UK - Personal License Public House?

Question

Hi,

I am looking to get a Personal License to run a PUB In UK.

Can people tell me how i apply.
Minimum ages.
costs etc.
where i go to do it and get the license?

Answer 1

You need to take a course, check local colleges for details.

Minimum age = 18
Cost = Dependant on number of students in course, plus license cost from local council.

Answer 2

Im not totally sure what you mean by the question. To start with i worked in the pub trade for 30 years and am not an alcoholic so ignore rogers comments on that subject. It would be handy to know just which course you are doing on the matter. If you meant are there any downsides to doing a course on this subject.There is generally no down sides to doing a course that will teach you new skills. If you meant are there any cons to having a license. To this i would have to answer yes and no. The reasons i would answer yes is because you have an increased responsibility.You have to ensure you are following the law and that your staff are doing the same.If a member of your staff serves someone who is underage and gets caught you too will be in trouble as the license holder.It is your duty to ensure your staff are properly trained and abiding by the law. The reason i would say no is because working in the pub trade can be a lot of fun.I do think however you need to be a certain kind of person to do so.You need to be very outgoing and able to converse with people easily.You need to be a good listener and be able to not force your views and opinions on others as things like this will alienate customers. The hours are long as you need to open up and let the cleaners in at the start of the day.You then have to do any cellar work and bottling up before you open and you have to close up last thing at night.I no longer work in the trade but regularly worked from 8am through to 2am. It can be very difficult to manage customers that are unruly.You will need to learn when enough is enough and draw a line that can't be crossed.In some circumstances it can be a better option to refuse a customer for being too drunk.It is better that than having them kick off and upsetting other regular customers. You will also need to appear to be professional at all times as you are the licensee.This is even the case when the other side of the bar drinking with regular customers.You need to ensure you are never too drunk to resolve any issues that might arise.You will need to teach the staff to be professional too.Things like holding the glass at the bottom all the time.The reason for this is the customer drinks from the top part of the glass.So handling if at the bottom reduces the risk of any possible germs reaching their mouths.As a general rule the bottom third of the glass is the bar staffs and the top two thirds is the customers. You will need to ensure the pipes,glass washer and ice machines are cleaned on a regular basis.If they are not they can cause food poisoning.This is even true of glass washers.They can grow a pink mould if not cleaned regularly as can ice machines. Knowing the prices and being good at math helps.The more efficiently you can keep track of figures the better you will be at serving efficiently.Before i finished in the trade i could serve 5-8 different customers at the same time each with 10 drinks as part of a round and keep track of all the figures as i went.It is possible to pour 2-3 pints and 2 shorts at the same time without wasting anything if you manage to get good at it.It also helps to have a good memory for what people drink. One of the other main factors is being aware of your surroundings.If you see a regular customer walk past a window and he or she always drinks the same drink then start pouring it.Then when they get inside they don't have to wait for you to pour their drink.Be aware when customers glasses are close to running out.If you are busy and spot a customer with a nearly empty glass ask them if they would like another and if they do start pouring one.It can help you stay ahead of the game so to speak and your customers will love you for it.Decent efficient service is very rare in today's world so when you come across it it stands out. Ensuring you check the toilets are clean on a regular basis too is important.Making sure the bar is clean and tidy.A messy and dirty pub won't do a lot to attract custom. Having said that it can be a very rewarding fun job if you are good at it.

Answer 3

Licenses are issued by your local authority, there should be information about it published on their website.

You will have to qualify by doing a course as most authorities don't issue licenses without (it may even be a legal requirement by now - i'm a bit out of touch).

Have a look at the British Institute of Innkeeping website - link below.

Answer 4

You have to take a course & pass a test - see here for details :-

http://www.charleswells.co.uk/home/business-opportunities/application/licence