They're the person you see when finally get to the front of that long line at your favorite financial institution. Bank tellers are the people who customers work with when conducting business at the bank.

More information American Bankers Association 1120 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 663-5000

Bank tellers do a variety of banking transactions including cashing checks, accepting deposits and loan payments and handling withdrawal requests. They also sell savings bonds and traveler's checks. Tellers deal with customers' loans, keep records and handle all of the necessary paperwork. Using information on customer accounts, they may make recommendations on bank products or services such as direct deposit or home equity loans.

Tellers are responsible for a cash drawer each day, receiving and counting it in the morning, handling transactions during their shift, and, after closing out, counting the cash on hand, listing deposit and withdrawal slips on a balance sheet and balancing accounts.

A college education is not required for a person interested in becoming a teller. Banks look for high school graduates with good numerical, clerical and communication skills and prefer cash handling experience. They must also be comfortable working with computers, which are now a vital part of the business. In larger metropolitan areas, employers seek out multilingual tellers.

New tellers receive formal classroom training and several weeks of on-the-job training. Many start out handling simple transactions such as check cashing before becoming full-service tellers.

While accuracy and attention to detail are a requirement of the job, a bank teller must also be courteous and patient with customers who often form their opinions of the bank based on their experience at the teller's window.

Little or no change in the number of jobs is expected over the next several years due to consolidation of banks and advances in technology, such as automated teller machines, which can be found just about everywhere now. The number of teller jobs in the Rochester area has decreased over the past couple of years with a number of local banks being taken over by larger, national financial companies.

Those looking for part-time work are expected to fare much better than applicants for full-time status. Many openings will come from the high turnover found in this occupation.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary of full-time tellers in 1996 was $16,300 plus benefits such as life and health insurance.