A teller manager or head teller supervises tellers working at a bank. To work in this position, people generally need to have teller experience and in some cases may have college degrees, although this is not necessarily required. Banks screen their employees carefully for risks that might make them poor candidates for employment in a banking environment and tend to prefer people with clean criminal histories and good personal references. Generally, good people skills are also useful for job applicants, as this job requires customer service.
To become a head teller, people usually start by applying for basic teller positions. Many banks will hire people without any education beyond a high school degree, providing training on the job. People with college degrees in finance and related fields may be more successful in a competitive job market. In addition, many banks actively seek out bilingual or multilingual tellers and people with facility in two or more languages may be preferentially hired.
Once people start work as tellers, they acquire experience and skills while learning the bank's policies. Over time, people can apply for supervisory positions and rise to the position of teller manager. The teller manager is involved in hiring and firing, staff scheduling, and disciplining of employees. Head tellers may work as tellers when the bank is busy or a shift needs coverage, but they more commonly circulate to assist with customer service issues, offer training, and perform related tasks.
Depending on how a bank is organized, a head teller may also supervise the safe deposit boxes and handle large transactions and special requests. People in this position can also be responsible for ordering and checking on supplies, checking drawers at the end of the day, filing legally mandated reports, and other management activities. The teller manager also works with other bank personnel like loan officers and financial advisors to provide complete services to bank customers.
Working as a teller manager can be a life-long career. This job usually comes with good benefits, as banks want to retain skilled and experienced employees. Tellers typically get access to retirement accounts and may be offered health care and other perks, like paid vacation time. The salary varies depending on the region and a teller's level of experience and education. Salary renegotiations are advisable for people who have not gotten raises recently or who believe that they are not being paid on par with people in similar positions in the region.