About Instructors

Our public and corporate trainers are second to none and we’re proud they selected TopShelf™ over other programs offered. We’ve worked hard to earn our reputation for excellent customer support, quality of programs and products, and flexibility in the classroom.

Tennessee Instructor Program
There are several steps to getting certified by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to teach alcohol education classes. One important step is to complete training offered by a TABC-certified “instructor-training” program. Only instructors who complete this type of training will be certified by the TABC and authorized to conduct state-required training for people who serve liquor or wine by the drink.

TopShelf™ has been one of the few TABC-approved “instructor-training” programs since 2004. We’ve certified more than 100 instructors who have taught over 100,000 students. When you complete TopShelf™ certification training, you also have access to our proprietary, state-approved student materials, books and exams.

Why Instructors Choose TopShelf™ for Their Certification
• Excellent customer service
• More economical than most other programs
• Annual renewal fee of $100.00
• Free advertising on our website (including our monthly instructor feature)
• Student materials more reasonably-priced than others on the market

Types of Certification Programs
TopShelf™ offers three certification programs. All are designed for customization based on your style of teaching and company, state, or local requirements.
• TopShelf Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) for On-Premise Training (used by restaurant, club bar, hotel, and lounge employees)
• TopShelf Responsible Vendor (RV) for Off-Premise/Retail Training (for grocery store, convenience store, liquor store and retail employees)
• Both TopShelf RBS and TopShelf RV

TopShelf™ is the only Tennessee instructor certification program that requires background checks for potential instructors. We also promise to assist in mediating the most cost-effective solution possible if an instructor, from TopShelf™ or any other RBS training company, doesn’t follow through with their obligations to students.

Become an Instructor

Become an Instructor

When you’re a certified TopShelf™ instructor, you can build your own business. Instructors are self-employed, not employees of TopShelf™, and we’ll never require you to sign a contract. We don’t tell you what to do or how to do it, but we’re available when you have a question or need advice. We can even help you with ideas for marketing your classes to the public.

We offer certification for private instructors, corporate instructors, anti-drug coalitions and law enforcement. Follow these easy steps to become a TopShelf™-certified instructor:
1. Send your class certification fee and receive your TopShelf™ Instructor Kit in 7-10 days.
2. Look over the materials in your Instructor Kit at your own pace, on your own time.
3. Attend a one-day class under the guidance of a Master Instructor. The next business day, we’ll send your certification letter to the proper authorities.
4. Place your order for student materials.
5. Once your receive certification from your state, city or county, you’re ready to go!
6. If within 30 days of receiving your materials you feel the program is not right for you, simply return your Instructor Kit, with all materials intact. We’ll refund your money.

Choose from Responsible Beverage Service certification or Responsible Vendor certification. Or get certified in both with our cost-effective combined program.

TopShelf Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) On-Premise Certification ($475)
• Includes your Instructor Kit and the cost of your certification class
• Includes submission of your certification letter to state, city or county boards (additional state, city/county fees may apply)
• Program materials contain minimum of three hours and up to eight hours of teachable information
• Purchase TopShelf™ Responsible Beverage Service student materials for $14.50 each (must be ordered in multiples of 10)

Certification for TopShelf Responsible Vendor (RV) Off-Premise/Retail ($275)
• Includes your Instructor Kit and the cost of your certification class
• Includes submission of your certification letter to state, city or county boards (additional state, city/county fees may apply)
• Program materials contain three hours of teachable information
• Purchase TopShelf™ Responsible Vendor student materials for $13.00 each (must be ordered in multiples of ten)

Certification for combined TopShelf RBS and TopShelf RV programs ($575)
• Requires two days of training with a Master Instructor
• Includes Instructor Kits, the cost of your certification class, submission of your certification letters to state, city or county board, and program materials

All Instructor Kits contain:
• Computer bag
• Instructor Manual
• Student workbook
• Student test and answer sheet
• State law supplement to be covered in classes
• Research materials used to create TopShelf™ programs
• Classroom set-up examples
• Board work, role-playing, lawsuit examples and related news articles
• Manager Guide handouts for advice on policy, training and problem situations

Student materials include:
• Student workbook
• Numbered answer sheet
• State law supplement (additional fee for law supplement may apply in some states)
• Patented ID Coder (TopShelf™ RBS exclusive)
• Certification cards for students and businesses

TopShelf™-certified instructors enjoy the ability to:
• Grade exams onsite (in most states). Enables you to deal directly with students over missed questions, test anxiety or other problems.
• Enter test scores into your TopShelf™ portal so classes can be submitted the next business day (available in most states). We’ll input the information for corporate trainers for a small fee.
• Advertise classes on the TopShelf™ website at no charge. Your classes are automatically added to our Facebook page.
• Make your own handouts.

No TopShelf™ program in your state? Ask us how you can make that happen and become your own TopShelf LLC. For more information concerning our program and student manual cost, call 866.681.7880 or send us an email.

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