Publican/ Licensee
What is the work like?
Publicans or licensees manage licensed premises, such as pubs and bars, providing alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and sometimes food. Some pubs or bars also have entertainment areas and rental accommodation.
As a publican or licensee, your duties could include:
- organising deliveries
- making sure the bar area is stocked and well maintained
- serving customers
- running the bar in line with health and safety regulations
- recruiting, training and supervising bar staff
- closing at the time specified on the premises licence
- stock taking
- handling wages
- book-keeping and accounts
- building good relationships with breweries, suppliers and customers.
You could employ a bar manager to carry out some of these duties, or you may do everything yourself.
You would also be responsible for enforcing the law on the sale of alcohol in your premises and coming up with ideas to attract more customers.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
Publicans or licensees are often employed to run a pub or bar on behalf of a pub chain or brewery. Leaseholders, tenants and free traders are business people who put their own money into the pub and business.
You will find it useful to have previous experience of bar work. See the Bar Person job profile for more details.
You may be able to get into bar work through an Apprenticeship scheme. The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. For more information on Apprenticeships, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk.
Another way to start your career would be on a management trainee scheme run by a large pub chain. To get onto a scheme you will usually need:
- relevant experience and a mature, conscientious and responsible attitude to work
- a qualification such as a foundation degree, BTEC HNC/HND, or degree (business, marketing, and hospitality management with licensed retail may be particularly helpful) – check with colleges or universities for details of course entry requirements.
To become a tenant or leaseholder, you would need to show the brewery or pub chain throughout their recruitment and selection process that you have the experience and managerial ability to run a pub successfully.
With financial backing, it is possible for anybody with enough capital to buy a 'free house'.
What further training and development can I do?
When you apply to take on a pub or bar, you will need to complete the personal licence holders' qualification. In England and Wales, licensing laws require every alcohol-serving licensed premises to have an identified personal licence holder, which is usually the publican/licensee.
To apply for a licence, you will need to meet four criteria. You must:
- be aged 18 or over
- not, within the last five years, have had a personal licence forfeited
- hold an accredited personal licence holders' qualification (unless you are a 'person of prescribed description')
- agree to a Criminal Records Bureau check.
Three awarding bodies offer the Level 2 National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders. They are the British Institute of Innkeeping Awarding Body (BIIAB), GOAL, and GQAL (through Discovering Hospitality Ltd) – see the websites for more details about the qualification and where to study.
Many large pub chain operators run management trainee schemes that can take around a year to complete. Schemes usually include placements and you would study subjects such as:
- business and management
- marketing
- staff training and development
- cellar management
- legal aspects to the licensing trade.
You could also take further training courses, such as:
- BII Award in Beer and Cellar Quality
- BII Advanced Certificate or Diploma in Licensed Hospitality
- NVQ Level 3 in Hospitality Supervision
- NVQ Level 2 in Food and Drink Service
- a Wine and Spirit Educational Trust (WSET) course.
Where can I go for more information?
39-45 Bermondsey Street
London
SE1 3XF
Tel: 020 7089 3800
Armstrong House
38 Market Square
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 1LH
Tel: 0870 060 2550
http://www.uksp.co.uk/ (careers information)
Siskin Parkway East
Middlemarch Business Park
Coventry
CV3 4PE
Tel: 08707 202909
80 Park Street
Camberley
Surrey
GU15 3PT
Tel: 01276 684449
If you would like to discuss your career options with a learning adviser, call 0800 100 900 or use our online enquiry form
Alternatively, you can visit our website at: www.direct.gov.uk/careersadvice
Related profiles...
What salary and other benefits can I expect?
- Trainee or assistant managers can earn around £15,000 a year.
- With experience, this can rise to around £25,000.
- Licensees in the most successful establishments can earn up to £50,000.
Income will vary depending on location, turnover and profits. Some breweries offer bonus schemes, free accommodation and living expenses.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
What are the hours and working conditions?
As a licensee, you are likely to work long hours. In 2005, the Licensing Act 2003 introduced new laws which allow flexible opening hours for premises – up to 24 hour opening, seven days a week (subject to objection). This may impact on the hours and shifts you and your staff work.
Pubs can be very noisy and busy at key times of the day, and your work would involve carrying crates and barrels.
You may be able to live above the premises rent free.
What skills and knowledge will I need?
- leadership and staff management ability
- good planning and organisational skills
- financial and numeracy skills for handling cash and book-keeping
- the physical fitness to cope with occasional heavy lifting
- the stamina to cope with long hours
- knowledge of the laws relating to licensing, and health and safety
- a friendly, outgoing personality
- creative thinking, to identify new ways of attracting customers.
What opportunities are there?
You could be employed by a brewery or chain to manage a pub or bar, or you could be self-employed as a tenant or freeholder.
As a tenant, you would pay rent to your landlord (the brewery), and sell beers that they produce. You would need the brewery's agreement before you could make changes to the pub, although they may help you finance improvements.
The main way to increase your earnings through extra bonuses (for managers) and increased profits (for tenants/freeholders) is by increasing the popularity of the pub. You could do this by improving existing facilities and the range of services you offer.
As a manager for a chain, with experience and a good track record you could progress to running a larger or busier pub, or becoming an area or regional manager. As a freeholder, you could move or buy more pubs and develop them as you wish, as long as you can raise the finance.
You may find the following links useful for vacancies and business opportunities (links open new window):
The Publican
Barzone
The Caterer
Caterer Search
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites
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