Cafe Barista Jobs

The cafe culture in Australia is huge.  Aussies love their coffee and many feel no shame in flaunting their snobbery when it comes to getting it exactly as they like it: latte, flat white, short black, long black, macchiato, cappuccino, mocha, ristretto, doppio… the menu goes on!

If you’re looking for a job where you can earn good money, have fun and socialise with the locals, working as a barista (a coffee making professional), or as a waiter in a local café could be right up your alley. Most city cafes aspire to create their own cool personality and ambience, which means great customers, cool and interesting co-workers and plenty of opportunities to make good tips.

But it’s not just in the big smoke, as a certified barista your skills and experience will be valued all around Australia, making it even easier to pick up jobs as you travel. No matter how remote a town may be, almost everywhere has a café, bar, pub, roadhouse or restaurant with people hungry for a decent coffee. If you have little or no coffee making experience, a barista training courses will provide the skills and experience you need to improve your chances of getting a job. After an intensive course with a barista expert, you will be bumping and grinding your way around some of the coolest cafes in town.

Most barista / cafe / wait staff jobs require you to work shifts ranging from three hours to seven or eight hours (or more). If you are a casual employee, you will work for an hourly rate. This can be a great way to earn money quickly because you can do plenty of hours/week and the hourly rate paid is higher then full time work.

Unlike some countries, casual hospitality jobs in Australia pay a good base wage and sometimes include tips on top of this. If you are a casual you will be paid an hourly rate that will obviously vary between employers. Hourly hospitality base rates for adult casuals are usually $15-$20 per hour. You will normally get paid extra for working overtime/late nights and possibly ‘time-and-a-half’ or ‘double time’ on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

There is no compulsory tipping or built-in service charges in Australia, although tipping for good service is becoming more common in restaurants in the bigger cities. Satisfied customers will leave around 10% of the bill, or more. In bars, tipping is less common but customers will often leave small change. Tips are often pooled amongst staff.

Find cafe / waiting jobs in Australia