WANTED - Bar and Beverage management teacher

Here in the Philippines, Hotel and Restaurant Management schools are very much in demand to the extent that they keep on popping up like mushrooms. It's a very good business if you look at it in a different perspective since the school will get prospective clients every year.For these trying times schools have even lowered their fees so that the student can enroll in their schools.

In good business, in order for the school to entice enrollments, it should invest on its facilities and personnel.And depending on their target market, they should price their fees accordingly.


One prerequisite of this course is called Bar Management/Beverage Management.
This course generally deals with the subject of bartending both in theory and application. This course should supposedly have a Lecture part and a Laboratory part.

Unfortunately, some schools compress it into one preparation.Compared to other countries, we don't really have a solid bartending school. Bartending is just a part of some other trainings.

Can anyone just teach this subject? Does having a masteral degree make one qualified to teach this subject?

Ideally, this subject should be taught by a professional bartender with a good grasp of English and a gift of teaching. Unfortunately, we cannot have everything.
If you really would like to pursue this profession, you must check if these traita are possessed by the instructor.

Why are these qualifications important?
1.Professional Bartender - Professional doesn't necessarily mean that he can flip 3 or more bottles(it doesn't follow folks).
Being professional means he has embraced the profession for a period of time and has been practicing and learning from it continuously.In order to share your knowledge you must have a very good background about it.Better if you still practice it.

2.Good grasp of English- Well this should be a no brainer but just to prove this point, English is still the medium of instruction. Most Liquors, tools, glasswares, and even terminologies are all in English and it would be best if you know how to speak,read and understand the language.

3.Gift of teaching - Now this is the clincher. God has given us talents and I would like to think that teaching is one very important gift. Not anybody can relay messages effectively to people. It's like if we go back to the 12 apostles. These guys were chosen. That is why there are courses offered on public speaking because it is harder than it looks. Not everyone can catch the attention of 300 students or 50 students in 1 and a half hours until 5 hours.Some people are good individually no doubt...but for them to share and transmit their talents or learning is another story.

These are simple qualifications really, no need to read the dictionary...but I guess in relation with the 3 trait one must have PASSION in teaching.

NC II Bartending in the Philippines ---is it necessary??

If one will go to Google.com and search, ”What do I need to be a certified bartender?,” there is a link that would say that one must be at least 18 years of age since it is the legal age of drinking. There are some states that would say 21. It really depends on the law of each state. I also read that to get a certificate you must attend classes, in this case “bartending classes,” that go thru 8 sessions for 4 hours each, after which, you take a final exam and get a certificate.

Here in the Philippines, “Bartending” is part of the course Hotel and Restaurant Management. It is divided into lecture and lab parts and is better known as beverage or bar management which is usually taken by students in their 2nd or 3rd year in college. In this regard, we can say that we are following what other countries are doing in terms of following the legal age for drinking. If one finishes the course, one gets a diploma since a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management is good for 4 years.

Although now, since I believe there is an Associate course which lets the student finish the course in 2 years, it is here they get a certificate.Another thing I know is that there are really “bartending schools” in some countries, not just short courses but schools. And the more credible schools do placements in establishments.

So after reading these I would say that so far I am a certified bartender based on the information I got. I searched another website and I would say that I need this training to be really certified:

(Taken from the link http://www.certifiedbartender.com)

Bartending Licenses

As a general rule most states do not require specialized training, certification or licensing for Bartenders, however, some localities (counties and cities) require Bartenders apply for a license to Bartend. It is strongly encouraged that you check with your local city hall to determine if one is required where you plan on working. The licensing fee varies but generally it it costs between $25 and $50 and takes less than 1 month to receive -- usually it can be processed in a couple of days. Most do require Bartenders to go through some sort of Certification program such as the B.A.I.'s Certified Bartender course.

What Is T.I.P.S.? Training for Intervention Procedures by Servers of Alcohol.

If you serve alcohol or employ people who do, more and more of our courts have a message for you. You've got to do more to stop intoxicated customers from driving drunk. To help you avoid that risk, and help save lives, there is a proven training program called TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures by Servers of Alcohol). Generally your employer will provide this training to you either as an ethical choice or potentially to receive a reduction in liability insurance rates.

What Is L.E.A.D.S.?

