Serve Alcohol Responsibly

through an RSA Course

The Responsible Service of Alcohol, abbreviated as ‘RSA’, is the training and learning course made available for those living in Australia who wishes to work in bars, clubs or any licensed venue operating under the liquor industry.   As soon as the course is completed, successful trainees are issued with an RSA certificate and a Statement of Attainment.  These two special documents are recognized all across Australia, thus, giving you a better and a wider opportunity for your career.

Those who are primarily responsible in serving and selling liquor to consumers are required by law to go through the RSA course, which includes baristas, bartenders, servers, waiters and waitresses.   Other staff and employees working in licensed venues are also obliged to obtain their RSA certificate, floor staff, crowd control securities, promotional staff, volunteers as well as managers and supervisors.

The lessons and key topics discussed during the RSA training shall help the said individuals to perform their duties and tasks efficiently and responsibly.  All of their actions and behaviours when it comes to serving alcoholic beverages and liquor must be within the RSA standards and monitored by the licensing authorities of Australia.

The major topics discussed during the course includes, standard drink definition and measurement, alcohol effects in the body and community, responsible service and marketing of alcohol, signs of alcohol intoxication, liquor laws in Australia, refusing service to intoxicated consumers, restricting them from drinking more than what they can tolerate, proper assessment of the nature and disposition of the customer (using signs of intoxication) before serving him or her with more alcohol and also house policies that meet RSA standards.

A bartender must fully understand that selling, service and distribution of alcohol must be done within the liquor legislations of Australia.  Consumers have the right to ask about the content of the alcoholic beverages available in your workplace, from its strength down to its alcohol volume.  A common responsibility of a bartender is to help his or her regular customers in picking a good alcoholic beverage they may want to consume for the day. Also, bartenders are expected to recognize the needs, nature and preferences of their customers to cater to their orders as early as possible.  This treatment will help them feel special and valued which can certainly entice them to be one of your frequenters.

All participants of the RSA training course shall be oriented with the common alcohol drinks or liquor sold in the market, which are all approved by the liquor authorities.  The proper way of identifying the drinking habits of the customers and the appropriate ways of dealing with intoxicated individuals who either refuse to leave the venue or couldn’t accept that he or she is refused of alcohol service shall also be discussed.

The RSA course that trainees are asked to complete will teach them how to deal with challenging scenarios that are most likely to occur in these types of environment.  These scenarios are usually caused by the welfare, experience and personal lives of the costumers which are just brought up because of their intoxicated state of mind.

Certainly, to work as a bartender or any employee of a bar, restaurant or any licensed venue is a fun and enjoyable experience but is not as easy as it may seem.  There’s a lot more to their job that what most people think of.

If you need to Find Out More About an RSA Course then just checkout this page.