Working in bars and doing the first shift for free

I've just been offered my first shift in a cafe bar in Berlin, but the manager says that it's standard practice to work the first shift for free. Does anyone know if this is correct?

Unfortunately this is more and more "standard practice" in many berlin (low-level/hip-edgy) bars because of the high unemployment rate and many desperate students searching for a job... of course it's not really legal or whatever.

Hi,

This is normal. Instead of being paid you normally get to keep all of your tips though instead of sharing them with the kitchen staff.

Personally i used to earn more in tips than i actually got paid when i was working in bars here. so its a better deal for your first night.

Thanks for the replies. Ah well, I guess if there's more work to come, then it will have been worth it. And if there isn't, then at least I got some experience (never worked in a bar before).

Cheers,

Will.

I don´t think it´s just a Berlin thing, either. I have a waiter friend who has to work a "probationary" shift each time he applies somewhere. It´s not even a guarantee that they will take you after that.

It's illegal but "normal". If you want the job you'll suck it up and do it. If tips are pooled, you do NOT get to keep all you make but throw into the pool.

woof.

tips, yeah right ... the guy/woman who runs the bar sounds like a cheapskate. it's a principle issue, to put you in your place, moreso than a money thing. what's it going to cost him to pay you for your time, maybe 50 euro? what a great way to begin a working relationship. Don't work too hard...

I've worked in my fair share of bars in Berlin and I must admit that I never had to work the first night for free. I have heard however that it does happen in quite a few places. Seems that its so hard to get a job in Berlin that sometimes it makes sense to just do it. Helps if you're a bit experienced behind a bar though, as this would at least mean that you have more chance of being kept on and not sent packing after your one free shift. Good luck!

Considering that you haven´t worked in a bar before, I would say it does not sounds that bad. But if you are experienced, it´s clearly a rip off (still perhaps normal, I dunno).

I did a probie shift at my second job behind a bar in Regensburg and the guy told me flat out that it was not payed and only if it worked out well would I be kept on. The first shift I did was with the head bar keeper on a slower day and he showed me around the place, basically trained me in and told me the rules. They kept me on and I ended up being paid for that shift on my first pay check. I think a lot of places do it to avoid paper work if they are actually legit about their taxes, even though it is illegal. However their are probably a lot of wankers out there as well.

Funny to hear that it's not a berlin problem! I thought that especially in Bavaria these things aren't a problem there...

Yeah, Germans like getting people to work for nothing, (history repeating itself I think). I've heard so many stories of people working for 2 months at wanky 'design' bureaus or other Mickey Mouse enterprises, then being told to fuck off when they've done the work and not getting paid a cent for it.