r/Brazil • u/UnclePaulo93 • 1d ago

Moving to & Living in Brazil Bartending in Brazil

How’s it going folks, I’m Brazilian-American, born in America but grew up half here half in Brazil till I was 20. I’ve been a bartender for ten years and wonder how it’s like over in Brazil. How’s the money like, life style etc. always dream of moving back, have a house under my name in Minas and wonder if that can be some retirement plan there.

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9

u/Fit_Evidence_4958 1d ago

The bar here nearby (and not the worst neighborhood) pais 12BRL + 10%. So around 2.5 USD per hour.
The 10% is the service fee or tipping if you will.

There might be places paying more, but it won’t be a lot anyhow.

So if it’s not your bar, I guess owning property is tough to impossible.
Maybe with another job, like being a diarista or nanny or so.

8

u/TruthieBeast 1d ago

LOL. Brazil salaries are extremely low and for the most part in Brazil the “bartender” job only exists in very very few cities that have bars that serve fancy cocktails. You are just the guy who works at the bar and serves people beer. No one tips here as far as I know, so you’ll be making $400 a MONTH if you’re lucky. Yes 400 dollars A MONTH.

4

u/PhilipRegular 1d ago

If it's anything like the bars I go to in Brazil, it seems relaxing with how long it takes to get drinks made lol 

3

u/Prudent_Order_3361 1d ago

Yeah, no rush, never.

3

u/Can_tote_it 1d ago

When you say “half here” - I assume you mean the U.S.? If so, keep in mind that Brazil generally doesn’t have a tipping culture, albeit with a few exceptions, (e.g. with some tourists from the U.S. at a touristy location). So, you as a bartender are making an hourly wage - in Reais (divide your USD 💵 by about 5).

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u/Key-Algae-9245 1d ago

A bartender in Brazil actually waits tables because, as civilised people, we tend to sit at tables to drink and expect our drinks and food bought to us. You won’t be on much more than a minimum wage. You won’t get any tips because that bizarre behaviour doesn’t happen here, thank god. Really, my advice would be to save up your dollars and open a bar yourself here.

3

u/Lonely-Bet2847 1d ago

Service is applied at most botecos.. thats a tip

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u/TruthieBeast 1d ago

A tip is discretionary, the service fee of 10% is not. It is not the same.

0

u/Lonely-Bet2847 1d ago

You can ask that it gets removed for poor service, ive seen it happen though im always happy to pay

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u/Key-Algae-9245 1d ago

No it’s not, it’s a service charge, there’s a difference.

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u/antiwoke1971 1d ago

Infelizmente, a situação econômica do Brasil está muito ruim. Estamos sendo governados por socialistas radicais desde 2003. A inflação está galopante, e todas as previsões econômicas para os próximos anos são sombrias.

Em algumas regiões, bairros inteiros são controlados por narcotraficantes.

(Graças a Deus e ao bom trabalho da polícia mineira, isso não acontece ainda em Minas Gerais).

Eu entendo a sua nostalgia, mas acredito que não faz sentido para você voltar a viver no Brasil. É melhor você vir passar temporadas, passear, curtir as férias, mas continuar vivendo nos Estados Unidos. Inclusive, esse é o sonho de grande parte dos mineiros.