The L.E.A.D.S. (Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs Alcohol Seller/Server Training Program) is a free, voluntary prevention and education program for retail licensees, their employees, bartenders and applicants. It began on January 1, 1991 with a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Since February 1995, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has funded the program. Since 1991, the L.E.A.D.S. Program has trained over 100,000 people.

The curriculum is designed for licensees, managers, bartenders, and employees. There is no separate management curriculum. Program length is 3-1/2 hours, except for Fairs/Special Events Training, which is 2 hours.

Benefits Of L.E.A.D.S Training

Reduces risk of liability, including criminal (court action), civil (lawsuit) and administrative (ABC accusation).

1. L.E.A.D.S. Training can help reduce the risk of license revocation.
2. Possible reduced insurance premiums.
3. Provides ways to deal with difficult situations.

So you see, these 2 training programs are very important. I have asked this question before, how come we aren’t really strict in serving alcohol to minors? The answer I got from one mentor is because of our economic situation. This I believe shouldn’t be an excuse because we shouldn’t limit our learning based on what we have in our country.

When I worked on ships, serving alcohol to minors was strictly monitored and followed. One could lose a job right away when found out. I being in a situation where I was with a mother and daughter. The mom ordered a bottle of champagne from me and asked me to give her 2 glasses and pour champagne in them. Based on dramshop law, L.E.A.D.S. and T.I.P.S., what would you do?

I have been in the bartending profession for about 11 years now and I have been connected in the academe for about 5 years. When I arrived here n the country supposedly for my vacation, I was fortunate enough to have been invited as a judge in one in-school bartending competition. Upon conversing with some people from the academe I found out that it is now required for educators to take competency exams so they could teach aside from taking up a masteral course eventually. Wow! Actually, it is a good idea to be “certified” but at the back of my head, is it worth taking the exam? One will pay a fee and for what, to get a piece of paper which states that you are qualified to teach Bartending which here in the country, I believe there is really a need to certify educators into teaching bartending since not anybody can really teach this profession . And I have been in both academe and industry for what, more than what is necessary?

I had second thoughts but I figured since I wanted to go back to the academe again, then "let us do what the Romans do." After 2 weeks of delay I finally came to the assessment center with my picture, resume, and P900. I didn't study deliberately to see if I will pass or not based on mere stored knowledge.

After taking the exam which I would say lasted for about 2 hours since it contained written and practical exams, I would say I passed. As I write this blog I did pass! But here's the catch, I felt that I was shortchanged. I was expecting more since I paid P900, I didn't get what I paid for. I could have been happier if I found the exam hard and it would be easier for me to accept if I failed having known I didn't prepare. If there would be readers from TESDA, let this blog be an appeal, I am not mocking this exam but please make it more worth its fee. There were some instances that kind of affected my ego.

I took the same exam with a fourth year college student and we paid the same fee. I am not being arrogant or something but can't there be a level so there would be an appropriate exam for a certain bracket or group? I used to teach in TESDA Women's Center and I would think that the things that I have been teaching them to pass the NC s the same questions I answered. I only look up to a handful of people that I consider mentors in the area of Bartending, and none of those are connected with TESDA.

I paid for an exam which was photocopied poorly. with some misspelled and missing words, and some poor grammatically constructed questions. I believe that nobody's perfect. I have nothing against the assessor for he was just tasked to assess. I have nothing against the assessment center for the questionnaires I would think is centralized. TESDA is supposed to be highly regarded as the center of skills development. But where is the skill in developing a well thought of, well-produced exam?

We are talking about economic crunch, so why charge so much for something of low value? If I may I can help suggest making the exam a more dignified one and as I have mentioned a separate exam for the students and instructors. I think this goes back to what I have observed that the bartending profession here is very much taken for granted. I cannot blame them for there are really very few qualified and credible individuals who can teach the profession. It is not just flipping of bottles. Again, I call to all educators, with the COHREP's theme of MOVING FORWARD AND BEYOND, let us indeed do this in every little thing we do so we can teach our students to be globally competitive.

Who is Rey Navoa?

Rey Navoa
Filipino Bar Manager of the High Seas

There is a saying which goes, “It’s not what you know but who you know…” well I am blessed in this life time that I crossed paths with people who have eventually become my mentors or people who I look upto. In our beverage industry here, rarely will a genuine person open up and allow his life to be read by the public. This interview will give you a clear idea of what I mean.



PB: Please tell us something personal about yourself.

