Publican/Licensee

Publicans/licensees manage licensed premises, such as pubs, bars, clubs and wine bars. Many own, rent or lease their premises, but others are employed by a brewery or pub chain management company (pubco).

Responsibilities include:

• serving customers, clearing up, maintaining the cellar and organising food service
• recruiting, training and managing staff, keeping the books, paying wages and dealing with cash and paperwork
• ensuring that licensing and health and safety requirements are observed
• developing the business and creating marketing strategies.

The hours of work are very long and almost always involve evenings and weekends, sometimes until the early hours of the morning. Environments can range from hot, noisy and crowded city-centre themed bars to relaxed country pubs. The work can be very physical and tiring, involving a lot of standing, lifting and carrying.

Salaries for a publican/licensee may range from £15,000 to over £50,000. Accommodation and other benefits are often available.

A publican/licensee should be:

• a good leader
• organised and numerate
• a creative business person
• energetic, honest and trustworthy
• knowledgeable about the laws relating to licensing and health and safety
• interested in providing a good entertainment and leisure experience to customers
• interested in drink and general food catering.

There are around 55,000 publicans and licensees in the UK. Approximately 10,900 are self-employed.

No specified academic qualifications are required. People under 18 years cannot serve alcoholic drinks. The Diploma in hospitality can be relevant to this role. Every licensed premises serving alcohol must have a Designate Premises Supervisor, usually the publican/licensee, who must obtain a personal licence and have a licensing qualification. People can become a publican after completing an Apprenticeship in hospitality or food and drink service, by working their way up from bar work or through a management training programme.

Trainee publicans usually learn on the job and follow a structured training path. They are trained in marketing, people management, cellar management and licensing laws. Trainees usually work as relief managers in different premises before securing their own permanent pub to run. There are nationally recognised qualifications covering licensed hospitality, leadership and food and drink.

Publicans, whether self-employed or working for a pubco, may move on to larger establishments. They might progress into regional and area management. Experienced publicans may relocate to a different part of the country for their career progression.

Further details