I've just found out that the main gay bar near me has positions available for bar staff, and I'm considering applying. I have been looking for a new job for a while so from that point of view it might be good, although it's not the long-term career I was thinking of it would be a change of scene. Some thoughts I have had on it, in no particular order: At the moment, although I'm out to friends and everybody I know I can still get a bit nervous around gay people I don't know, which I know is silly but I guess shows I'm still not entirely comfortable with myself. I've got better recently after meeting people through dating sites but that's after speaking to them for a bit and only one at a time. I have thought this job might be a way of forcing me to get over it but I wonder if it might be a bit overwhelming for me at the stage I'm at the moment. But I've also thought it might be a good way to meet more people. Can working in any busy bar/club be tiring and too much anyway? I don't know how pleasant a job it is generally (especially as I'll have to hear a lot of music I don't much care for). Of course, it's hypothetical at the moment as they may not hire me, but if anybody's got any thoughts or comments I'd be pleased to hear them.
How do you generally feel when you visit that venue? It might be a good experience, but you don't sound very enthusiastic about it. If you like going there as a customer, then maybe you'll enjoy being part of the staff.
I do think it might be good to bring you out of your shell - depending on the job that they need you for. Some people spend the whole evening picking up empty beer bottles - which doesn't lend itself to being very social. If you're a bartender then you'll interact with people more often, which I guess is good. (Although it will be a fairly superficial way) I would think that the hours will be horrible - i.e. working extremely late. That wouldn't be for me - but then again I'm 41. Do you frequent this place? It doesn't sound like it - if you don't anticipate liking the music. That to me would suggest this isn't for you.
is it a bar or a club. those are two different things. some bars are kinda like clubs anyway. here are my observations: 1. yes, you will meet tons of new people and gays. 2. yes, the music will annoy you 3. you will feel more comfortable with gays after this experience 4. if you are relatively attractive, you will be constantly hit on and treated like a piece of meat, be prepared for that. 5. instead of being comfortable around gay guys you will have to learn to be comfortable around drunk gay guys that frequent bars. there's a difference. when drunk people act differently so what you think may help you get more comfy around gays may actually turn you off to gays and increase your weirdness around them. my suggestion is, if you are a bartender and you are seeking employment as a bartender then does it really have to be a gay bar? can't it be straight. either way, you will be around drunk people and whether u are in a gay or straight bar, you are going to have men hitting on you if you look good. if this is about needed some money and the gay place will hire you, bartender at the gay place. if this is aobut you getting comfortable with being gay, then i suggest finding other avenues and events to get comfortable with gay men where they will not be sloppy drunk and sexualized.
As a quick update, I was mainly going to go for that position as I wanted a new job and I heard that there was one going there, the other things were peripheral, but I decided that I wouldn't like working in a busy bar job like that, too stressful. Instead, a friend's managed to get me a job in a theatre, which should be more interesting.
