Is barista a profession or a calling? Many people are interested in how much a barista earns working in a particular region, and what are the requirements for applicants in this field. The topic will be useful to those who have decided to make a career in this direction or are just planning to.
The literal translation of “barista” from Italian is a bartender, a person working behind the bar. However, this definition does not accurately reflect the modern understanding of the functions of a specialist. In Russia, this is the name most often given to the master who prepares coffee drinks in a cafe. In European countries, the term may refer to a coffee shop owner or bartender who prepares coffee and alcoholic cocktails. Sometimes a barista combines several functions.
How much does a barista earn in the regions of Russia?
A barista's salary depends on the professionalism of the barista and the region in which he works. Most often this is a low-paid specialty. But if you are lucky with the city and the organization, the applicant will experience career growth and a good salary. A good barista with 3 years of experience earns up to 100,000 rubles.
In Russia, a beginning specialist receives from 10,000 rubles. The monthly salary of a barista in Moscow is 35,000-50,000. Grateful clients leave decent tips for a specialist who prepares drinks with soul.
How much does a professional barista earn in St. Petersburg and other large cities? 30,000 per month is the average salary for St. Petersburg and Vladivostok. In Yekaterinburg, Voronezh and Krasnodar the salary is slightly lower - up to 28,000.
In most of the Russian branches of Starbucks (Starbucks) and Costa Coffee, a barista earns about 30,000 rubles per month. The salary of the master at Shokoladnitsa is 25,250, but the Coffee Like chain pays less - 22,500 per month. At Coffee House, a specialist earns from 23,300 rubles.
The video below explains how to become a barista from scratch.
Barista Responsibilities
First of all, you need to train to be a barista. You can gain specialized skills by visiting a training center or courses conducted by companies on site. In Russia, such training can be found in many large cities.
Educational institutions that train professionals in the field of coffee making are located in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnoyarsk. Upon completion of training, specialists receive a license, which gives them the right to get a job in their specialty.
Preparing the drink involves grinding coffee beans and the correct dosage. The barista understands how to prepare each drink and can experiment with the features of its preparation.
Coffee professionals are constantly trying to improve their own skills, which has led to the creation of barista competitions that are held locally and nationally. Such specialists must not only be able to prepare delicious coffee. Their responsibilities may also include:
- Knowledge of the range of coffee drinks and customer consultations.
- Knowledge of the ingredients and specifics of drinks, the ability to change the composition of coffee.
- Creating latte art at the client's request.
- Correct handling of coffee equipment.
- Training of new employees may also be included.
- Good relationships with clients.
- Maintaining cleanliness at the work site.
Typically, a barista must work with professional coffee machines, which can be of varying levels of sophistication.
The job may seem simple at first. However, it requires special skills, training, and the ability to adapt to different types of coffee and customer tastes.
In addition to preparing espresso coffee, a barista must be able to make many other drinks based on it and understand its features. There are also specialties that are known as latte art, deeper knowledge of coffee and cold drinks based on it, and options for roasting coffee beans.
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Barista salary in different countries
How much a barista earns per month depends on the location of the cafe and the region. In tourist places, income is several times higher than in ordinary cafes. For example, in Spain, a barista's monthly salary rarely exceeds $2,000, except in Barcelona or Madrid.
The table shows how much a barista can earn in different countries:
| A country | Income per month (dollars) | Income per month (rubles) |
| Italy | 4 500 | 287 000 |
| Great Britain | 3 200 | 205 000 |
| Australia | 2 700 | 173 000 |
| Ireland | 2 600 | 166 000 |
| France | 2 400 | 153 000 |
| USA | 2 050 | 131 000 |
| Ukraine | 410 | 26 500 |
| Kazakhstan | 240 | 15 500 |
In the USA and European countries, overtime work is paid at an hourly rate. Coffee shops have a developed tipping system. For good service, a barista can receive his weekly or even monthly salary per day.
To earn decent money, you need to constantly improve, participate in competitions, receive certificates, attend courses and other useful events. And also really good at understanding coffee and brewing it deliciously.
There is an incentive to develop and move up the career ladder. Become a senior barista, get a job in the best restaurant, grow to an administrator or manager, and in some cases, open your own establishment and earn millions.
