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#84498 - 06/03/03 03:44 AM Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a Dead End Futue
Dan Persfull Offline
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Found this and thought I'd share it.

12 Jobs with a dead end future.
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#84499 - 06/03/03 04:49 AM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a Dead End Futue
Princess Romeo Offline

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Dan - I saw that too. I had two reactions:

1. I've always thought the a teller position as stepping stone to something better - either in banking or outside of it. However, there are people who enjoy being a teller, and as long as they don't need a fast moving career, they should be fine.

2. Glad to see "Compliance Officer" wasn't on the list!!!
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#84500 - 06/03/03 12:45 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a Dead End Futue
JacF Offline

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I had a slightly different interpretation of the article. I didn't see these so much as dead-end jobs, but as jobs for which the demand isn't what it used to be.

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#84501 - 06/03/03 12:50 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a Dead End Futue
RVFlyboy Offline
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I agree with JacFSB's take - they are not saying that a teller is a job where you can't step up to something better. They're saying that going forward there are going to be fewer and fewer teller jobs needed and those that don't want to move on or up to something else are going to find their opportunities to stay in teller work dwindling.

In my opinion, a teller job has been, is still, and will be in the future, an excellent stepping stone to a fruitful career in banking.
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#84502 - 06/03/03 12:57 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a Dead End Futue
waldensouth Offline
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"They" have been predicting the decline of the teller since the first ATM was installed. As our younger population ages and our "pre-computer" folks stop handling their own financial affairs, yes, possibly a teller's job will disappear as a dedicated function. Some banks have tellers/CSRs combined in one function now. I just don't think it's gonna happen in the next 10 years. Weren't checks also supposed to go away?
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#84503 - 06/03/03 01:27 PM Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Dan Persfull Offline
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I agree with the thoughts that the article is referring to the job demand for tellers is declining instead of being "Dead End". Me and Mr Crown chose our words poorly last night.
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#84504 - 06/03/03 02:54 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Lestie G Offline

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How many people plan their education and set goals to become a teller or an order clerk? It made sense to me that someone would need to know that the other jobs listed would be less in demand - but when's the last time you heard a child say they were going to be an order clerk when they grew up?

I think, as was stated, that a teller job is a stepping stone. Some people find that they enjoy it so much they want to stay there, but I doubt they took the job with the intent to retire as a teller.
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#84505 - 06/03/03 03:13 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Mickey Offline
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I also feel a teller job is a good stepping stone as is any job you have. Experience is always the key to an upward move. Those people who feel a teller is a dead end job must be lazy because you can only remain at a dead end job if you don't have the drive to succeed and make better. I hear so many people hear say this job stinks I could make so much more somewhere else....well, then go. To those who go and were good I hate to see go but I always am happy for those who try to improve their live. If you like your job and feel satified with your life then no job is a dead end job. Money isn't everything.
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#84506 - 06/04/03 02:50 AM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Anonymous
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You all make it sound like the tellers are the low man on the pole. I love being a teller and I love people and helping them, and there will be someone who will have to help with the ATM and some of the Senior Citizens will not want internet banking or ACH deposits.......?????? But I do agree that tellers will not be needed as much as before, but why do we have to be on the bottom of the scale, I feel it takes all of us to make the day click....

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#84507 - 06/04/03 11:11 AM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Elwood P. Dowd Offline
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Anon,
I loved being a teller and still believe it to be the best job in the bank. The customer contact was great and I still pine for the time when my job was over at the end of the day. A skilled teller knows a lot more customers than the CEO and the lending staff combined and, in developing personal relationships, becomes the primary contact for a lot of those people.

When I was legal counsel to a trust department, I had a meeting scheduled with a very justifiably irate customer. I asked his favorite teller to be in my office a for the first few minutes of the meeting, "just to say hell-o". He came in loaded for bear (me), but when he saw her softened considerably and, after she excused herself, we resolved things amicably. As far as he was concerned, she was "the bank" and I was a stage hand.

Tellers have the advantage of being readily employable if they change communities, but often have the disadvantage of not having a career path within a single bank. There will always be tellers and the people who participate here are those most likely to respect their role.
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#84508 - 06/04/03 01:42 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Dan Persfull Offline
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Quote:

You all make it sound like the tellers are the low man on the pole.




If any of my comments was construed that way, that was not my intentions. To me the teller is the most under rated (and under paid) position in the bank. They are for the most part the bank's first line of offense and defense in dealing with customers (not to mention the monetary responsibilities they have).
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#84509 - 06/04/03 05:58 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Princess Romeo Offline

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In all fairness to Dan, the "Dead-end" appellation was made by the writers at MSN.