REY: I was born Aril 19,1959 in Caloocan, Manila. I studied Highschool in Lakandula Highschool and took my college in Feati University as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineering student. I tried to study flying in PATTS since I really wanted to be a pilot but when my father died I had to stop.

PB: I see. So after college what was your first job?

REY: Well, I started as a tinsmith/solderer, then in SSS as a processor afterwhich I worked as a clerk in SM Makati which is where I met my wife.

PB: So how did you end up working in ships?

REY: ShoeMart Makati was close to Manila Garden at that time. And out of curiosity, I resigned in SM Makati and looked for a job in hotel and luckily I was hired in Silahis Intl Hotel as a janitor for 4months.Then I tried my luck abroad(Kuwait) as a Butler for 2 years (1979-1981). Then I came back and applied again same company ( Silahis hotel) but this time as a banquet waiter (1981-1982). I would say I was at the right place at the right time.

During my slack hours I would work as a busboy in the Piano bar of that hotel. And because of a very untimely incident which turned out to be a blessing, I was removed from the banquets and got promoted as a barboy(1982-1983) in that piano bar. I really had to start everything from scratch for I had no knowledge of bartending but I was a fast learner and I could easily pick up. So for 1 year (!983-1984) I got promoted as a bartender. But at that time I was bent on working on cruise ships specifically Holland America Lines for my other batch mates in the hotel were already working there.

In 1985 I joined a bartending competition organized by the hotel and fortunately won. The management already had heard that I would be resigning so they tried to promote me as Bar Captain.

PB: So did you accept the offer?

REY: I was really determined to work on ships so I declined. I started 1985 in Holland America Line thru United Philippine Lines which was the crewing agent.

PB: What can you say about your first time on ships?

REY: It was a big adjustment on my part. Nobody was there to teach me how the ships standard was. There was no “buddy system”. But I focused on the job.

PB: Did you feel homesick?

REY: No. Actually, the more I was motivated to work when I was surprised to get “tips” in dollars Even my wife was happy since I send her money. I just did my job everyday and after my first contract I was fortunate to be promoted as Bar Supervisor.

From 1985 to 1994 I was Bar Supervisor and in that year I was the 3rd to the last Filipino that got promoted as Assistant Bar Manager.

PB: Wow! How did you feel about your promotion?

REY: Well of course I felt glad but I was just doing my job consistently and I am happy that they noticed it. And here’s more…in 1995 I was asked to launch the Ryndam ship as ABM and after it set sail the head office offered me Bar Manager position! I was the first Filipino Bar Manager in Holland America Line. I was the trendsetter so to speak for hiring other potential Filipino BM’s in the fleet.

PB: The First Filipino Bar Manager on the high seas!!! Congratulations. So what happened next?

REY: From 1995-2005 I continued my job as BM in the company until 2005, Seattle head office came up with a new structure. All of the BM’s were asked to step down as ABM’s. But after 15 days they put me back as BM in Ryndam for they got some letters coming from other officers in other ships asking why I got demoted.

PB: Saving grace?

REY: Actually I didn’t even know they protested until Corporate BM Roman Koppler and Sandra Scraag both from Head office in Seattle told me. I’m just happy that even officers acknowledge my hard work. But in December 2006, I asked Seattle if they could give me a 5 year vacation. In January 2007 Mr. Fernandino Lising, President United Phil. Lines offered me a teaching job here in Antipolo.

PB: Which leads us to this next question. How is teaching as compared to managing?

REY: It was also a major adjustment for I didn’t see myself in this position. But if there is one person who I would have to thank it would be Mr. Dax Jaurigue. He was the one who encouraged me and told me that I can do the job. So I researched, took trainings, talked to people and I told myself that I can do it.

PB: Mr Rey you have a very interesting and inspirational life. Can you tell us the secret of your success?

REY: I just do my job well and I make use of the gift that God gave to me. I am very personable. If I see my people are happy then I am happy.

PB: How about investments? Can you say you have saved enough money?

REY: In that department, I can say technically I don’t need to work anymore. In 2004 I was able to put up a building apartment. I have properties in Sta Rosa Laguna, Baguio, Valensuela, Malabon and anitpolo.

PB: This is definitely an article worth reading by all the other seafarers who want to be like you. Any words of wisdom for all the seafarers out there?

REY: O yes. Spend your money wisely. Do not be a one day millionaire. Invest your money.

PB: On that note, thank you very much for your time Sir.