Bank Worker Kaimahi Whare Pūtea

Bank workers receive deposits and pay out money, keep records of transactions, issue receipts, and advise customers on banking services and products.

Bank workers may do some or all of the following:

  • accept deposits and pay withdrawals
  • open and close accounts for customers
  • show customers how to do internet banking
  • assess and approve loan applications
  • refer customers to appropriate financial services
  • provide information on savings plans, loans, mortgages and investments
  • sell banking products such as loans, credit cards, mortgages and insurance.

Useful Experience

Useful experience for bank workers includes:

  • customer service
  • retail and sales work
  • work in a call centre
  • cash handling.

Personal Qualities

Bank workers need to be:

  • good at sales and customer service
  • able to work independently
  • friendly, polite, approachable and helpful
  • honest and reliable
  • quick and methodical
  • accurate, with an eye for detail.

Skills

Bank workers need to have:

  • knowledge of the products and services offered by their bank
  • ability to use specialised banking computer software
  • cash-handling skills
  • mathematical ability.

Conditions

Bank workers:

  • usually work regular business hours, but may need to work evenings and weekends or be on call
  • generally work in bank branch offices or contact centres, but may visit customers at home
  • may travel nationally for training.

Subject Recommendations

No specific secondary education is required for this job, but English, maths, accounting and business studies to at least NCEA Level 2 are useful.

Bank Workers can earn around $55K-$80K per year.

Pay for bank workers varies depending on experience and the type of work they do.

  • Bank workers in customer service roles usually earn $55,000 to $80,000 a year.
  • Lending officers and personal bankers usually earn $60,000 to $90,000.
  • Assistant managers and managers can earn $70,000 to $145,000.

Source: PERSOLKELLY, '2023- 2024 Salary Guide', 2023

Bank workers may progress into bank management or financial adviser roles.

Bank workers may specialise in:

  • small business, rural or industry banking
  • insurance sales and claims.

Bank workers can specialise in a number of roles, including:

Banking Adviser/Personal Banker/Lending Officer
Banking advisers/Personal bankers/Lending officers provide customers with support for all their banking and financial service needs, including complex lending and financial requirements.
Financial Crime Analyst
Financial crime analysts investigate a range of financial crime activities by analysing and investigating datasets.

Years Of Training

There are no specific education requirements to become a bank worker. However, sales or customer service experience is essential.

New bank workers usually get intensive training from their bank when they start.

To become a bank manager you need to have experience as a bank worker or in a non-bank management role.

Industry training organisation Strategi oversees the New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5), which may be useful.

Bank Worker