Every state in the U.
S.
has different requirements for alcohol training within the service industry.
Some states have their own mandated programs that are offered through the state government, while others give employers the option of training employees through state or private programs, depending on the rules and regulations of each state.
Understanding the alcohol training requirements for your particular area will be essential to your career success when you work within the service industry.
Keep in mind, too, that employers don't like liabilities.
Therefore, if you go the extra mile and get more training than you need, they'll tend to like hiring you because you know the rules and are less likely to cause them problems.
Alcohol service is a highly monitored part of the service industry, and rightfully so.
The various alcohol training courses that you will find offer a little bit of everything, including service information, and even tips and training on how to handle intoxicated customers and when and how to cut people off.
Beyond just being qualified for a job position, there are so many different benefits to alcohol training courses that can help you in your career within the food and beverage service industry.
The first tip in finding the best programs, though, is to know what you are required to have, versus what you think you should have.
Of course, if a specific job position or state law doesn't require you to have certain levels of training, you might want to get it anyway just to improve your career status and chance for moving up in the service industry.
However, it is when the state or job requires certain training and you don't get the right training or enough of it that you need to make sure that you're getting what you need.
Some states offer programs, and some employers are willing and able to pay for alcohol training and continuing education as it is needed, so make sure that you keep this in mind before you go off to find your own training programs with no regard to the position that you seek.
You could very well end up paying for a training program through a private source when your employer would have foot the bill if you had waited to get trained until they hired you.
What's worse is if you get training thinking you need it, and then find out that you needed something different.
Take the time to be informed before you jump into training so you get it right the first time.