Orlando is a very large city, and the night life/entertainment venues are one of the main attractions in almost all regions. While attending college in the Orlando UCF area, I have met many people who struggled to make ends meet while working part-time for minimum wage, or only slightly more. The best part-time job opportunities for students or for those looking for a temporary income are the Nightlife arenas or Bars. The pay is almost always quite well, and the hours are perfect for a student.
The positions available at any bar or night life venue are not strictly bartender and bar back. There are ways to get a position, making double what you would at the movie theatre or local clothing store, doing nothing more than watching the door or standing guard by the dance floor. This is a list of the possible positions available, in the Orlando area that should cover any person with just about any background.
Orlando Part-time Job #1- Bouncer
Wage: Bouncers at any bar make a minimum of $20/hr in the Orlando area. I know this for a fact, as I have a friend who has worked at 3 different bars in the Orlando UCF area for four years now and he has never made less than $20/hr.
Overview: Bouncers are paid to stand around and watch the crowd. They make sure that the crowd doesn’t get out of hand and if they do, they have to break it up. Most of the time this entails nothing more than standing by the D.J. booth and chatting, or simply watching the room for a full four hours until the bar closes. Not too bad, eh?
Prospective Employees: Large men only. Women won’t be accepted for the position, for obvious reasons. Unless of course, you are built like a man and can possibly pull apart two men who engaged in an outlandish bar fight.
Possible Venues: Knight Library (UCF area,) Chillers (Downtown,) Antigua (downtown,) Tabu (Downtown.)
Orlando Part-time Job #2 – Cocktail Waitress
Wage: A typical cocktail waitress makes $4-$10/hr. This does not include tips, and more often than not, the cocktail waitress makes a similar income than that of the bartender…which is pretty well. I knew a girl who worked at the Tabu Night Club in downtown Orlando, and never came home with less than $100 a night. This is for 4 hours of work!
Overview: A Cocktail waitress walks from table to table asking anyone if they want drinks. It’s to push drink sales when people can’t get to the bar, or don’t feel like walking to the bar. The bartender still makes the drinks; the cocktail waitress is simply the middle man in between the drink order and the drink maker. But, you still make a tip!
Prospective Employees: Women or men…Typically women.
Possible Venues: Tabu Night Club (Downtown Orlando,) Dragon Room (Downtown Orlando,) Latitudes (Downtown Orlando,) Blue Martini (Metro West Area, Millennia Mall.)
Orlando Part-time Job #3 – Cook
Wage: Cooks make between $12-$25/hr. Many of the bars sell food during the day, and while the drink sales plummet compared to the night life, there is still need for a cook during these hours. So, you will be compensated appropriately being the main money making token.
Overview: Bar food is easy to make. You don’t have to be a 4 star chef to fry French fries or put together a turkey club sandwich. That’s why this position is so great. While not everyone is comfortable working with food, the wage will surely beat out any other fast food restaurant job frying chicken nuggets and flipping burgers!
Prospective Employees: Women or men. Anyone who is up for this type of position can apply for a cook’s job.
Possible Venues: Knight Library (UCF area, they’re hiring right now,) Calico Jacks (everywhere,) Scoops (UCF area,) One Eyed Jacks (Downtown Orlando)
The key to getting a killer part-time job in Orlando at a bar is to make the initiative to go inside the bar you want to work at and apply directly to a manager. These positions won’t be listed on Career Builder or Monster, so go ahead in with a smiling face, an objective, and a great attitude and you’re sure to land a part-time position making far more than you probably would have hoped at the local mall.
