What is an Assistant Pub Manager?

Published
28 Jan 2020

28 Jan 2020

If you’re a natural born leader, enthusiastic, hard working and ambitious, then a Assistant Pub Manager role could be your calling. If you’ve got plans to climb the managerial ladder then this is a great place to start.

You will learn everything you need to know about how to manage a team, without all of the responsibility that comes with being a general manager. Of course, you can’t just step into an Assistant Pub Manager position, you will need to work very hard to get there – read this guide to find out how to become an assistant pub manager.

You’ll still be out there on the floor, right at the heart of the action - but you’ll be more than just ‘one of the team’. While the General Manager drives the business, it’s you that manages the day-to-day running of the pub…

Job Description

An Assistant Pub Manager is a lower middle management role, reporting to the general manager within the pub. In this role you will be supporting the manager in any way that you can, holding down the fort when the manager is away, and keeping staff happy whilst assisting them whenever they need support.

Hours of Work

You will most likely be working a full 40-hour week, most likely these hours will be spread across weekdays, weekends and evenings depending on the establishment that you end up working in.

Sounds tiring? As an Assistant Pub Manager you will have to be willing to put the hours in, not only to prove yourself in the role, but to always be there to assist your team. They will be looking to you for advice, help and to resolve problems whenever they arise.

Main Responsibilities

So, what will your main duties be?

Here is a list of tasks that will be expected of you:

  • Assisting the General Manager
  • Evaluating work performance of staff
  • Handling customer complaints
  • Allocating work to team members
  • Assisting with recruitment, training, promotion and performance evaluation
  • Motivating employees
  • Conducting team meetings

Key Assistant Pub Manager Qualifications

What qualifications do you need to land yourself an Assistant Pub Manager job?

GCSE’s A*-C or equivalent are desirable. You don’t necessarily need A levels or a degree but any further qualifications will only make you stand out more and give you an advantage. Some companies may offer management training schemes where you can be trained on the job.

You are likely to have already gained the essential qualifications needed to go into pub management, which are the following:

  • Basic Food Hygiene
  • Basic Health and Safety
  • National Certificate for Licensees
  • First Aid
  • Fire Safety
  • National Certificate for Licensees
  • Drug Awareness

The following qualifications are not essential, but could be beneficial in your career as an assistant pub manager / pub manager:

  • Advanced British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Certificate in Retail Financial Management
  • Advanced BII Certificate in Retail Business Development

It is prudent to go for the management route before leasing. Having a few years' experience as a manager would also help if you need to borrow money later to become a tenant.

Vital Assistant Pub Manager Skills

There are certain skills you will have to possess in order to become a successful assistant pub manager.

Do you have what it takes? You will need the following skills:

  • Leadership skills
  • Organisational skills
  • Approachable
  • Customer Service skills
  • Decision-making skills
  • Responsible
  • Multi-tasking
  • Time management

What is an Assistant pub Manager’s salary?

How much will you take home?

Of course, your salary will depend on where you are in the country, and the size of the company that you are working for. An Assistant pub Manager will usually earn anything between £24,000 and £27,000. Not bad right?

How to become an Assistant pub Manager

So, now you know a bit more about the job role, how do you go about getting yourself the job?

If you don’t have any management qualifications, don’t panic - your determination and hard work as a member of staff can get you noticed and you could be promoted (after a few years’ of experience) to an Assistant pub Manager role. Experience often counts more than qualifications, especially if you show an interest in progression and always strive to learn new things and improve your performance.

Take the plunge; you never know what opportunities could be out there for you. This could be the career that you’ve always been looking for.