Salary statistics for 'baristas' by city
Leaders in the number of vacancies for 'barista': Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk.
Leaders in terms of average salary for 'barista': Moscow, Sochi, Khimki, St. Petersburg, Mytishchi.
Overview of salaries for 'baristas' by city
| Locality | Average salary, rub. | Median salary, rub. | Vacancies with salary | Total vacancies |
| Moscow | 52298.0 | 51000.0 | 598 | 648 |
| Saint Petersburg | 45053.0 | 47000.0 | 376 | 387 |
| Krasnodar | 34708.0 | 35000.0 | 53 | 62 |
| Ekaterinburg | 37809.0 | 35000.0 | 47 | 48 |
| Novosibirsk | 34158.0 | 31000.0 | 38 | 45 |
| Samara | 36077.0 | 35000.0 | 26 | 32 |
| Sochi | 50840.0 | 51000.0 | 25 | 31 |
| Kazan | 34143.0 | 31000.0 | 28 | 30 |
| Voronezh | 32800.0 | 31000.0 | 20 | 22 |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 33857.0 | 31000.0 | 21 | 21 |
| Rostov-on-Don | 34778.0 | 35000.0 | 18 | 21 |
| Irkutsk | 36684.0 | 35000.0 | 19 | 19 |
| Chelyabinsk | 31750.0 | 33000.0 | 16 | 18 |
| Ufa | 31857.0 | 31000.0 | 14 | 18 |
| Permian | 33750.0 | 31000.0 | 16 | 18 |
| Tyumen | 33000.0 | 31000.0 | 18 | 18 |
| Krasnoyarsk | 31857.0 | 31000.0 | 14 | 16 |
| Kaliningrad | 35857.0 | 35000.0 | 14 | 14 |
| Khimki | 50143.0 | 49000.0 | 14 | 14 |
| Tomsk | 28455.0 | 27000.0 | 11 | 13 |
| Omsk | 27500.0 | 29000.0 | 8 | 12 |
| Volgograd | 27889.0 | 27000.0 | 9 | 12 |
| Vladivostok | 42667.0 | 39000.0 | 12 | 12 |
| Barnaul | 29800.0 | 29000.0 | 10 | 11 |
| Kemerovo | 26636.0 | 27000.0 | 11 | 11 |
| Novorossiysk | 36333.0 | 31000.0 | 9 | 11 |
| Saratov | 35667.0 | 33000.0 | 6 | 10 |
| Yaroslavl | 31571.0 | 27000.0 | 7 | 10 |
| Belgorod | 27400.0 | 29000.0 | 10 | 10 |
| Korolev | 42111.0 | 39000.0 | 9 | 9 |
| Ulyanovsk | 27500.0 | 29000.0 | 8 | 8 |
| Tver | 35571.0 | 31000.0 | 7 | 7 |
| Ryazan | 31667.0 | 29000.0 | 6 | 6 |
| Mytishchi | 44333.0 | 41000.0 | 6 | 6 |
| Penza | 31800.0 | 31000.0 | 5 | 5 |
| Kaluga | 26200.0 | 27000.0 | 5 | 5 |
Pros and cons of the profession
This is creative work, new and in demand. There is an opportunity to earn good money. Plus a flexible schedule, tips, constant growth and development. The work involves communication and interaction with different people. An added benefit is unlimited access to fresh coffee and snacks.
Disadvantages of the profession: few opportunities to earn money for beginners, long work on your feet, you have to go out on holidays and at night. Not everyone is able to work with a large flow of people; sometimes visitors just infuriate you. Therefore, mainly young people are interested in the profession. The age threshold for Russian baristas is 35 years. Older people rarely stand behind the counter, even for a high salary.
The profession is relatively young, but has a good future. It won't go away in 10 or 20 years because coffee is one of most people's top three favorite drinks and can be addictive.
Requirements for applicants
Restaurant owners, when hiring, have a number of requirements for candidates for the position of barista:
- high school diploma or equivalent;
- ability to communicate with people, speak and listen beautifully;
- Experience in food preparation, beverage preparation or customer service preferred;
- ability to understand coffee varieties, know the technology of preparing various drinks, understand recipes and technological maps;
- willingness to continue learning about food and coffee preparation;
- ability to walk a lot and stand for a long time;
- Ability to work during peak hours, including nights, early mornings, weekends and holidays;
- politeness, charm;
- ability to determine client needs in the selection of drinks;
- For some institutions, appearance, knowledge of foreign languages and education of the applicant are important.
