Barista
On this page
- What's it like to be a Barista?
- How to become a Barista
- Latest Barista jobs
- Top skills and experience for Baristas
What's it like to be a Barista?
Baristas are food service professionals that typically work in coffee shops and cafes. They greet and interact with patrons, and prepare and serve their drink orders. Baristas need to have a good working knowledge of brewing equipment, know the cafe’s various beverage recipes, measure ingredients, and follow brewing times and methods to maintain the menu items’ quality.
Tasks and duties
- Welcoming customers to the establishment.
- Explaining menu items to customers and making recommendations.
- Making beverages according to set recipes or customers’ instructions.
- Receiving payment.
- Serving orders, including drinks and food.
- Ensuring that their work stations are kept neat, clean, and sanitised.
- Communicating with customers in a friendly manner to gain their regular patronage.
Baristas can also boost product value by customising drinks according to the customers’ preferences.
How to become a Barista
You can work as a Barista without a bachelor degree. Practical skills and experience are highly valued by hirers.
Finish secondary education. A GCE N or O level equips you with maths skills that let you follow and improvise recipes as a Barista.
Take barista classes. There are a variety of certification programmes in Singapore that teach basic to advanced coffee-making techniques. This will give you an edge over applicants.
Gain work experience. Companies usually require at least a year of professional experience for Baristas. You can finish internships or work first as a Café Assistant or part of the service crew.
Grow your career by taking certification classes and developing your skills. Later on, you may become a Coffee Consultant or a Business Owner, running your own coffee shop.
