How to Become a Freelance Nightclub Manager

How to Become a Freelance Nightclub Manager

A Nightclub—popularly known as a discotheque, dance club, or disco—refers to an entertainment venue, which offers alcoholic beverages and generally operates late in the night. Night clubs are different from regular pubs, taverns, or bars by the incorporation of a stage for live performances, a DJ booth, and dance floor.

Another point of difference is that pubs and bars target a mass market whereas nightclubs generally target a market of dance and music enthusiasts. Because of the nature of the crowd and manifold functions involved, nightclubs require commanding and sharp-minded managers to supervise their activities. This makes the job of a nightclub manager all the more vital to the working of a nightclub.

There is an increasing demand for nightclub managers lately, particularly due to the progressive acceptance of nightlife resulting in the establishment of many nightclubs across the globe. Most of the nightclubs seek freelance managers because they have worked in a myriad of settings, and they offer better services in many respects. Thus, if you plan on becoming a nightclub manager, you will have to embrace the principles underlying the functioning of the freelance community.

Here are four things you must be concerned with if you wish to become a freelance nightclub manager:

1. Job Requirements of a freelance nightclub manager

Nightclub managers monitor a number of operations carried out in nightclubs and primarily responsible for searching music, supervising supplies, managing employees and ensuring the safety of customers and workers, etc. These nightclub managers are the ones who majorly handle the problems arising during the night. Thus, nightclub managers handle substantial administrative work of a nightclub, and therefore, are integral to the operation of the nightclub.

Considering the nature of functions performed by nightclub managers, there are certain job requirements needed to become one of them, and those have been mentioned below:

  • Generally, nightclub managers start off as bartenders, hosts or servers. While undertaking these jobs, you get acquainted with a number of facets of club operations. A job at a club or bar will prepare an individual for doing the late nights, long hours and weekends often needed in the field.
  • Even though nightclub managers usually start off as ground-level employees, it is worth considering getting a degree. Earn a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree in a field relating to nightclub management for improving career opportunities.
    A lot of employers seek candidates with a degree in restaurant management or hospitality. These programs focus on useful skills like beverage and food purchasing, marketing, resource control, cost-benefit analysis, financial and regulatory compliance.
    An internship may be required to be completed before obtaining the degree. You can intern in a number settings such as restaurants, resorts, hotels, and bars.
  • Nightclub owners give preference to those managers with many years of leadership experience. Getting an assistant manager position at a nightclub or bar can facilitate an individual with qualifications necessary to apply for manager positions at bigger nightclubs. Assistant managers undertake functions very much like that of a manager; however, they are always under the supervision of a superior officer.

2. Skills needed to become a freelance nightclub manager

  • Communication skills: It is absolutely necessary on the part of a nightclub manager to possess exemplary communication skills. You must be convincing, rational and polite in your correspondence with customers, higher-ups, and even employees.
    In case a customer complains of something, say wrong drinks are served to him, so you should reason out with him and tender him an apology. Professionalism must be reflected from your manner of talking and should be of such nature so as to lay a good impression upon everyone around you.
  • Analytical skills: Nightclubs brim with dance and music enthusiasts; people go there to enjoy and have booze. Thus, there may be circumstances when they may overdo their activities and create a nuisance, for example, customers may get into a brawl over drinks or whatever.
    You, in the capacity of a manager, must try to resolve the dispute in an amicable manner—that is where your analytical skills will have a role to play. Similarly, there may be administrative issues such as clearance of a show proposed to be organized, where you have to analytically ascertain the present situation and how it will impact the future.
  • Leadership skills: The most fundamental quality of a nightclub manager is leadership skill. As a manager, you are placed in a position from which you can observe and monitor everything—everything should be known to you.
    From the number of drinks supplied to the establishment to the account sheets, you must be well-informed of the same. If there are glitches of some sort, you must be able to effectively command associates to do away with glitches as soon as possible. If you have leadership skills, you will be respected.
  • Not overbearing: A nightclub manager must possess leadership skills, but he must not be overbearing—he should not command authority arbitrarily. If you arbitrarily exercise power, your colleagues and subordinates will feel oppressed, and this may impact the performance of the establishment.

3. Work opportunities for a freelance nightclub manager

Nightclub managers can offer freelance services to clubs, resorts, bars, hotels, and restaurant bars, etc. A more important issue is how to keep a tab on the vacancies, and there is a simple solution to that—freelance websites.

Freelance websites have taken over the world of freelancing and are now home to millions of freelancers. All you are required to do to connect to them is a profile account, a portfolio of skills and a well-drafted proposal. Examples of these websites are linkedin.com, freelance.com and worknhire.com.

4. Pay scale of a freelance nightclub manager

Nightclub managers are known to earn in lacs, but much of the pay scale is depended on an array of factors such as the status of the nightclub, experience of the nightclub manager, hours of service, etc. If you are starting fresh in the field, you may have a decent start and may earn in between Rs. 20,000 and 30,000 on an average. The pay will gradually increase with experience and due to other factors such as a switch to a better and bigger nightclub.