I agree that being a teller can be very rewarding, and it is a very overlooked position. But the reality is, if someone is in high school or college, they wouldn't necessarily plan on staying in a teller position if they want the Benzes and the 5,000 sq foot homes, etc.
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#84510 - 06/04/03 06:15 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
1111 Offline
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Quote:

You all make it sound like the tellers are the low man on the pole.




That's because it's true! Not right, but true. Teller work is a great job, especially when compared to other service jobs, like fast food, store clerk, etc. Unfortunately, big banks have cut expense by cutting down on the number of tellers and tellers that work full-time - I suspect that the high cost of benefits has a lot to do with that trend. A teller position continues to be a stepping stone for those willing to do the extra work - take classes, etc., but simply being a teller can be a rewarding career, especially in a small community environment.

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#84511 - 06/04/03 06:42 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
DawgFan Offline
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Well said, Ipso. To be honest, I don't think that tellers will ever go away. Their presence might diminish, but I doubt they will die out. I think there is always going to be a segment of the population that will want to deal with a person. In a community bank especially, the teller is a very important person. A well-trained, observant teller not only provides great customer service, but they also serve as a first line of defense against fraud, suspicious activities, ID theft, and the like.
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#84512 - 06/04/03 06:53 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
RVFlyboy Offline
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Quote:

In all fairness to Dan, the "Dead-end" appellation was made by the writers at MSN.




I like Dan and all, but we can't shift the blame. The words "Dead End" were chosen by Dan in the URL dialog box, not by the writers at MSN. Check out the article - nowhere in the headline or article does it use the word "Dead End". I guess they might have used the "Dead End" phrase on their own home page when linking to the article - I don't know about that, as I don't see anything on it now. But since Dan already confessed (although bringing Crown Royal in as an abetter), I'll have to assume that it was him and not MSN.
Last edited by MagicBanker; 06/04/03 06:54 PM.
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#84513 - 06/04/03 07:01 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Dan Persfull Offline
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Thank you Jim. And yes I chose the words "Dead End", but as I recall (but I don't recall a lot from Monday night, and in one post I said that I had such a bad Monday that I was skipping the Miller Lite and going straight for the Crown) the words were used in the caption somewhere.

Anyway, I made my feelings known about tellers a few posts above.

I'll accept the responsibility.
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#84514 - 06/04/03 09:22 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Princess Romeo Offline

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Dan - you do remember correctly as I saw the same "link" headline on MSN. The "teaser" link was titled something along the lines of "12 Dead-End careers."

My first thought when I saw "bank teller" on the list was, "How rude!" I also had to chuckle because when ATMs were trotted out, what - over 2 decades ago - it was predicted they would eliminate the majority of the teller positions.

What REALLY happened was, people simply started using ATM's to withdraw smaller amounts of cash more often. Instead of standing in line to withdraw $100, they would go to the ATM 5 different times to take out $20. And then the job of the teller was expanded, and I know believe many places call them "CSRs" (Customer Service Representatives), and expect them to cross sell everything from Overdraft programs, to Safe Deposit, to insurance products, and so on.

In fact - what ARE some of the names that banks call "tellers" these days?
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#84515 - 06/04/03 09:34 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
1111 Offline
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Dan - you sure get off easy, I'm happy that I didn't select Dead End, but as the post above states - a tag line was used, so that's were you got the Dead End.

Actually, a lot of bank jobs are Dead End, in that they tend to disappear a lot more often than in, say prior to 1970. They are not Dead End, per se, but there are a number of banks that one will have to work for during a career in banking, versus just one or two. Perhaps Dead End also means Merger or possibly Dead End Merger works.

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#84516 - 06/05/03 05:36 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
Anonymous
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Yes, quite a few years ago we switched to "CSR's" instead of tellers, but we still refer to the "teller line." It does have to do with the whole sales culture thing. They aren't there just to take deposits or cash checks, but cross sell and look for clues for other opportunities.

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#84517 - 06/05/03 05:46 PM Re: Tellers - #3 in a Dozen Jobs With a "Dead" Future
1111 Offline
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Quote:

Yes, quite a few years ago we switched to "CSR's" instead of tellers, but we still refer to the "teller line." It does have to do with the whole sales culture thing. They aren't there just to take deposits or cash checks, but cross sell and look for clues for other opportunities.




CSR - Sales - in Banking? The sales part is a bit much to ask of tellers. They are normally the lowest paid in the bank, unfortunately, but they are now expected to sell stuff. If you find one that actually can sell stuff, he/she will not be a teller for long.

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