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A lot of people love the idea of being a bartender, but it’s a more demanding job than you might assume. If you’ve never worked in a bar and are considering bartending as a job option, here are some things you should know.

If you have never bartended before and want to try it you should probably consider starting at a smaller bar, or a bar that is not overly busy, so you can develop your skills and learn how to prepare a variety of drinks quickly. If you’re good at it you’ll want to move on to a faster-paced bar, where there’s more potential for bigger tips. 

Bartenders are paid very low wages, often below standard minimum wage for other professions, so the bulk of your income will come from tips. A skilled bartender knows how to maximize tips by “working” the customers while doing the job quickly. He or she has a keen sense of what individual customers want: who expects a little extra pampering, and who wants to get their drink order quickly and get out of there. Invariably, a bartender will benefit from being a little flirtatious with customers, it’s important not to over-do it or come across as phony.

Bartending can be hazardous to your health! First of all, the work-all-night sleep-all-day schedule isn’t suitable for everyone. The pace can be highly demanding, and you are regularly dealing with drunk people who can cause you trouble. Bartending is no cushy corporate job. You’re be standing all night, and if it’s a busy one you won’t get to stop until after last call. When customers are waiting, you won’t have the chance to go for a half-hour dinner break! Many people find the stress of the job is just not worth the tip money, while others have the personality to shine in the job. Think about whether you are temperamentally suited for this type of work before you decide to take training courses or take a job in a bar.

And don’t forget—a bar’s money is mostly made on the weekend. If going out with your friends on a Friday night is part of your routine, bartending might not be suited to you. A lot of bartenders become frustrated at losing touch with all their friends with nine-to-five jobs, not to mention working all night and missing a lot of daylight hours sleeping.

Bartending requires you to have strong memory skills: you may get an order from one customer for several different drinks at a time. A restaurant manager might test a job applicant by having them make about five drinks in rapid succession—gin and tonic, Jack and Coke, vodka soda, rye and ginger, vodka tonic, for example. If they can’t remember the quickly-recited drinks accurately, they probably won’t get the job.

Aside from making drinks fast, bartenders must be able to multi-task. Not only must you remember the customers’ drink orders, you have to keep track of whether your bar is properly stocked, clean, and so on. Crucial sales can be lost if you run out of, say soda water or cranberry juice 15 minutes before last call and have to get more from storage.

A good bartender must have well-developed social skills, and be willing to cater to a variety of people, not all of whom may be to your liking. A good bartender knows how to find just the right balance between being friendly and professional. You need to know when to engage in small talk with your customers, and to make them feel important without slowing down your bartending duties. Remember, every minute you spend chatting with a customer on a busy night is a minute you lose making drinks for the next person. Not only will that annoy the other patrons who are waiting, it will potentially reduce the total number of drinks you make thus lowering your night’s tips.

And don’t forget, you have important professional and even legal obligations when you serve alcohol. You will need to obtain some form of certification. All in all, bartending is no cakewalk. It takes a certain type of person to succeed at it. If you think you fit the bill, give it a shot!