So you want to become a barista?

That is fantastic news. Because in Australia, 3/4 of the population or about 24.5 million people drink coffee on a daily basis. Higher coffee consumptions equate to a thriving coffee industry in the country. Meaning, there is a lot of opportunities available for you to work as a barista.

A career as a barista in the coffee industry has a certain appeal.  The chic ambiance of a café, the smell of freshly ground coffee beans, the hip co-workers, and the creative thrill of making coffee is appealing to many.  Who has not dreamt of becoming a barista or perhaps owning a café at one point in their lives?

Barista work is a rewarding career choice. Especially if you are looking for a role where you can be creative but still interacting with people on a regular basis. Not to mention that barista skills are lucrative that are in high demand in many counties.

But how do you become a barista?

Making a great cup of coffee is not rocket science. You do not need a university degree or diploma to work, learn, or even enjoy coffee. Coffee-making techniques are something you can learn and can master with lots of practice. Once you master the techniques, you need to acquire other soft skills that come with the job. Anyone can become a barista with the right training.

If you are interested in becoming a qualified barista, you must be willing to learn the techniques and have a personality that works well under pressure. Learn how to become a professional barista today with our 4 step guide.

How to Become a Barista

1. Get Trained

Perhaps you are thinking about signing up for Barista courses for a while, or maybe this is the first time you consider it. Either way, there are so many reasons to learn how to make the perfect cup of coffee.

Many people enroll in barista courses with professional intentions. A barista course will help you gain indispensable skills that will help get you ahead in the job market. It can also be a great way to break into the coffee industry if you do not have any prior experience. It may not seem like a competitive industry, but it can be when it comes to skills and awareness of coffee-making trends.

Here are the barista courses you should consider taking:

• Barista Pro

Complete barista training that provides two nationally accredited training:

SITHFAB005 – Prepare & serve espresso coffee

SITXFSA001 – Use hygienic practices for food safety

• Barista Basic

Introduction to coffee-making for home baristas and those who are planning to enter the barista profession.

• Latte Art

The complete course guide to creating amazing latte artwork on each coffee cup.

The depth of learning will depend on the course you will take. Topics can range from roasting coffee beans to making coffee art. Standard courses go over the basics of making espresso-based drinks, including how to operate the machine and how to froth milk. A Barista Pro course will teach you how to perfect your milk frothing techniques to create latte art.

2. Get Knowledgeable

To be a good barista, you need to know everything about coffee. From knowing different types of beans, the best water-to-coffee ratio, the heat temperature, to explaining different coffee options to customers. Being a good barista means getting knowledgeable in all things coffee.

3. Practice

Giving baristas the time and space to practice their coffee-making skills is essential for training. Repeating different coffee processes until they have perfected their technique and learned from their mistakes is important to become a successful barista. Practicing may involve milk pouring, coffee grinding, and creating latte art over and over until you perfect it.

Day by day, they will learn how to properly use the equipment and how to clean it after each cup. Barista training requires time, patience, and a lot of practice.  But with the right opportunities, anyone can become the barista that every coffee shop wants to employ.

4. Apply

You may not necessarily find work in a local café or specialty coffee shop straight away. Perhaps consider working for a big coffee chain/franchise like Starbucks to build up your technical skills base first. Big coffee chains mostly use the same professional equipment as everyone else.

Working in any coffee shop allows you to serve real customers and will polish up your workflow and customer service skills. Many professional baristas gain their experience and skills from entry-level positions and use that as a launching pad to move on.

When applying for positions in the coffee industry, it is important to polish your resume and think outside the box.  You may end up being in your dream job even without prior experience.

Follow these four steps, and you can stand out from the ever-growing crowd of baristas within Australia’s shores.

Essential Skills You Will Need to Become a Master Barista

Coffee-making skills can be built and polished over time. However, there are a few interpersonal skills and attributes that a barista should have to flourish in this industry. These include:

• Passion for coffee

You have to love what you are doing to make a career out of it. In this situation, you need to have the drive and passion for coffee to be a successful barista.

• Good people skills

Baristas need to have excellent skills in communicating – both verbally and in writing. You need to communicate calmly and clearly to customers and co-workers, even under pressure.

• Ability to multi-task and work quickly

A barista role requires you to do multiple things at once. They might be making multiple drinks and answering a customer’s queries while working in the cash register. All of this can cause stress to the barista and can result to lower customer satisfaction. One good quality of a Pro Barista is to handle the pressure of a busy work environment. He or she must be able to complete multiple duties at one time.

• Attention to detail

Customer orders can get quite complex with their choice of drinks. It is why attention to detail is an important quality for every barista to ensure that all orders are complete before delivering them to the customer.

Becoming a barista requires the perfect mix of talent, training, and confidence. Now that you know what it takes to become a barista,  peek through the list of barista jobs to kick start your career in Australia’s thriving coffee industry.