National Bartending School Of Thousand Oaks & Ventura

I found out about National Bartender School (NBS) through a great friend of mine. She recommended that I attend this school because of their positive, energetic, and encouraging environment. Signing up is very easy and quick. Once you have signed up you can get started training immediately. After signing up and attending all classes required for completing the course, I found out how much Paul and his staff appreciate and value their students. The instructors are extremely friendly, respectful, and knowledgeable. In addition, the constructive feedback the staff provides was beyond my expectations. Most students are capable of completing the course within a month or less. NBS’s job placement is outstanding and by far the highest out of all other bartending schools. Regardless if you have experience or not, once enrolled in the school Paul will find you some work. Once you have completed the course, Paul will continue to help and not stop until he finds you a job.
Paul is a great guy. He is always helping his students and inspiring them to achieve more by boosting their confidence through great advice. Paul started his school in 2014 in Thousand Oaks. His resiliency is admirable which made him capable of establishing great relations with bars, restaurants, and clubs throughout the Ventura and LA country area.

I am enrolled in the school at National bartending school. It has been a great experience. They have gotten me plenty of jobs and opportunities and have not completed the program. They even have gotten me a job interview already. All the teachers are great and I have learned a lot.

I was really impressed with this place from day one. After starting classes, I began to get comfortable with drink recipes and got expert advice from the experienced teachers at this school. Paul Michaels is a great resource for job placement and really makes it his business to make sure you have work to go with your bartending knowledge! The school itself is well organized, has a real bar to train with, and has an open door policy for students, meaning you can come to practice on your own schedule, too. I wouldn’t go anywhere else!

I never knew such a hidden gem could be found on Craigslist! The owner, Paul, is a very genuine person, who seems sincerely interested in educating his pupils in the craft of bartending and just as importantly making sure that they find work after completing the course. The course itself is educational, eye-​opening and above all fun, inspiring a true passion for the art. This is definitely helped by Edward and Scott, 2 teachers working there who have an infectious enthusiasm to share the craft. I cannot recommend this course enough… I feel very lucky to have stumbled upon these guys!

Great environment, easy and affordable price for the quality of education! Enjoyed every class and every teacher! And it’s full hands on learning, so if you learn better by by doing then reading in book sign up!
Also they do everything to get you employed immediately after graduation and employers already lined up to hire you because they trust you know what you’re doing!

I highly recommend The Friendly Bartender! Celebrated my Dad’s Big 60^th Birthday with these Great group of people. They know how to work hard and have fun at the same time. Confident these guys can handle anything. I’ll definitely be keeping Paul and his experienced team in mind for my next big event!

Paul and his «friendly bartenders» bartend for an event I had at work. They were very punctual and they created drinks based on the alcohol we had referenced to them. They all were very responsible, energetic and worked well with the atmosphere of the event.
I would recommend Paul and his bartenders for our next event!

I called up The Friendly Bartender for an NFL opening day party/​BBQ my mother-​in-​law hosted at her huge house in Dos Vientos, Newbury Park. I spoke to the owner, Paul, and gave him a pretty good idea of what we were looking for: Around 90 – 100 people, a shaded full-​bar in the backyard right by the pool, and have things look/​be classy. He wanted to meet up the next day for an in-​person consult and take a look at the «venue.» He arrived the next day, on time for the appointment, in uniform, (which I thought was a classy touch) to show us how he’d be dressed.
We sat down in the backyard and asked some good pedigree questions (What kind of drinks do your guests like? Do you want to use premium/​top shelf liquors?, How long will the event be? Do you want any signature drinks created for the event?) He was very friendly and personable, actually listened to what we wanted, and was professional about the whole thing. We pointed out that the guests were definitely drinkers, and they liked a lot of high-​end stuff (JW Blue, Hennessy, Patron Margaritas, Crystal Head Martinis.)
The event went wonderfully. Paul showed up at the time he was supposed to (about an hour before the BBQ to set up), and was ready to go when it started. Not only did he craft each drink like he really cared, but what really impressed us was how good he was at engaging the guests, (throwing out a lot of really cool liquor history/​knowledge relating to the liquor he was pouring, talking football when it was pertinent), and he stayed professional throughout the whole gig, understanding he was there for a JOB. He even supplied a plethora of beverages for the underage people. (Shirley Temples, juices, sodas, etc.)
We were very impressed and satisfied with Paul’s professionalism and performance. We’ll definitely be calling on him again, hopefully with a bigger crowd/​event.
Well done, Paul. Hopefully this well-​deserved 5 star review helps you build your business further!

National Bartending School of Ventura is great! In just one class I learned to make at least 20 drinks, got the opportunity to practice behind the bar, and learned bar etiquette! The amount that I learned from all 8 classes in less than 2 weeks is enough to give me the confidence to apply for any bartender position in a bar of any environment – whether it’s a dive bar, a hotel lounge, a club, a pub, a sports bar, etc, I’ve gained enough knowledge to excel in any of these job opportunities, including private bartending for special events like birthdays and weddings (which pay a LOT!) In addition, National Bartending School guarantees lifetime job placement and gigs that build experience/​resumes which is more than I can say for the Bachelors degree I received from University. The teachers are super helpful and supportive, and the classes are fun. I’ve gained a skill that will actually get me a lifetime of jobs in less than 3 weeks. It’s definitely worth the cost… the registration fee is less than that of a gym membership fee, and yields better/​faster results. I would recommend it without any hesitation!