Can you do a barista course with no experience?

Why do a barista course?

Coffee is a craft. A great flat white is not luck. It comes down to the grind, the dose, the extraction time and silky, well-textured milk. Good baristas know why a shot runs fast or bitter and how to fix it. This course teaches you those fundamentals properly, on the same commercial machines cafes use.

Aim for the cafes you want to work in. The best cafes take their coffee seriously, and they look for baristas who do too. Turn up to a trial shift able to dial in a shot, texture milk and keep your station clean through a rush, and you show them you are ready to work behind their machine.

Be the person the venue relies on. Coffee runs all day in cafes, restaurants, bars and event venues. Add barista skills to your RSA or kitchen experience and you can cover more shifts and more parts of the venue.

Take your skills anywhere. Your Statement of Attainment is nationally recognised. Move cities or travel around Australia and it goes with you to every coffee job.

Two units in one day. The course includes the food-hygiene unit food businesses need their food handlers to have done, so you walk out with food safety training as well.

Make better coffee at home. Even if you never work in a cafe, you will finally know how to get the most out of your beans and your machine.

What you need before you start

You don't need any coffee experience. The course starts from the basics.

You also don't need to do a food safety course first. SITXFSA005 Use Hygienic Practices for Food Safety is the food-hygiene unit that comes before the barista unit, and you complete it inside this course.

You will need:

• a Unique Student Identifier (USI)
• one valid photo ID: Australian-issued, or an international passport. Student and university IDs are not accepted.

You also complete a quick language, literacy, numeracy and digital check as part of enrolment.

What you learn on the day

You train on commercial espresso machines with a trainer. You will:

• set up your coffee station and work an efficient service
• choose and grind beans for the best extraction
• take orders and recommend drinks to customers
• check your extraction and keep the quality even
• texture milk for a range of drinks
• present drinks well and serve them promptly
• clean and maintain the espresso equipment

How long does the barista course take?

About 2 hours online, plus a 6-hour hands-on session. You do the online module first, then come in for the practical day.

How are you assessed?

You are assessed making drinks at the end of the practical session.

What you walk out with

A nationally recognised Statement of Attainment for two units:

• SITHFAB025 Prepare and Serve Espresso Coffee
• SITXFSA005 Use Hygienic Practices for Food Safety

It is accepted in every state and territory. The food-hygiene unit also counts as food handler training, so you don't need a separate food handler course.

Where the classes run

Barista classes run at our Darlinghurst training centre on William Street, near Kings Cross Station in Sydney. In Melbourne, send us an enquiry from the course page.

How much is a barista course in Sydney?

Choose NSW on the Barista course page to see class dates and the current price.

Working behind a bar as well?

You can book barista training together with your RSA, or with RSA and RCG. See What do you need to work as a bartender in Sydney?

Next step

Choose NSW on the Barista course page to book your class.