Bank Teller Job - Realistic or Unrealistic? (bachelor, degree, costs)
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An ex of mine worked as a bank teller, then manager of same bank. I can say that the cert is not necessary. It is not so much about money handling skills as you would be trained in that, anyways, and not only will there be many cameras on you and your draw the money is counted, recounted, and recounted again. It is more about how you can handle customers than anything, in particular if they are irate (which tends to happen when their money is involved) or robbing you. Or passing a scam through your window. Will you follow protocol or not is the main question they want to know before they will hire you.
That's exactly my point. I don't see the point in wasting money on some pointless class/certification when I can just work as a cashier, get a few measly paychecks, and still learn skills that I will end up using anyway.
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Originally Posted by OhioJB
First, I encourage you to not give up on using your Bachelor's degree to find work in your field of expertise. For reasons it's not necessary for me to go into I was never able to go to college after I got out of the Navy in 1990. I really wanted to but couldn't, so I'm envious (in a good way) of your degree. The job market is so bad it's tough finding work for many people, including those with college degrees, although a couple years ago it was reported those with college educations had about half the unemployment rate as those who just have a high school education level.
It's good that you are willing to work entry level jobs to pay the bills, but I suspect your degree will help land you a job eventually. However, the longer you are out of college without working in that field I imagine it will be tougher and tougher to find a job using your degree.
As far as the teller position goes I kind of wonder why you'd want it. At least in my area tellers don't earn much, banks have cut back on staffing teller windows, and they've forced many tellers to work part time so they don't have to pay them benefits. I used to work in one of the supporting departments for a bank in their credit card department. Some of the women I worked with had been tellers. I heard enough stories to know they hadn't been treated very well and earned even lower pay than I did working in my position.
And quite frankly, I don't believe they train their staff nearly as well as they used to, although that's probably true for most entry level white collar type jobs in many industries these days. I've worked at several large national companies and training is not good at all in my experience.
Have you given thought to becoming a teacher or instructor? For a couple of years I worked with a guy who had a Masters degree in either Liberal Arts or the Performing Arts. He was sitting next to me making about $8/hour. He said his passion was teaching and he kept looking for a teaching position until he found one at a small college. Prior to that he had used his Spanish language skills to teach Mexican immigrants down in I believe Arizona to learn English.
Some people aren't interested in teaching but if you are, maybe you could find a teaching job. My step-sister is a teacher in the public school system here, and her husband is a firefighter. Between the two of them they built a mansion in one of the nicer, more expensive parts of the area. She does quite nicely even without his salary and benefits.
Good luck, and don't give up on using your degree.
Well it's not just a matter of not finding a job in my field. I HATE my field and no longer wish to work in it. I majored in psychology and I worked in a mental institute with juvenile delinquents. It was an absolutely horrible job. It is a complete mismatch for me and I want to go in an entirely different direction. Even when I was working at the mental institute, the head supervisor essentially told me to start looking for a new job soon because I sucked at the job and they were going to replace me soon. I don't want to do any more jobs involving problem people. I'm in the phase where I'm considering jobs outside my field with growth potential, hence why I have a sliver of hope for bank positions, though it is entire possible that sliver of hope is a mirage. Regarding teaching, that is not for me. It takes a certain kind of person to be a teacher and that's just not what I am (to be brief). I'm willing to consider other ideas if you have any....
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Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
There's upward mobility potential in a teller job. The OP could work up into a loan officer position, and above.
OP, it doesn't matter what we think the potential is. What matters is what the potential in your location is. You say that in your area, older displaced workers and retirees get the teller positions. That's unusual, but if true, then that's all you need to know, I would think. OTOH, those people are not looking to move up in the bank. If you could get your foot in the door, you'd have no competition in your bid for promotions.
You mentioned something about going back to school eventually, for more education. Is that a real possibility? If so, have you thought about what field you might try for? Economics would help you leapfrog over the teller job, and get a mid-level bank job.
Let me clarify, when I said older I meant older THAN ME. I'm in my 20s. They are not elderly people who will qualify for a nursing home in the near future. They are often professionals ranging from the late 20s to late 30s. I am just going off of what my friend told me (he would have no reason to lie) but he said there were several people who had management experience in there and more advanced resumes than the average person leaving college.
If nothing pans out, I am thinking about going back to school because I don't know what else to do. I need to be able to support myself and a cashier job is not going to cut it. I will take out all the loans I can get and that will be that. I don't know what else I can do if things don't pan out with my job hunt here.
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Originally Posted by sideman
Whoa. Now hold on a minute. You asked for suggestions and you got one. If you don't like it then forget about it and move on. But you'd better work on your diplomacy skills, regardless of what career track you take, because they are sorely lacking.
I'm open to reasonable things. But spending close to a grand for a low paying job I might not even like is a joke. It is not economical and it's not a good investment of money. Next thing you know, people will be telling teenagers to get certifications so they can work in mcdonalds. Being smooth was never one of my traits. I have always been the type who speaks my mind and that's not going to change.
