Whether customers visit the bank to deposit a paycheck or just check their account balance… the person they stand in line to see is… the teller. Tellers process routine transactions, such as cashing checks, depositing money, and collecting loan payments. They are responsible for the safe and accurate handling of the money they process, and must be extremely careful to avoid errors. Head tellers set tellers’ work schedules and help those with less experience. They may deal with customer problems, such as errors in customer accounts. Head tellers also go to the vault for larger sums, and ensure that other tellers have enough cash to cover their shift. Tellers rely on math skills for much of their work, but their bread and butter is customer service. As the face of the bank, they must be friendly, helpful and able to understand customer inquiries and explain services well. Tellers primarily work in bank branches, keeping full time hours. Part-time work is not uncommon. Most tellers have a high school diploma and receive about 1 month of on-the-job training. Banks may do background checks before hiring. Experienced tellers can advance within their banks to become head tellers, supervisors, or other occupations such as loan officer or sales positions.
What they do:
Receive and pay out money. Keep records of money and negotiable instruments involved in a financial institution's various transactions.
On the job, you would:
Balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines.
Receive checks and cash for deposit, verify amounts, and check accuracy of deposit slips.
Monitor bank vaults to ensure cash balances are correct.
Business
customer service
accounting and economics
Arts and Humanities
English language
Math and Science
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Safety and Government
public safety and security
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
talking to others
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Verbal
listen and understand what people say
communicate by speaking
Math
add, subtract, multiply, or divide
choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Attention
pay attention to something without being distracted
Ideas and Logic
notice when problems happen
People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.
They do well at jobs that need:
Integrity
Dependability
Attention to Detail
Self Control
Cooperation
Stress Tolerance
You might use software like this on the job:
Electronic mail software
Email software
Microsoft Outlook
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Accounting software
Sage 50 Accounting
Southern Data Systems TellerPro
high school diploma/GED usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.