for one house is not necessarily good in my house.

I started off as a barman having never pulled a pint, worked my way up to become manager on my own outlet (granted its different here, i worked for a company).

I liked to train new staff who dont have bad habits, i think a pub who doesnt have this is well,.........lazy management, everyone has to start somewhere, might aswel be at the deep end.

Im hoping some of the abuse and/or groping that went on was made known and dealt with from comments in the thread. I have zero tolerance for that and have booted out my fair share in the past. (im a scary lookin man when im vexed , i have worked as a doorman while at uni also)

I get the impression its difficult to get a job in galway without experience, sad really, whenever i hired people it was one of the last questions i used to ask. Id be much more interested in what any references had to say about you, punctuality, that kind of thing. If you live close etc. Bar staff with no experience can be trained up to be left on their own in a week no problem imo, it says more about the people around you than it does about you if you arent ready after that. There was no special treatment in my house, when i worked i did the floor and the bar, everyone took turns.

Someone mentioned working for free, DO NOT DO THIS. If you want you could maybe suggest a 2 week trial or something (on normal pay), im not 100% on how it works here but if you want the job badly enough then push for it. Theres alot to be said for enthusiasm, show that when you speak to the person hiring.

One last tip, if you are planning on looking for a job in a particular place, visit there as a customer (i dont mean get drunk, i mean look at how the satff operate), no harm in seeing what is expected of you before you apply. Thats what i did when i got my first bar job, went in, had a drink or two at the bar, had a bit of craic with the staff and i started behind the bar that weekend.

Mrs OBumble

daithijjj wrote: »

Someone mentioned working for free, DO NOT DO THIS. If you want you could maybe suggest a 2 week trial or something (on normal pay), im not 100% on how it works here

+1

Irish employment law is pretty biased towards employers: new staff are on probation for up to 12 months, can be let go for any reason at all with no notice in the first 13 weeks, and with 1 (or maybe 2) weeks notice in the subsequent nine months. Effectively everyone's on a long work trial.

lion_bar

rolo454 wrote: »

...Also I don't think other staff members would hate you for it as you would be working just like them just not getting any money.

Hate might be too strong a word. But you will be disliked by some as you are devaluing their job. You are telling the manager/owner you'll do their job for free.

Others will just pity you, for slogging away for free when there's no guarantee that you'll get anything out of it.

Can't you fiddle around with your porter experience to say you have hotel experience kitchen and bar work?

btw whats a level 5 and level 6 business degree?

rolo454

Thank you very much daithijjj; you have enlightened me.
Everything you said makes perfect sense. I'm writing my letter of application now; and what you have said has changed my view on the situation.
I am going to put my CV and letter of application into an envelope and put this envelope into many pubs; addressed to the manager; I will give him the envelope myself if possible and have a brief chat with him/her.

Lion_bar I agree with you there. I have tried to fiddle around with the porter experience but it was just a restaurant, not a hotel and I stayed in the kitchen the entire time.

The level 5 business certificate was a course in general business studies and the level 6 business certificate is aimed towards the management side of things; it's equal to first year in college but more intense.