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Originally Posted by Quaker15
Being a teller is very similar to being a cashier. No, thanks! Been there, done that.
You should continue your education and get a degree in something that's in demand. Accounting, etc. and get a stable job. ATM's and more advanced technology are replacing tellers by the day.
Your points are very valid and they have certainly crossed my mind before. Working as a bank teller to get a real job as a higher up in the bank might end up being a pipe dream. If that's the case, then I will have to find something else to do with my life.
I think your best bet to get a career in banking is to get a sales oriented job for financial products. Maybe start as a document processor for a mortgage broker (or insurance broker?) with the intention that they will teach you the business on how to be a mortgage broker. Once you get experience, you can do the same work at a bank. It will be tough because processors are paid poorly like file clerks and mortgage brokers are often compensated on commission (so you have to be really good to make a living at it). The best mortgage brokers I know are awesome communicators and build strong relationships with realtors. Once at the bank, you can use those skills to get into other financial products (you'd want to then focus on stuff that is marketed to small businesses, not individuals-as that's where the real money is made).
Cash operation is a tiny portion of what a bank does and it is not where they make their money. The real numbers people help decide on things like who gets loans and what the underwriting standards are, creating financial products, or selling million dollar financial products to big business, so the small business work is often those that are more skilled at relationship building and sales than their quantitative skills. But small businesses banking is the bread and butter of a lot of banks.
The most miserable job I ever had was a bank teller. I also had a bachelor's and couldn't find work. The customers were fine, the co-workers were miserable, and the sales pitches you had to deliver to the customers for a decent review, were ridiculous. I still get a nervous twitch every time I see a PNC Bank. Hated that job.
Look for administrative support jobs at a college, in a school, hospital...anything other than retail banking.
The most miserable job I ever had was a bank teller. I also had a bachelor's and couldn't find work. The customers were fine, the co-workers were miserable, and the sales pitches you had to deliver to the customers for a decent review, were ridiculous. I still get a nervous twitch every time I see a PNC Bank. Hated that job.
Look for administrative support jobs at a college, in a school, hospital...anything other than retail banking.
This is true, too. The OP said, as I recall, that there are several universities in his area. The only problem with that is that there's not much potential to move up. You can get your foot in the door with a basic admin assistant job, then move into a supervisory admin job, and that's it. That's as far as you can go, for life. Whereas there's much more growth potential at a bank. OTOH, being a university employee gets you free classes, and you can gradually build a degree (or two) from that.
This is true, too. The OP said, as I recall, that there are several universities in his area. The only problem with that is that there's not much potential to move up. You can get your foot in the door with a basic admin assistant job, then move into a supervisory admin job, and that's it. That's as far as you can go, for life. Whereas there's much more growth potential at a bank. OTOH, being a university employee gets you free classes, and you can gradually build a degree (or two) from that.
Exactly - you can work on the grad degree OP, while working someplace that is a little easier on the psyche than a bank, where they treat you like a moron/robot. I reallllly hated that job.
That's exactly my point. I don't see the point in wasting money on some pointless class/certification when I can just work as a cashier, get a few measly paychecks, and still learn skills that I will end up using anyway.
I'm open to reasonable things. But spending close to a grand for a low paying job I might not even like is a joke. It is not economical and it's not a good investment of money. Next thing you know, people will be telling teenagers to get certifications so they can work in mcdonalds. Being smooth was never one of my traits. I have always been the type who speaks my mind and that's not going to change.
Oh so you wanted a reasonable suggestion? Is it reasonable to assume that if you work for weeks/months as a cashier it qualifies you for a teller job? Do you think that by going on for a masters, going into debt another 30-40k, is going to solve your problem? Because those are the reasonable suggestions you've received and are receiving. And is it always reasonable to speak your mind even if you accomplish nothing by doing it?
Alright I admit it is ridiculous to have a teller training course for $800. But that's what they charge and banks and/or individuals must be paying for it, and think it has value. Otherwise why would they offer it? The over-credentialization and over-certification of workers is just one way to whittle down the applicant pool. But that's for another thread. I've been an entrepreneur for over 30 years and I hire all the time, from GED holders to PhD's. If someone shows initiative by training outside my industry vs. someone that wants me/us to train them, who do you think I'm going to choose? I will always choose someone that wants to benefit me over someone that feels they're doing me a favor by coming to work for me. It costs employers a lot of money to train on the job and there's no guarantees that employee is going to stay with you when their training is over.
What you need to do is have an end goal. Determine what you want to do with your life, what education/credentials are necessary and work backwards from that goal. Sure you may have to do jobs you dislike, but so what? You can take solace in the fact that you're working towards a goal.
The American Bankers Association (www.aba.com) has a course for bank tellers. You can get a certificate at the end of the course. It's not exactly inexpensive ($795 for non-members) but it just might show a prospective employer that you're serious about the field. It would certainly be less expensive than getting a degree in finance.
FYI, I really doubt that certification program is for novice tellers trying to get an entry level job. The banks purchases those for their employees if they don't have a decent internal training system. It is obvious from the pricing scheme. "Members" are banks that join and pay dues to the trade association.
