How to Become a Barista

Ahhhh, there’s nothing like the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning. If you just started salivating, you might want to learn how to become a barista. Imagine working with the delectable aroma of fresh coffee beans, practicing your artistic skills, and being paid for it.

That’s not to say that barista jobs aren’t hard work. You also need good customer service skills, a steady hand, and patience to excel in the job and build a successful career. Let’s look at what it takes to learn how to be a barista, a typical barista salary, and how to find a barista job.

What Is a Barista?

As a barista, you’re part artist and part chemist. You’ll work in a coffee shop or other food establishment that serves coffee drinks. You’ll know how to make fancy coffee drinks with different types of coffee beans, flavorings, and milks. You also have to make them visually appealing. The best example of this is latte drinks. Part of learning how to become a barista includes mastering the art of pouring steamed milk that floats on the coffee and forms detailed pictures like swans and sunsets.

What Does a Barista Do?

Your primary job as a barista is to make coffee and espresso drinks like lattes, macchiatos, and cappuccinos. Customer service is an integral part of being a barista. You will interact with every customer. Your duties can include taking orders, making recommendations for drinks, and serving. If you work for a small coffee shop, you may also be responsible for cleaning and replenishing supplies.

Your day as a barista starts early. Industry statistics show that more than 60% of coffee consumption is in the morning. That’s not a surprise if you’ve been in line inside a coffee shop or its drive-through at 7:00 a.m.

To see additional barista responsibilities, look at this typical barista job description.

Essential qualities for a barista to have include:

• Outstanding listening and verbal communication skills
• Customer service focus
• Organization
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

How to Become a Barista

You can start to learn how to be a barista as early as high school. A part-time or summer job in a coffee shop will familiarize you with the job's environment and pace while you sweep the shop floor and take orders. Show enthusiasm for learning, and the barista may take time during slow hours to teach you how to operate equipment and make simple coffee drinks. You might even get to experiment with latte art!

While you’re there, study the shop’s menu of coffee offerings and learn what does into each drink and in what ratios. Try every drink on the menu during your breaks or on the way home for the day. Ask if drinks are free for workers before ordering one.

To dazzle your employer, study up on the coffee trade, especially how beans are grown, roasted, and sourced. Learn about fair trade that protects third-world workers and guarantees sustainability. Keep in mind it’s not an easy job, and you can’t practice at home unless you own expensive equipment.

You'll need advanced training if you want to aim high for a successful barista career.

What Is a Barista Training Program?

There is no lack of training programs, schools, and online courses to learn how to become a barista. Large coffee chains have their own training programs. Coffee associations sponsor classes and full certificate programs. Several private coffee schools hold in-person and online programs.

You have many choices for the type of training you’d like. A one-day course can teach you all about making espresso. Other programs teach everything from making drinks to repairing equipment. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, classes can help you open your own coffee shop. The cost of barista training is all over the board as well. If you’re still in school, or unable to travel, you’ll find online courses for about $20 each for a few hours of self-guided instruction. Or you can spend $1,400 for 15 hours of in-person instruction over two days.

Barista classes include:

• Roasting and Brewing
• Green Coffee
• Sensory Skills
• Cupping Essentials
• Latte Art
• Technical Machine Maintenance
• Coffee storage and freshness
• History of Espresso
• Different Types of Espresso Machines and Grinders
• Steam and Milk
• Efficient Workflow Practices
• Best Practices for Customer Service, Health, and Safety
• Drink Construction and Taste Differences
• Milk and Latte Art
• Grind, Dose, Tamp, Extract
• Coffee Farming
• Milk Science

Barista Certification

Just as there are many barista training programs and classes, certification and certificate programs are plentiful. As far as the amount of training and testing you should get, you can decide how much. Do Baristas make more when they have certifications? Not necessarily, but they do have an advantage when applying for jobs.

The most popular barista certification programs are:

• SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) Diploma
• SCAA Level One Certification
• Barista Guild Certification
• American Barista and Coffee Certification
• Barista Hustle Certification

How Much Do Baristas Make?

The median barista salary is $16.96 per hour. Pay ranges from $14.18 to $21.18 per hour. That doesn’t include tips, which can add an average of $18 per day. Be sure to ask about the tip policy before taking a job. Some coffee shops share tips with everyone working the shift. In some jobs, tips are collected and added to your paycheck. You can find out what a barista makes in your area using Monster Salary Tools.

How to Find Barista Jobs

With all the skills, courses, and certifications that show you’ve learned how to become a barista, your barista resume can include more than just your employment history. Along with your resume, you can use your barista cover letter to talk about your passion for coffee and future goals as a barista.

Once you’ve got the perfect blend of your resume and cover letter, it’s time to look for barista jobs on Monster. Some areas of the U.S. have a higher demand for baristas. They are:

• New York City
• Los Angeles
• San Diego
• Houston
• Austin

Wake Up and Smell the Barista Jobs on Monster

Find out how to become a barista with the job of your dreams by joining Monster. All you need to do is complete your profile and upload your resume. We’ll fill up your inbox with new job postings and career advice to keep your career perking.