Categories: Careers & Job Searching

Guide to a Career as a Bouncer

If you are a large male with a desire to work in the security business, exploring a career as a bouncer might allow you to find what you are looking for. Although all bouncers aren’t large and male, the vast majority are, and size grants a bouncer the factor of intimidation, which can help him in this business.

A bouncer is the first level of security for a bar, nightclub or other establishment. Their duties include collecting money from patrons for cover charges, wandering the floor in search of problems, breaking up fights among angry patrons and dispelling arguments between the drunk and the disorderly.

The size and wealth of a nightclub or bar will determine how much a bouncer can make. Many bouncers earn a portion of the tips accrued by bartenders, waiters and waitresses, though others earn a flat salary. In the last five years, nightclubs who hire bouncers with training have increased in numbers across the U.S., while some bouncers have no training at all.

To pursue a career as a bouncer, you will need to be able to prove both your strength and your ability to solve problems. Good bouncers know how to dispel a negative situation without resorting to brute force, and nightclub owners look for those qualities to diminish the possibility of legal liability for the injury of a patron. Size can also be a factor because a large man wearing a SECURITY t-shirt is more likely to deter fighting and improper behavior than someone who appears small and meek.

The first step to pursuing a career as a bouncer is to put in applications at local nightclubs and bars. If you have any training in wrestling or martial arts, those skills are important to include in your resume. When you meet with owners of these establishments, let them know that you aren’t afraid to command authority.

Your career as a bouncer will include the duties to maintain the rules of the establishment and to survey the floor on a regular basis to pinpoint problems before they occur. You might need to obtain training or certification to become a bouncer, but this is rare. Experience is always preferred by establishment owners, but everyone has to start somewhere.

Bouncers can earn anywhere from $16,000 per year to more than $60,000. The amount of money you are offered for a job as a bouncer depends on your experience as well as the popularity of the establishment. A small, hole-in-the-wall on a dark alley won’t be able to pay you as much as an upscale bar downtown.

Remember that, as a bouncer, you will have to remain drug free. You will not be allowed to drink while you are on duty and you must refuse drinks if they are offered. You also should know that physical violence should be a last resort; if you must physically restrain a patron, you might be placing the establishment at risk.