Most fantasy careers (astronaut, movie star, Mrs. Clooney) are a bit out of reach for the average desk jockey. But at least there are some new ways to take dream jobs in the service industry for a test spin. While the iPod has made guest DJ gigs accessible to everyone in recent years, now San Francisco bars and restaurants are doing the same by hosting special trainee nights for would-be bartenders, chefs, sommeliers, and more. Elixir’s Charity Guest Bartending program has proven so popular that the bar doubled its slots for the summer—that makes two nights each week when patrons’ drinks are poured by amateurs. (Luckily, most of the regulars at this neighborhood spot favor shots and beers over Singapore Slings.) The bartenders for the night don’t get paid for their labor or pay for the training, but they must promise to bring a crowd with money to spend. The program is a win-win-win situation: The chosen charity shares in the tips, the bar keeps the profits from the party, and guest bartenders get a shift slinging drinks for their friends. Better yet: Unlike at a real bartending job, no one makes you stay late to clean up.

Elixir, 9:45 p.m.

NOW SERVING
Tonight, guest bar­tenders from the International Latino Film Society take shifts behind the stick.

NOW RECEIVING
Their posse: Arty, South American direc­tor types in sports jackets squeeze into the tiny space, along with Cinco de Mayo revelers in party beads.

THE POUR
Tequila shots, cerveza, and muchas margaritas.

THE TUNES
Spanish vocals over trip-hop beats, provided by the guest iPod DJ.

INTERCEPTION
The barfly regulars watching the game are pushed out during the fourth quarter.

OVERHEARD
“Sorry, was that too much foam in your beer?”

3200 16th St., S.F., 415-552-1633

Elsewhere
The Fifth Floor’s Week­end Sommelier program can be done in a day. It includes taking a cellar tour, helping select food pairings, and shadowing master sommelier Emily Wines during service. $250, 12 4th St., S.F., 415-348-1555

The appetite you build up during Kuleto’s Italian Restaurant’s Chef for a Day program is sated by a lunch cooked by Kuleto’s executive chef. Profits go to the San Francisco Food Bank. $150, 221 Powell St., S.F., contact Robert Helstrom at 415-397-7720

Win cash prizes as a stripper at the Naughty Amateur Show on Sundays at the New Century Theater, and discover how you feel about taking off your uniform when you get to work. 9:30 p.m., 816 Larkin St., S.F., 415-776-0212