Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Bank Teller
What bank tellers actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for a bank teller?
Count your cash drawer. From there, the day usually includes process deposits and withdrawals, cash checks, and balance the cash drawer. Full or part time, including some Saturdays.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a bank teller working full time.
- Count your cash drawer.
- Open the lobby.
- Process a business deposit.
- Spot a suspicious check.
- Help a customer with mobile banking.
- Refer a customer to a loan officer.
- Balance your drawer.
Where bank tellers work
Tellers work in bank and credit union branches.
Hours and schedule
Full or part time, including some Saturdays.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Process deposits and withdrawals
- Cash checks
- Balance the cash drawer
- Spot counterfeit bills and fraud
- Answer account questions
- Refer customers to services
- Follow security procedures
Tools you’ll use every day
- Teller systems
- Cash recyclers
- Counterfeit detectors
- Check scanners
- Coin counters
- Computers
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Short training
- Entry to banking careers
- Regular hours
- Customer contact
What’s hard
- Declining employment
- Modest pay
- Robbery risk
- Balancing pressure
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I’m accurate with money
- I like customers
- I’m trustworthy
- I stay calm
- I want a banking career
- I want short training
Not sure? Take the free Bank Teller fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Follow robbery procedures
- Use dual control in the vault
- Protect customer data
- Report suspicious activity