A Barista is a professional who specialises in making coffees, as well as serving other food and beverages. Want to know how to become a Barista? Here, we will look at what a barista is, how you can become one, and the experience you need to succeed in a catering and hospitality role like this.
What is a Barista?
A barista is a crucial catering and hospitality role. The main duties of a barista include taking orders, cleaning the workspace, and making drinks. This will typically include preparing and serving well-crafted coffee drinks, as well as teas, soft drinks, baked goods, and meals in some locations. A Barista is a coffeehouse employee who specialises in making coffee-specific drinks and will usually have training or experience in creating these drinks for their customers. You can gain experience through Barista courses or building your work experience through more entry-level opportunities.
As a Barista, you’ll also play a crucial role in the customer experience. This means interacting with the customers, providing a clean and safe environment, and providing customer service as part of your job description. Previous customer service experience might help you land a Barista role, but it isn’t always necessary. A strong attention to detail and multitasking are important skills to have when it comes to succeeding at Barista work.
It will also be your responsibility as a Barista to keep the working environment clean. Hygiene is important for this role, so you’ll be expected to maintain a high level of cleanliness, keep the workspace safe, as well as comply by the hygiene standards of catering and hospitality.
How to Become a Barista?
To become a Barista, you need to be personable, a good communicator, and enjoy understanding the intricacies of coffee. Some experience will be required when applying for Barista roles, with many employers looking for previous coffee experience. To gain a better understanding of coffee, how to crate crafted drinks, and serve customers, you can attend a Barista course or gain experience within a coffee shop that provides Barista training.
What to Put on a Barista CV?
When applying for a Barista role, you’ll want to make sure that you’re displaying your expertise and passion through your CV. Relevant experience, such as previous Barista, Bartender, or catering work, should be well documented on your CV. If you don’t have work experience, highlighting any Barista courses you’ve attended can be important to mention.
Similar Jobs to Barista
Looking to change from your Barista role or find similar roles to transition into? Some common and popular similar jobs to Barista roles include Server, Bartender, Customer Service Representative, Retail Assistant, and Office Receptionists. Each position requires strong people skills and communication – making them a good career development for Baristas.
Other Jobs in Hospitality and Catering
The hospitality and catering industry is reliant on people with your skills. Whether you’re a good people person or someone with a keen attention to detail and hygiene, there are plenty of positions across the UK that can make a strong career path. Roles such as Chef, Bartender, and Food Server all use similar skills to Baristas and can be a place to start your career or to develop into other skillsets. If you’re looking to explore more food and beverage skills or expand your experience in different work environments, the hospitality and catering sector offer a wide variety of job roles for you.
Looking for more opportunities? View our hospitality and catering vacancies here
Apply for Barista Jobs Near You
The hospitality and catering sector provide job opportunities across the UK. Whether you’re working in a coffee shop, hospital, or as part of a hotel franchise, Baristas are needed across the UK with city locations such as London, Manchester, and Nottingham being hubs for coffee-based careers.
Find a Barista job near you by viewing our vacancies.
Barista Job Description FAQs
Is a Barista a Good Career Choice?
Yes, a Barista is a good career choice for anyone wanting to specialise in coffee or wanting to expand your skillset. A Barista role is a more specialised hospitality and catering role, relying on strong coffee-making skills. If you’re keen to learn more about coffee or widen your culinary experience, this is a good career choice.
What Skills Does a Barista Need?
Baristas need a good understanding of coffee, as well as experience creating common and popular coffee drinks. You can gain this through Barista courses or relevant work experience. You will also need good multitasking skills, communication, and customer service. Hygiene experience is also important when working in any hospitality and catering role.
What Are the Biggest Challenges of Being a Barista?
A Barista role often involved long hours on your feet, so it can be a physically tiring job. You’ll also be required to manage customer interactions, including unhappy customers, which can be a difficult task. The high-pressure environment and speed of orders can also be a challenge for Baristas.
What Personal Qualities Make a Great Barista?
Working as a Barista can be rewarding and creative, but it can also be a demanding environment. Some personal qualities that make a great Barista include:
- Creative
- Calm under pressure
- Team-orientated
- Hygienic
- Friendly
