The Life and Standards of a Meaningful Stahj

7 octobre 2025

At the Canadian Barista Institute, we believe in the value of hands-on learning — the kind that goes beyond theory, where students learn by doing. The tradition of the stahj (or stage) comes from the culinary world and describes a period of unpaid, mentored training designed to teach discipline, awareness, and respect for craft. When done with good intentions, it forms a strong foundation for your future endeavours.

To help preserve this culture of mentorship while ensuring fairness, we’ve outlined the following standards to guide both students and businesses who wish to participate in a stahj experience.

Canadian Barista Institute – Standards for a Meaningful Stahj

Education Beyond the Classroom: The stahj is an extension of your education, and not free labour. The experience, even though it includes hands-on work within a café or roastery, must resemble structured training that aligns with what would be taught in a lab setting, and go beyond classroom learning, taking place in an unpredictable business environment.
Enthusiasm That Uplifts and Inspires: A great stahj brings energy, curiosity, and fresh perspective. When this is done well, the enthusiasm can uplift the entire business, inspiring staff and raising standards beyond their own known expectations. The stahj also serves as a reminder to staff and ownership of the foundational standards taught at CBI, principles that may have been forgotten or softened over time.
Learning Beside Professionals, Earning Opportunity Through Merit: A stahj begins under the close supervision of experienced staff, but if the student demonstrates professionalism, initiative, and skill, they may earn the chance to replace outgoing staff — leading to potential employment. A stahj is a learning chapter and not a guarantee. The goal is exposure, insight, and professional growth — and sometimes, that growth naturally leads to future opportunities.
Learning Comes First; Profit Follows: The host café or business participates first and foremost in facilitating learning. Any advantage to the business is seen as secondary and when training is done right, profit can naturally follow.
Clarity and Commitment From the Start: Both parties agree in advance that the stahj is unpaid (sometimes), voluntary, and for educational purposes, an intentional investment of time to gain experience, and not just for income.

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Legal Disclaimer: These standards are provided by the Canadian Barista Institute as educational guidelines only to encourage safe, ethical, and transparent learning opportunities between students and participating businesses (mentors). These standards do not constitute legal advice and are not intended to define or replace local, provincial, or federal labour laws. Participation in any stahj or internship is voluntary and arranged directly between the student and host business. The Canadian Barista Institute assumes no legal responsibility or liability for agreements, conditions, or outcomes resulting from such arrangements. The Canadian Barista Institute does not broker, assign, or supervise any stahj placements, and participation is solely at the discretion of the student and host business.