How To Become A Senior Teller: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior teller and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Also known as the head teller, the senior teller is responsible for maintaining cash drawers, reporting to the bank officials, and processing customers' transaction issues. A senior teller is also in charge of the training and day-to-day activities of the junior tellers and assigning duties to them. As a senior teller, you should be able to assist customers in checking their withdrawals, bank transactions, and their bank account balance. You will also provide the information needed by customers at any point in time.

To become a senior teller, you need a high school diploma in accounting and finance and extensive work experience in a financial institution. You should also have very strong math skills. For this role, good communication skills (both verbal and written) are vital requirements. You also have to be hardworking, consistent, and very patient. You should be organized and attentive as well. Basic knowledge of computer banking software will be of immense advantage.

A senior teller may earn up to $15 per hour, approximately $36,913 per year.

ScoreSenior TellerUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $45,334

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.5

Growth Rate -12%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.61%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 9.09%

Hispanic or Latino 23.16%

Unknown 3.39%

White 56.76%

Gender

female 78.82%

male 21.18%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress Level

8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

4.9

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for Senior Teller in Columbus, OH

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Key steps to become a senior teller

Explore senior teller education requirements

Most common senior teller degrees

Bachelor's

44.5 %

Associate

23.8 %

High School Diploma

21.8 %

Start to develop specific senior teller skills

Skills	Percentages
Team Support	8.63%
Excellent Client	8.25%
Quality Customer Service	7.90%
Loan Payments	6.96%
ATM	6.26%

Complete relevant senior teller training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior tellers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior teller based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior teller resumes.

Gain additional senior teller certifications

Senior teller certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific senior teller certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for senior tellers include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Bank Auditor (CBA).

More About Certifications

Research senior teller duties and responsibilities

Achieve quarterly sale goals through upselling and referrals to financial specialist.
Uncover additional cross-sell opportunities with current clients
Handle additional teller responsibilities including ATM balancing and coin machine operations.
Recognize potential cross-sell opportunities and direct customers to appropriate bank personnel.

Get senior teller experience

Prepare your senior teller resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior teller resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior teller resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Teller Resume templates

Build a professional Senior Teller resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Senior Teller resume.

Apply for senior teller jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior teller job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

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Senior Teller reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Dealing different people and moving one place to another