Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Five Good Reasons To Become a Croupier
Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to do something completely new? Many of us know that feeling: we want to be brave and do something new, but scared to come out of our comfort zone. We either don’t know what we’d like to do instead, or else we think that our dream job is unattainable.
Could a career as a croupier be on the cards for you?
It’s smooth, slick and sophisticated, and there is so much more to this fascinating profession than just dealing cards. It might be more fun than you can imagine.
Here are the five reasons why being a croupier could be a good career choice.
#1. The Money
As you might expect, working in a casino can be quite tough for croupiers, especially for those who work night shifts regularly. However, just like the rest of us, croupiers spend about 40 hours of their week working and earn about £18-19K per year, which can easily rise to over £20K with tips. Even though the starting salary is not particularly high, with just a couple of years of experience, a croupiers salary can increase to £40K here in the U.K.
#2. No Minimum Education Needed
Can you think of a well-paid job you do not actually need a college degree for? A job as a croupier doesn’t require a college degree. Being a croupier is definitely not easy; it requires excellent social skills and a basic understanding of mathematics, but you do not need to spend years of your life studying to become one. If you aspire to become a croupier you must obtain a licence from the British Gambling Commission before you can start working as a casino dealer.
Everyone can apply for this licence after successfully having concluded a special croupier course. A good functioning brain and two hands is all you need! This course mainly focusses on the rules of the most famous casino games, such as poker and blackjack. Additionally, the prospective croupiers are also taught how to cut chips, pitch cards and build up manual dexterity.
#3. It’s more social than Facebook and Twitter combined
There are many words that come to mind when people think about croupiers and working in a casino, but “social” is not typically one of them. However, croupiers have a very social job and they need to be socially skilled in order to deal with all the different people that visit their casino.
Hence, casino dealers get to speak with a huge variety of people and meet people with interesting life stories from all over the world. No two days are the same! In an interview with three seasoned Las Vegas dealers, one of them explains that croupiers experience a lot of bizarre things out on the casino floor:
“It was Friday night, dealing to a full blackjack table when the man in the middle opened his coat a tad, revealing a medium size snake wrapped around his neck. I asked him if it was real - and before he answered, the head moved and looked right at me! I couldn’t leave my table, so I backed up a bit and called the floor supervisor (in a rather high voice). He was asked to leave.”
#4. Travel Opportunities
Gambling establishments are not only located in cities, you will also find casinos on many cruise liners. This means that croupiers can apply for a job at floating casinos and travel the world while getting paid. Besides pilots and flight attendants, who can actually say that!? In fact, if you have been trained in a casino in London, you will be able to find a job on a cruise ship quite easily as London dealers are in high-demand.
In an interview with the Guardian, an experienced casino dealer recounts that he has spent roughly six years of his life as a croupier working on different cruise liners, mainly in America. He reminisces: “I went to Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico, hundreds of places. I was very fortunate. Whenever the ships were in port, casinos were not allowed to open so I had the whole day to myself.”
#5. Career Progression
Experienced casino dealers are highly likely to get a promotion within the gambling industry. Croupiers who have worked in a specific casino for a couple years, often get the opportunity to move up to become a dealer inspector, i.e. someone who watches over the croupier. The next step on the ladder would be pit boss, and then manager. Needless to say, you won’t be the only one climbing the ladder, your salary will be as well.
Being a croupier, nothing is impossible! So what are you waiting for?
Guest Blog Post Written By Johan Nuylen
AccuraCast in London
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In:- Career