The roles
- Bar back — stock, ice, glass and the setup that lets the bartenders serve.
- Bartender — serving, making drinks and running a section of the bar.
- Head bartender or bar supervisor — the menu, the ordering and the team on shift.
- Bar manager — stock control, margins, the rota and the licence conditions.
Licences
In England and Wales you do not need a personal licence to serve alcohol. Every premises needs a designated premises supervisor who holds one, and anyone serving must be authorised by a licence holder. Bar managers are often asked to get a personal licence, which means a one-day course and an exam. Scotland runs a different system with mandatory staff training.
Tips belong to the staff
Since 1 October 2024 employers in England, Scotland and Wales must pass on every tip, gratuity and service charge they control to workers, in full, by the end of the month after it was paid, and must have a written policy on how they are shared. They cannot keep a cut to cover card fees. An advert should tell you whether there is a tronc and roughly what it adds.
The statutory code of practice on tips Code of practice on the fair and transparent distribution of tips
What it must pay
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. It is £10.85 for 18 to 20 year olds, and £8.00 for 16 and 17 year olds and for apprentices. That is the floor for every hour you work, including any trial shift that is really work.
The rates, on gov.uk National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
Every job on Covers states its pay, because the database will not publish one that does not. Once there are four live listings for a role, its pay page shows the median of what venues are actually offering.
Late finishes
Bar work is late work. An advert should say when shifts usually end, whether there is a night bus or a taxi policy after the last train, and whether close-down is paid. You are entitled to a 20-minute break in any shift over six hours, and to 11 hours off between one working day and the next.
Rest breaks, on gov.uk Rest breaks at work