Hospitality and tourism are huge industries in Australia and for many positions having an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate is not only beneficial but essential.
While these industries often attract students and backpackers looking for a job to get them around the country or through university, working and progressing in these industries can also make for a fun and rewarding career.
In this article, we wanted to highlight a number of the potential career paths you could aim towards after completing your RSA course.
Entry-Level Opportunities
First up, we are going to focus on entry level roles, these are the roles you will start in and are the roles most people think about when they think of hospitality jobs.
Bartender: A bartender works behind the bar in a club, pub, restaurant or bar. Their role includes interacting with people and pouring and serving drinks. An RSA certificate is a legal requirement for this role.
Waitstaff: Waitstaff take orders and deliver food and drinks to patrons. They may also take payment, clean tables and remove dirty dishes. If they’re not working in a licensed venue, then waitstaff will not need an RSA certificate but holding an RSA can be beneficial. The course teaches a lot of skills for dealing with customers and it also would allow waitstaff to work in a greater number of venues.
Event staff: Being casual event staff can be a great way to earn a little bit of extra cash at the weekends or in an evening. This could be anything from working at a stadium during the big game to being behind the bar at a festival. Some positions or events may require you to hold an RSA.
Bottle shop employee: Working at a bottle, while you’re not pouring alcohol, will still require an RSA certificate. In this role, you’ll be selling bottles or cans of alcohol to customers, checking IDs and managing stock levels.
Advanced Hospitality Roles
After your entry level role, you may want to progress into a management role. This can be in a bar, restaurant or a full venue.
Bar manager: A Bar Manager looks after the operations of a bar and ensures the wellbeing of patrons and staff. Bar managers will need to get an RSA certificate and may be required to hold a further certificate like the RMLV in Queensland.
Specialised Career Paths
Maybe, management isn’t your style, but you still want to progress from entry-level roles. Here are some roles you can specialise in:
Sommelier: A Sommelier is a wine expert who curates wine lists, recommends food and wine pairings, and advises guests on wine selections based on their preferences and food choices.
Mixologist: Mixologists use their knowledge of spirits, liqueurs, and other ingredients to create unique and flavourful cocktails.
Event coordinator: An event coordinator has varied responsibilities which include planning multiple events, managing finances, problem-solving, liaising with clients and vendors and creating proposals while ensuring they are within a client's budget constraints. If the event serves alcohol, the Event Coordinator will likely need an RSA.
Outside-the-Box Opportunities
There are a few job opportunities that you might consider that aren’t strictly hospitality or tourism.
Sales Representative: A sales representative promotes and sells a company's products or services to customers. The RSA comes into this if the sales rep worked for an alcohol brand.
Training Roles: If you’re a people person and enjoy helping people succeed then teaching an RSA course like the trainers at CTA Training Specialists might be for you.
We hope you found this guide to potential careers for people with RSA certificates helpful.
To book an RSA course, select the specific state course below:
