Need a casual job? Here’s why students should consider getting an RSA
One of the most common part-time jobs for any student is to work in hospitality. While Melbourne is certainly not short of cafes, restaurants or bars to work for, sometimes you’ll need to have an extra qualification before you can even apply for a role.
While you may not have heard of an RSA before, chances are you’ll need one to help you land a hospitality job.
RSA stands for Responsible Service of Alcohol and it is a certification that allows you to responsibly and legally serve alcohol to customers.
Still confused? To make it easier to understand, RSAs are like car licenses. If you want to drive a car on the road, you need a car license to prove you are able to drive. The RSA can be considered an alcohol license, which means if you want to sell or transport alcohol, you need to be responsible for the trade and you need an RSA to prove you are able to do that!
Why do you need one?
Most hospitality jobs require you to be RSA certified even if you are not working behind the bar. With an RSA, your chances of getting a job are improved. It can also be useful to know how to serve alcohol responsibly too — got a drunk customer harassing you for more drinks? Having an RSA will help you learn what to do in such a situation.
While some employers may pay for you to do RSA training, sometimes it may just come down to you to get one yourself.
So how do I get one?
You can get your RSA at any training provider that offers it. Just run a quick search, find out more about the institution the RSA course is offered at and compare prices to know which might be best suited to you. To help, here are two places you can consider getting your RSA at that are located conveniently in the CBD!
RSA Course Victoria
Level 4, 167 Franklin Street
This place is open for the whole week and provides different timetables for training. Each course costs $55 and four hours to finish.
They have three more branches that students can go to if they live closer to these locations: Hurstbridge, Fitzroy, Geelong.
If you would like to know more details, call 03 88205773 or email info@rsacoursevictoria.com. Click here to visit their website.
Hospitality Training Australia
Level 7, 250 Collins Street
This institution provides courses every day and at different time periods. The course is four hours long and costs $55.
Contact their staff for more details at 1300 659 557 or email info@hosptrain.vic.edu.au. Click here to go through to their website.
This story was produced by Media and Communication students at Trinity College Foundation Studies as part of Meld’s community newsroom collaboration. Education institutions, student clubs/societies and community groups interested in being involved can get in touch with us via meld@meldmagazine.com.au.