Special Note:  For those who make light of schools that use colored waters verses real alcohol.  Let me be the first to enlighten them on PCBS's in house special mixes!  Almost without exception have our colored waters been mistaken for the real thing by adding just the right amount of colors, thickeners, foaming agents, etc!  Three very important reasons PCBS has chosen to do this...   1. By not using real alcohols, I can reduce the price drastically!   2.  It gives you a much larger selection of the different brands of alcohol bottles to use & get comfortable with.  3. Then the biggest reason of all and my promise to you.   My course will set you up for success and that success can be said in one word..."Repetition"  Your learning, both physically & mentally, is tremendously enhanced by enabling you to become very accurate and confident with your abilities by literally pouring hundreds of drinks over & over again.  Try doing that with real alcohol!  Not something practiced or even suggested without becoming very, very expensive!  The only difference between you & an experienced bartender is that they have had that chance to pour frequently! 

Q. Do you have to be certified to become a bartender?    No! Many have learned by the school of hard knocks.  Vocational schools, technical trade schools, career programs, seminars, colleges and universities have always been a very viable and typically reliable resource for training.   To actually get certified shows a prospective employer your dedication and becomes an easy way to verify credintials and test scores in order to make a logical decision of whom to hire.  It often gives the establishment a lower insurance rate also when hiring state certified graduates.  Just make sure the school has the credentials, staff, tools & equipment and the curriculum you desire.

Q. Does PCBS guarantee jobs? 
A.  Beware of those who promise or guarantee jobs-these are scams!!!  Even when I have more job offers than graduates - I still can't know what the manager is thinking- so how can I promise or guarantee you those jobs!  I can't and won't...The best I can do is inform you of those opportunities and promise to make sure you are readily trained.  Anything else is just a con to get your money! 

Q.Why Don't Other Schools Tell You The Price Over The Phone?
A.    Read the next question that I’m sure you have encountered and I explain why. 

Q. What's the cost? I only ask because when I called up several of these schools, they never would give me a price over the phone!  Finally, I was convinced to visit one of their facilities and i was shocked.  It was so expensive, I never expected it to be over $600, let alone almost $700!  Some of my friends told me they paid $550, $595 and only one said he was quoted $895!  He was also told he could start making $150 to $300 a night after he graduated to quickly make back his investment! That seemed scammish. what’s your story?
thanks,  mat

A.  It's an old sales tactic and once they've got you in and depending on how you answer some financial questions, the price can typically range from $395.00 to $895.00, sometimes up to $1500.- Something PCBS doesn't believe in and will always tell you anything and everything over the phone! 
As far as making $150 to $300 a night.  These other schools aren’t necessarily wrong in you potentially earning “Big Bucks” a night.  No one really knows what potential you have, except you and the rapport’ you have with your establishment and guests.  I have personally made and have seen hundreds of dollars made in one shift.  But I never counted on it every time, especially in the beginning where I haven't had the time to get to know the operation procedures “flow” of the bar and especially the patrons.

Q. How Is PCBS Different Than All The Other Schools & Why  Choose It?
A.   1.Our curriculum & amount of studentsper class!!!  The key to learning is having fun!  Remember a job or class that you absolutely loved going to and enjoyed sharing and learning from others?  This is how our curriculum is designed and why it is limited to only 6 students per class!  Studies have proven that the more enjoyable the experience, the easier it becomes to learn, recall for longer periods of time and apply the techniques!  While watching demonstrations, practicing to music, laughing and enjoying the art of bartending.  You will also be absorbing 150 current drinks, different alcohol categories, alcohol awareness, over-intoxication prevention techniques – all made seemingly effortless - through thememorization and efficiency of motion techniques handed down by generations of seasoned bartenders!  This learning along with your personality directly translates into you having a more enjoyable and profitable lifestyle!

        2.PCBS doesn’t advertise in the classifiedsas an establishment needing bartenders!  Many schools advertise in the classifieds “posing as a  real job opening” just to get you in to sign up – another old sales tactic PCBS does not believe in.

       3.  PCBS does not participate in giving out job leads that are not bartending jobs or not in your designated living/working interest area or desired establishment. Another Dramatic Difference! Many schools get leads which don't have to be bartending.  Ask to see their job placement form.  It states, we will help you find a job in the hospitality industry, which can be anything from host/hostess, barback, waiter/waitress, cocktail server or bartender.   Then they send out everyone, anywhere for anything no matter if it’s something you even want or not.  And they may even revoke your job placement assistance if you don’t go!  This especially goes for the nation-wide placement services offered. Remember to look at how many students are being graduated each week and how many "bartending" jobs they have have available.  Or will you just end up getting hired for something other than a bartender!
 

PCBS looks forward to working with you and providing dependable, service oriented, fun loving bartenders.

Cheers,
John Rickman
Owner/Director
Pacific Coast Bartenders School