Photo: Paolo Monti (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Job description
A teller's day includes cashing checks and paying out money after verifying signatures, amounts, and account balances, along with processing mortgage or utility bill payments and confirming the dates and amounts due. They examine checks for proper endorsement and legality, handle transactions like term deposits or retirement contributions, and answer customer questions by phone or in person. Because money has to balance exactly at the end of each shift, precision matters, and tellers work in close quarters with the public, often needing patience with frustrated customers during a fast-paced day.
Pros
- Low barrier to entry: high school diploma plus on-the-job training is enough to start
- Standard indoor, climate-controlled work environment with a consistent 40-45 hour week
- Direct, people-facing role that builds customer service and cash-handling skills
Cons
- Employment in this field is projected to shrink substantially over the next decade (-12.9%)
- Limited upside on pay, topping out under $50k
- Precision matters constantly (balancing drawers, verifying signatures) while dealing with frustrated customers
A typical day
The branch opens at 9, but the drawer gets counted and balanced to the penny before the first customer reaches the window. The morning is a steady line -- deposits, withdrawals, a money order, a small-business owner with a thick envelope of cash that must be counted twice and logged. A counterfeit-suspicious bill and a customer who may be a fraud victim both trigger the quiet judgment calls the job actually turns on. The day ends the way it started: balancing the drawer exactly, because being off by a dollar means staying until it's found.
Tasks at the job
- Balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines.
- Receive mortgage, loan, or public utility bill payments, verifying payment dates and amounts due.
- Cash checks and pay out money after verifying that signatures are correct, that written and numerical amounts agree, and that accounts have sufficient funds.
- Examine checks for endorsements and to verify other information, such as dates, bank names, identification of the persons receiving payments, and the legality of the documents.
- Process transactions, such as term deposits, retirement savings plan contributions, automated teller transactions, night deposits, and mail deposits.
- Answer telephones and assist customers with their questions.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and you work in close physical proximity to coworkers or the public for much of the shift.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and decisions come up constantly and often need to be made quickly. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work. You'll regularly deal with frustrated or upset people as part of the job, and almost all of the work is done as part of a team.
Education necessary or common
High school diploma; some on-the-job training or apprenticeship
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- Business math or accounting -- balancing and accuracy under pressure
- English -- courteous, clear customer interaction
- Economics -- how banking actually works
- Computer applications -- transaction systems
- Spanish or another community language -- serves more customers
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Club treasurer -- real cash accountability
- FBLA banking and finance events
- A cash-handling part-time job -- register work is teller training
- Volunteer at school store or concessions
First steps you can take now
- Get a part-time job handling cash and never let your drawer be off
- Open a checking account and learn every fee and feature
- Practice counting bills quickly and accurately
- Ask a teller what gets people promoted to personal banker
