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Tellers

Receive and pay out money. Keep records of money and negotiable instruments involved in a financial institution's various transactions.

Watch this work See majors and colleges
Other titles employers use

Account Representative · Bank Teller · Branch Operations Specialist · Customer Relationship Specialist · Customer Service Associate (CSA) · Financial Services Representative (FSR) · Member Services Representative · Personal Banking Representative

Inside the work

What you would actually do.

6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.

  • 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.
  • Cash checks and pay out money after verifying that signatures are correct, that written and numerical amounts agree, and that accounts have sufficient funds.
  • Count currency, coins, and checks received, by hand or using currency-counting machine, to prepare them for deposit or shipment to branch banks or the Federal Reserve Bank.
  • Enter customers' transactions into computers to record transactions and issue computer-generated receipts.

Who it suits

Would this work hold your attention?

This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing and persuading work.

Organizing
Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Persuading
Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case

Skills and strengths

What you would get good at.

Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.

Core skills

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Monitoring
  • Social Perceptiveness

Subjects to know

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Mathematics
  • Economics and Accounting
  • Public Safety and Security

Useful strengths

  • Oral Comprehension
  • Oral Expression
  • Number Facility
  • Speech Recognition
  • Speech Clarity

Working day

Picture yourself doing it.

These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.

How this job scores on four measures of working conditions, out of five
MeasureOut of 5What that means here
Close to other people4.0 Arm’s length or closer, most of the day
On your feet3.5 Up and down through the day
Talking face to face4.9 Continuous — the job is conversations
Working with your hands4.1 Handling tools, instruments or materials

Preparation

How people prepare for this work.

Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.

  • High school or less 75%
  • A certificate or some college 12%
  • A four-year degree 8%
  • A two-year degree 5%

Tools of the work

Technology you may use.

  • Electronic mail software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Office suite software
  • Presentation software
  • Operating system software
  • Word processing software
  • Accounting software
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software

Opportunity near you

See where this work is growing.

Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.

Selected stateTexas
People doing this work
25,960
Job openings each year
2,580
Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
−4.0%
Compare every available state
State People doing it Job openings each year Expected change
Texas 25,960 2,580 −4.0%
California 22,900 2,100 −16.4%
New York 22,750 40 1.6%
Pennsylvania 17,780 1,670 −13.5%
Ohio 14,030 1,340 −10.4%
Florida 13,780 1,330 −9.2%
Illinois 13,080 1,190 −18.0%
New Jersey 10,190 950 −15.2%
Washington 9,850 1,060 4.1%
Michigan 9,410 890 −13.3%
Wisconsin 8,820 830 −12.8%
North Carolina 8,170 780 −11.2%
Georgia 7,900 780 −5.5%
Tennessee 7,780 730 −13.6%
Indiana 7,480 690 −16.3%
Virginia 6,700 610 −17.2%
Alabama 6,660 630 −11.6%
Missouri 6,390 600 −13.3%
South Carolina 5,990 600 −3.9%
Arizona 5,890 590 −1.8%
Oklahoma 5,820 560 −11.3%
Iowa 5,620 540 −10.9%
Minnesota 5,360 490 −16.4%
Colorado 5,240 490 −13.4%
Kentucky 4,630 440 −13.5%
Kansas 4,580 420 −16.4%
Louisiana 4,570 410 −18.5%
Mississippi 4,310 420 −8.9%
Arkansas 3,820 360 −12.4%
Utah 3,490 340 −9.8%
Nebraska 3,440 330 −10.2%
Maryland 3,140 280 −18.2%
Oregon 3,020 270 −18.8%
Connecticut 2,770 240 −21.5%
Puerto Rico 2,770 270 −8.9%
West Virginia 2,350 220 −12.0%
Massachusetts 2,190 200 −17.4%
North Dakota 2,050 200 −6.8%
New Mexico 2,000 190 −9.1%
Maine 1,980 190 −13.5%
Nevada 1,960 190 −12.9%
Montana 1,790 170 −9.1%
Rhode Island 1,700 160 −16.3%
South Dakota 1,700 160 −9.1%
New Hampshire 1,420 140 −8.4%
Delaware 1,080 100 −18.2%
Wyoming 850 80 −5.6%
Alaska 820 80 −3.5%
Vermont 800 70 −23.1%
District of Columbia 710 70 −15.5%
Idaho 280 30 16.7%
Guam 200 20 −13.0%
Virgin Islands 160 20 —

Career to college

Build a path toward this work.

Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.

CareerTellers
Most direct field Finance

Where to study

Colleges with strong activity in these fields.

Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.

NY

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

Degrees each year
891
Admit rate
50%
Annual cost after aid
$6,000

Program entryApply after enrollment

Open college OH

Ohio State University-Main Campus

Degrees each year
817
Admit rate
51%
Annual cost after aid
$10,000

Program entryOpen major

Open college FL

Florida State University

Degrees each year
703
Admit rate
25%
Annual cost after aid
$10,000

Program entryApply after enrollment

Open college SC

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Degrees each year
597
Admit rate
61%
Annual cost after aid
$20,000

Program entryOpen major

Open college PA

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

Degrees each year
577
Admit rate
54%
Annual cost after aid
$26,000

Program entryDirect to major

Open college FL

Florida International University

Degrees each year
573
Admit rate
59%
Annual cost after aid
$11,000

Program entryOpen major

Open college AL

The University of Alabama

Degrees each year
572
Admit rate
76%
Annual cost after aid
$22,000

Program entryOpen major

Open college GA

University of Georgia

Degrees each year
545
Admit rate
37%
Annual cost after aid
$13,000

Program entryApply after enrollment

Open college

Compare every college offering finance and financial management services

Keep exploring

Careers with something in common.

Compare paths that use similar training and strengths.

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