Only other idea I have offhand is to consider selling insurance. My father made a very nice living selling insurance; property, car, etc. He started out as an agent and eventually started his own agency. Back in his day he didn't have to compete with companies selling directly to customers over the internet, it wasn't around yet, but I believe there's still a job market for agents. Look through the yellow pages and I'm sure you'll see plenty of agencies, meaning there is a market for it, and also for adjusters.
The reason I bring up insurance is because I don't think the training is nearly as long as you went through to get your Bachelor's. When my father started out there wasn't near the requirements there are today in my state to become licensed to sell insurance, but I really don't believe it's that bad.
One idea might be to contact insurance agencies to let them know you are considering becoming an agent and ask if they have job opportunities as an office clerk. That would give you working knowledge of the forms that are used and different issues that come up. I know in smaller independent insurance agencies like my father had, the ladies or guys that answer the phones type up forms, enter info into the system, keep the files in order, etc. If you had a job like that the agency might hire you as an agent once you finished your course(s) and testing, especially after proving yourself a good, reliable worker who can deal with people well. Or you could just remain at your retail job until you finish your courses and testing and find a job then. Either way I suspect you'd have opportunities.
That might not be for you, hard for me to say, however the fact you have a degree in psychology tells me you probably don't have trouble interacting with people. Even though it looks like you wont be working in your field of study any longer at least you developed skills that will help you as you give something else a try.
Try not to get too discouraged. Hope you find a job you like that pays decently.
Another thought I just had was it might not be such a bad idea to contact Manpower in your city/town to see what type of opportunities might be available in your field of psychology. I realize you don't want to work dealing with people's problems any longer, but who knows what might be available. Maybe an advertising firm wants to psycho-analyze potential customers and has a job available. Ok, maybe that's a stretch, but I'm using it as an example that something totally different from what you are used to using your degree for might be out there. Manpower has a professional side for employment opportunities, it's not just for office clerks, and day laborers.
There's upward mobility potential in a teller job. The OP could work up into a loan officer position, and above....
Absolutely. My ex started working part-time for a bank as a bookkeeper her last semester as a high school. At that point she became an "experienced banker."
So they hired her full time and she worked for them for 18 months. We married then and moved. (I was in the military.)
She went to the largest bank in the new city, applied for a job and was hired immediately (bookkeeper again). We were there for another 18 months before I was transferred.
Next city: She applied for one job as a secretary for a banker and was hired before leaving his office. Didn't like being a secretary, plus the job was downtown in traffic and didn't like that, so she applied at the bank on base. Hired immediately as a teller, then promoted to branch manager a year later. A year later I was discharged and took a job in a small Iowa town.
We had a baby by then but she still wanted to work a little for the social aspect of it. She applied to one bank and was welcomed immediately as a part-time teller. After a few months I got a better job offer. We moved to Wyoming.
She wanted to continue working part time and applied at the largest bank. They told her they didn't hire part-time employees! So she walked up the street to the next bank and was hired immediately as a part-time teller. But she'd really wanted to work at the larger bank. So I made a point to stop in and talk to the bank president/CEO about something else and "mentioned" that my wife had been into his bank to apply but was told they didn't hire part-time employees. He said, "If she wants to work here, have her call me tomorrow." She called, and he hired her part time as a bookkeeper/teller.
That led to full time as a teller, then as a new customer rep, and then to opening up a new real estate lending department. And a loan officer title. Then assistant v.p. and finally v.p. After our divorce she accepted an executive v.p. position at another local bank and retired from it a couple years ago.
No college.
Banks like to hire people with good banking experience, and once you have the experience, banking jobs seem to be very easy to get. At least that was my ex's experience. I also observed many of her friends/cohorts go through the same type of thing.
An earlier post recommended that you dress up (suit, etc.). I expect that was one of the things that helped my ex get promotions. She dressed to a T and always looked and acted as a professional.
And I've got no other nice things to say about her. Eh, she wasn't as bad as her mother. How's that? Her mother also worked at a bank (following in her daughter's footsteps). Her fellow employees had a big party when she retired. Mom wasn't invited.
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Originally Posted by sideman
... If someone shows initiative by training outside my industry vs. someone that wants me/us to train them, who do you think I'm going to choose? ...
Exactly. I've also done a lot of hiring. Paying and studying to become "certified" says, "I want to be a teller!" Or whatever. That was the main thing for me. We could have trained anyone with a good mind and excellent command of the English language to fill any of our starting positions, but 95% of the people I hired (for much over minimum wage) had degrees, certificates or experience in whatever I hired them for. It told me they were serious about wanting that particular career, that they'd likely work hard to succeed at the job, and that they'd probably be around for awhile. For someone who wants to be a teller, that could be the best $800 ever spent. How many college credits will $800 buy you today?
Last edited by WyoNewk; 04-13-2015 at 07:52 PM..
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Eh, she wasn't as bad as her mother. How's that? Her mother also worked at a bank (following in her daughter's footsteps). Her fellow employees had a big party when she retired. Mom wasn't invited. 