To get a job as a barista, you need to first study the requirements of the establishment where you want to work. Starting salary depends on eligibility.
What are the responsibilities of an employee?
Many people confuse the profession of barista and bartender. The barista deals only with coffee, sometimes tea and snacks. He must have special training. But sometimes they hire people without seniority or experience and train them on the spot. It is important to know everything about drinks, the rules for operating coffee machines, and preparing recipes.
The barista must carry out instructions from management, clean the workplace, serve orders beautifully, communicate with customers, and advise them about the assortment presented in the cafe. How much a barista earns per month depends on the duties performed.
Wage
The standard barista schedule is 2/2 from eight in the morning to midnight, but we have a slightly different system. Firstly, we work in two shifts from seven in the morning until lunch. The second shift starts from lunch until closing. This is very convenient, as it leaves a lot of time for personal matters or study. Secondly, we have an hourly rate of payment. If you want to earn a little more than your standard salary, you can stay late after your shift or go on a day off.
On average, I earn from 70 to 90 thousand tenge per month. The salary depends on how often you worked shifts and whether you had overtime. In addition, we have a bonus system. If there is more than 20 thousand tenge in the cash register per shift, then we receive 10% bonuses from the amount. There is a punishment system for fines. If there is not enough money in the cash register or, on the contrary, there is more than there should be, the barista must “pay off” with something. For example, bring a large pizza to a meeting.
A senior barista can receive up to 200 thousand tenge; It’s all about experience and length of service in one place. On average, you can become a senior barista within a year of work. A promotion gives you not only the opportunity to earn more, but also additional hassle. You must monitor other baristas and train new ones. I was offered to become a chef barista, but I refuse for now, otherwise work will eat up all my free time.
It is very important to participate in championships. For example, in Almaty, an art latte championship is held, when children from local establishments gather and compete in the ability to correctly pour frothed milk into espresso so that various patterns appear on the surface. The taste of the coffee is not important here, the main thing is the beauty of the design. The winner is the one who produces the neatest snowflake or symmetrical heart. The second option is to participate in the so-called classic competitions. At such events you prepare several classic drinks and one signature one. Winners can usually easily find a job or get a promotion later.
Specialty bonuses, benefits, pensions
Most often, students who want to earn extra money and have a flexible schedule to combine work and study go into the restaurant industry. Overtime pay and the opportunity to receive tips are the main bonuses of the profession. Monthly earnings will depend on the choice of location and the traffic level of the establishment.
In Russia, barista is a new profession. Young people are trying to study this specialty in depth, and then move on to some kind of administrative position. Baristas do not work until retirement. Abroad, the specialty is being mastered by an older generation. People retire not according to the number of years they have worked, but according to the retirement age prescribed in the country.
Benefits include discounts on coffee, drinks and snacks sold in the establishment. Sometimes owners provide food to workers without deduction from their salaries.
How much do baristas earn abroad?
According to official statistics, foreign baristas have good earnings and can also boast of stable and highly developed conditions for their professional work. Baristas in America and developed European countries receive about 8-10 dollars per hour for their professional activities, which at the current dollar exchange rate is about 500-700 rubles.
Moreover, baristas abroad also have weekends and holidays, and they often receive bonuses and cash rewards for the quality performance of their duties. However, it is in developed countries that employers are most careful in selecting their employees, subjecting them to various professional tests and personal interviews.
Both in Russia and abroad, all baristas are officially employed workers, thanks to which they can count on receiving government and social benefits. Thus, a barista is not such a simple and low-paid profession as it might seem at first glance.
Possible career path
There is no standard career path in this specialty. Everything is very individual and depends on the employee’s future plans, desires and capabilities. You can become a chef, rise to an administrative position, or go further to study and get a job in an excellent restaurant where a barista earns many times more. Special coffee fans open their own establishments.
To make a career, you should study the income and characteristics of the career path in your region. Basically, the opportunity to earn money awaits those who started operating in large cities with a large flow of clients in need of a daily dose of caffeine.
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