No doubt, knowing if a place if a good place to work will be the first question you’ll want to ask when considering a job (or career) with Starbucks, and if the answer is positive, then there’ll be a whole lot more things you’ll want to know as well.
This article looks at what it’s like to work at Starbucks in terms of the advantages for you, the types of jobs available, what they involve, and how to apply for them.
Is Starbucks A Good Place To Work?
Starbucks is considered one of the best companies to work for as they offer a lot of employee benefits and a good starting salary of $15 per hour for baristas. Starbucks offers opportunities to advance, flexible hours, and a lot of employees claim to enjoy the work environment.
Of course, some people may find the job demanding or stressful, if their particular Starbucks has heavy foot-traffic, but in general the consensus seems to be positive.
If you want to learn more about working at Starbucks, keep reading….

What Sort Of Jobs Are Available At Starbucks?
Starbucks divide their retail careers into four major categories, and these are retail, retail leadership, corporate, and manufacturing and distribution.
Retail positions include barista and shift supervisor positions, whereas retail leadership includes store and district management jobs. Corporate Starbucks employ software managers and project managers, and manufacturing and distributions jobs include machine
What Are The Benefits Of Working At Starbucks?
Starbucks claim to “offer great benefits and an environment that is truly welcoming” to each and every one of their employees. They also offer full time and part time employees the opportunity to “make their own path and succeed on it”. So, how do they do this?
- Base Pay – Starbucks offer a competitive market pay rates
- Bonuses – these include health coverage, income protection, tuition reimbursement, employee assistance programs
- Savings and stock purchase plans
- Food and drinks benefits
- Paid time off
- College education
- Parental leave
Is The Work At Starbucks Hard?
The answer to this will depend very much on the person giving it and on their own experiences of working at Starbucks. Whether working at Starbucks is “hard” or “easy” can also depend on the time of year, the location of the store, and the skills of those managing the store.
However, there are some things about working at Starbucks that workers describe pretty much all the time. These are a mix of good things and challenges:
- You have to be energetic and be able to think on your feet
- Getting on with supervisors and managers can be tricky
- Dealing with customers can be very confronting
- As barista, you have to work hard, fast and accurately
- You need to allow yourself to make mistakes
- As manager or supervisor, you need good conflict resolution skills
- Make decisions quickly
- The environment is fast paced and stressful
- It’s hard to be happy there if you don’t get on with supervisors and managers
- You need to be available for whatever shifts you’re given
- If you get a good team, you’ll have great fun. The days go fast; there’s lots to do and it’s satisfying
- The free drinks are good
- A good place to learn skills for working under pressure
- The skills you learn are useful in a lot of other jobs
- Pay is not good
- It all depends on the “atmosphere” you work in, which is made from your team
- A good supervisor makes all the difference
What Sort Of Skills Are Useful For Working At Starbucks?
The work at Starbucks can be intense and fast paced, and the nature of each day very unpredictable. This means that “working under pressure” will be a very valuable ability:
- The ability to think quickly and make sound decisions
- Strong communication skills
- Good planning skills
- The ability to multitask
- Punctuality
- Conflict resolution skills
- Customer service skills
- Attention to detail
- Manual dexterity
- The ability to work well under pressure
You May Also Be Interested In: How Do I Check My Starbucks Work Schedule?
Are All Starbucks Stores The Same For Workers?
Every Starbucks store delivers a different work experience, and this is because each store is run by a different team working under slightly different conditions. Therefore, although the jobs are pretty much the same, the experiences won’t be.
This also means that you may learn more in one store than in another but develop an ability to be tolerant and understanding from your experience in a different store again.
Our experiences when things don’t go well can teach us as much about ourselves as when things go swimmingly, and may provoke us to hone some very useful conflict resolution and interpersonal skills as well.
Success in knotty situations where “people skills” are called on can indicate that you may be very good management material.
Does Starbucks Pay Your College Fees?
Starbucks are committed to “the success of their employees (or partners)” and to this end, they provide 100% tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program.
Employees can choose from over 100 undergraduate degree programs, with Starbucks support all the way through, and just need to apply to the Arizona State University’s online undergraduate programs.
Employees must not already have completed a previous degree and are eligible to apply on the first day of the second month after receiving a minimum of 240 total hours over three full, consecutive months.
How Do I Apply For A Job At Starbucks?
If you’d like to apply for a job at Starbucks, you can visit your local store or simply apply online on the Starbucks Website jobs page.
Here you can browse the different jobs currently available, read the skill and experience descriptions and familiarize yourself with job requirements.
If you find something you like, you apply online, and Starbucks will email a confirmation of your application. You can apply for more than one job at a time, and if you’re rejected for one job, you are still eligible for the others.
Your application will be considered closely and you’ll be contacted if you’re the “closest match” to the job description. Therefore, it’s a good idea to read this description thoroughly and answer the requirements as closely as you can.
If it takes a while before you here anything, it could be that there are lots of applications to be processed or there are currently no openings in the positions you’ve applied for, in which case you’ll be “filed” for when there are.
Want to learn more about Starbucks? Check out these related posts to learn why is Starbucks so expensive, does Starbucks take $100 dollar bills, and what do the lines on Starbucks cups mean.
Conclusion
If you’re considering a career at Starbucks, do some homework and ask current employees what they think. You can do this through online question and answer forums or by asking people you know. Either way, it’s a useful start to any kind of job application.