Hi everyone! First of all, the title looks pretty damn and newbie, but I have no idea where and how I can work as a barista. Right now, I am not living near any cafe so that I cannot work, but once I graduate my school, I am going to be able to work! So there are several questions that I have for Baristas.

1. Are baristas hired by other baristas? or do they usually open their own cafe?

2. Do we need any license or test to be a Barista?

3. What is the things that baristas are required to be able to do other than making coffee?

I feel like this is not the only question I have but I am really confused:P Could any one give me any ideas of the process of becoming a barista, and being a barista at cafe??? Thank you very much.

badly paid job full of annoying people customers. are you really sure you want to do it?

haha, that is good to know:D
Sounds like not the best job out there, but at least I want to try because this is something that I can enjoy.

Your basic barista is just a fast food worker so you don't need any barista school, just show you like coffee and are dependable. So apply and pester them until they hire you.

Ha ha ha - good advice. Also make sure you're under 29. They don't typically go for "seasoned" baristas.

OctagonCoffee wrote:I feel like this is not the only question I have but I am really confused:P Could any one give me any ideas of the process of becoming a barista, and being a barista at cafe??? Thank you very much.

Well, at least you know why this place is called "Home"-barista. It has an unfortunately large number of members who look down their noses at anyone who makes coffee for a living.

Fortunately there are thousands of enthusiastic professional baristas who take pride in their work. Many of them travel long distances to attend events like Barista Nation and Barista Camp to hone their skills and meet like-minded people.

No, you don't have to start with a barista school, although it can help. The obvious places to start are nearby coffee bars that you admire. If they have openings, most are willing to train enthusiastic applicants with good people skills. Good luck.

+1
Thanks Marshall. I'm sorry I didn't reply fast enough.

I've worked in several cafes in several cities, as barista and as manager. To answer your questions specifically:

1. Are baristas hired by other baristas? or do they usually open their own cafe?

Baristas do not hire other baristas. Managers and owners hire baristas, but as baristas are the front lines of customer service, they are often the ones that you hand your resume' or application to, so it is important to make a good impression on anyone you meet in the cafe you would like to work in. Plus, in small shops, it's not unusual for a manager or owner to be behind the counter, possibly even making drinks if the primary barista is on a break or doing something else. In that scenario, the hiring power is apparently the barista, but only by coincidence. Also, in towns with lots of better-than-average coffee shops, there can be a bit of a "coffee scene" where baristas tend to know each other. In those cases, managers that need to hire new workers might turn to their current baristas and ask if they know anyone that's looking for work. In that way, an average barista might have some say in who gets hired. But the short answer is: No, baristas don't hire anyone and they don't open cafes. Only world-champion baristas open their own cafes, and even then, they can't do it alone.

2. Do we need any license or test to be a Barista?

Sadly no, there is no certification required for most of the people that serve you food. That's how so many food servers get away with being so clueless about the foods they serve. That said, you can be certified as a barista if you want. For those sorts of credentials, you do need to pass a test, and to pass that test without already having years of experience, you would need to be trained by some sort of barista school.

3. What is the things that baristas are required to be able to do other than making coffee?

Unfortunately most baristas do have to fulfill all the duties of any other cafe worker. It's not all latte art, cool music, and chit-chat. This means taking orders, handling transactions at the cash register, preparing simple foods such as sandwiches and bagels etc, and lots and lots of cleaning and stocking. If you prove yourself to be a highly skilled barista in a very busy cafe, you might have a shift where you come in only to make espresso drinks for several hours straight, and nothing else. But this is very rare. If not sandwiches and such, you will at the very least have to put pastries into bags, run register, mop floors, and clean bathrooms. Yes, a lot of this work sucks, and the pay tends to suck, and frankly the cheap, crabby customers are often the worst part, but it's honest work and there ain't nuthin' wrong with sweatin' it out a bit for the pleasure of making great coffee for the occasionally great people. And listening to cool music, and wearing whatever you want, and having cool coworkers. If you have to wear a uniform and listen to crappy music and put up with jerky coworkers, you should quit. Seriously. The coffee is fun but probably not that fun, and great customers might actually follow you to your next job if you really do make great coffee.

Thank you all for response to my question! It is really hard for me to imagine how to be a barista at small, but good quality cafe because I don't see such cafes around where I live. It sounds like going cafe is a daily things for those who want to be a barista so that you can be familiar with the cafe you want to work. For me I don't have a cafe that I go daily so that it made hard for me to think about working in a cafe, because I don't even have an idea which cafe I want to work (Actually there is a cafe that I want to work, but that's in Germany). I saw a video of this guy called Dritan Alsela and that inspired me so much!

if you are anywhere near Portland ME, you have your choice of a number of excellent coffee shops. It's not so important to know the daily routine of a specific coffee shop if you want to work there. The most important thing is to know what goes on in any really good coffee shop, as most of it is the same from shop to shop. Just know coffee; practice pourovers at home and read as much as you can about espresso and espresso-based milk drinks. Be passionate about it, and any good coffee shop will consider you.

kolu wrote:badly paid job full of annoying people customers. are you really sure you want to do it?

Hmmm - that seems to me to apply to most jobs! Just remember: everyone brings joy - some when they arrive and others when they leave.

I follow a simple philosophy that's gotten me through about 8000+ workdays so far: you don't have to like everyone with & for whom you work - you just have to be able to work with & for them. So focus on being the best you can be at what you do, and don't let others diminish your pleasure or ruin your fun.

I'm seriously considering being a barista when I retire (which is imminent). I've been doing this at home for many years, and it seems to me to be a great part-time gig at a good shop. I may even open a little cafe of my own and sell my photos from the walls. So if you want to be a barista, go for it. You can learn on the job, but another philosophy I follow is to do things right the first time - for those who take short cuts, there's never time to do it properly but always time to do it again.

There's so much to know that taking courses is a great way to get started, especially if you're young. Check out the http://www.baristaguildofamerica.net/ for more info.