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Finance & accounting · Helping & Teaching

Bank teller: what the job actually is

Handling deposits, withdrawals and questions at a branch counter, in a job that is changing as banking moves online.

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Bank teller: quick facts

Bank teller salary in Ontario: the median pay is $22.00 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024). Its three-year outlook in Ontario is limited. The job usually needs a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training.

Median pay in Ontario
$22.00 an hour
Pay range (low to high)
$17.95 to $30.39 an hour
Job outlook, 2025-2027
Limited
People working in it in Ontario
31,300
Usually needs
Usually a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training

Source: Job Bank wages (updated 19 November 2025) and job prospects (updated 10 December 2025), NOC 64400. Pay varies by region and experience.

The work

What this job actually is

  • Serving customers at a branch. Job Bank lists processing cash deposits and withdrawals, cheques, transfers, bills and credit card payments, selling foreign currency and money orders, and answering questions and resolving discrepancies on accounts.
  • Job Bank also lists informing customers about products and services, which is the part some branches call sales and some call service.
  • Job Bank lists banks, credit unions, trust companies and similar institutions as employers, and a standard week of 35 to 40 hours.
  • Job Bank reports one pay figure and one outlook for this whole group of customer services representatives in financial institutions, which is wider than the teller title.
  • It is not regulated. Job Bank says the occupation is not regulated in Canada, so there is no mandatory licence. Employers decide what they want and provide on-the-job training.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 8:30 — In, balance the cash drawer against the figure on the screen. If it is out, you find out why before the doors open.
  2. 9:00 — Doors open. A line of people with deposits, cheques and questions about the app.
  3. 9:45 — A customer who is upset about a fee. You explain what happened and what you can and cannot change.
  4. 10:30 — A foreign currency order. Check the identification, count it twice and record it.
  5. 11:30 — A slow stretch. You help a customer set up online banking on their phone, patiently.
  6. 12:30 — Lunch. Someone else covers the till.
  7. 13:30 — A customer asks about a mortgage. You do not decide, and you book a time with the person who does.
  8. 15:00 — A transaction that looks wrong. You follow the branch procedure and ask a supervisor, even if it is awkward.
  9. 16:30 — Close your till. Count and reconcile. If you are out by a little, you find it. If you are out by a lot, there is a form.
  10. 17:15 — Done. You were on your feet for most of the day.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.

You may like this if
  • You like being accurate with money and you can stay patient with people who are not.
  • You enjoy regular customers and being the familiar face at a local branch.
  • You want a job you can start without a university degree.
  • You would like a first step into financial services, such as advising or lending, and are willing to move there over time.
  • You like routine and a day that ends with the books balanced.
You may hate this if
  • You want a secure long-term role at the counter. Job Bank rates the outlook for this group as Limited, with some positions lost, and says digitalization and job cuts will moderate demand.
  • You dislike being on your feet and repeating the same motions all day. Job Bank lists standing, manual handling and repetitive motions.
  • You get uncomfortable when a customer is angry about something you did not decide.
  • You want to be paid well immediately. This is an entry point into financial services, not the top of it.
  • Cash, errors and identification checks make you anxious. Being out at the end of the day is a real consequence.
  • You want to avoid sales. Job Bank lists informing customers of products and services as part of the work, and many branches now focus on advice.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ontario

  1. Finish high school

    Job Bank says completion of secondary school is required. Strong maths and English help and so does any customer service experience.

  2. Consider a college business diploma

    Job Bank says a college diploma in business administration may be required. Many people are hired without one, so look at what the specific employer asks for in its job postings.

  3. Get on-the-job training

    Job Bank says on-the-job training is provided. Banks and credit unions run their own training, which is why a part-time or summer customer service job is a useful start.

  4. Look at where it leads

    People often move from the counter into advisory, lending or supervisor roles. See the financial advisor and mortgage broker pages on this site, which have their own licensing steps. Ask your branch what paths exist.

Where this comes from: Job Bank — Financial institution customer service representatives: requirements in Ontario · Job Bank — Financial institution customer service representatives: duties and workplaces in Ontario

The money

Bank teller salary in Ontario

Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.

$17.95
Low (hourly)
$22.00
Median (hourly)
$30.39
High (hourly)

Ontario, NOC 64400. Reference period 2023-2024, last updated by Job Bank on 19 November 2025. Wages vary a lot by region inside Ontario and by how long you have been doing it — the low figure is roughly where you start, not what the job is worth.

Source: Job Bank — Bank teller wages in Ontario

Where it is heading

The outlook for the next three years

Job Bank publishes a three-year outlook for every job in every province. It is the closest thing to an honest forecast, and it moves, so read it as a weather report rather than a verdict.

Ontario, 2025-2027

Limited2 out of 5 stars

  • Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
  • A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
  • There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What that rating means: how many openings Job Bank expects in Ontario for this kind of work against how many people are likely to be looking — not whether it is a good job. A “limited” rating means more competition for each opening; it does not close the door, and it can change before you are ready to walk through it.

What is changing in this work

  • Increased digitalization and general job cuts in financial services will moderate the demand for workers in this occupation
  • Job prospects will also be affected as bank branches focus more on financial consultation, and undertake less of the traditional in-person banking activities

Who hires for it

  • Majority employed in financial services, mainly in banks, and to a lesser extent in credit unions, and other institutions providing cheque-cashing and related services
31,300
people work in this job in Ontario
71%
are women (48% across all jobs)
5%
are self-employed (15% across all jobs)

Source: Job Bank — Customer services representatives - financial institutions job prospects in Ontario (NOC 64400). Outlook updated by Job Bank on 10 December 2025; read by us on 5 October 2026.

Before you leave school

Things you can do now

  • Take the maths, business and accounting courses your school offers. Counting accurately is the base skill.
  • Get a part-time or summer job where you deal with customers and cash, such as in a shop or at a till. It teaches the same habits.
  • Practise handling money carefully: count a float twice, reconcile your own spending to the cent for a month.
  • Ask your guidance office about co-op in a financial institution or a local credit union, if there is one nearby.

Test it

Do this before you decide anything

Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.

Reconcile a week of money to the cent

About 60 minutes
  1. For one week, write down every dollar you spend or receive, and what it was for. Include cash and e-transfers.
  2. At the end of the week, reconcile your list against your actual balance or cash on hand. Find every mismatch.
  3. Next time you are at a branch or a store, watch for twenty minutes: how many customers do simple things, and how many ask a question that needs a person?
  4. Read the Job Bank outlook text for this group and the duties page, and write down which part of the job you would want to be doing in five years.

What it tells you. A yes is that finding the mismatch felt satisfying and watching customers made you curious about their questions. That points to the careful, people-facing core of the job. A no is that reconciling was a chore or the line of customers looked draining. Job Bank also rates the outlook as Limited, so a lukewarm answer here is a good reason to look at the related jobs on this page.

Better than any article

Questions for somebody who does this job

Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.

  1. “How much of your day is simple transactions, and how much is helping people with problems?”
  2. “How has the branch changed since more banking moved online?”
  3. “What training did the bank provide, and what did you learn on your own?”
  4. “Where do people move on to from the counter?”
  5. “What is the most difficult kind of customer, and how do you handle them?”
  6. “What would you do if you were starting at 18 now?”

Could you own one of these?

The part other career sites never mention

Not directly. Tellers work for banks and credit unions. The skills of handling money accurately, bookkeeping and customer service transfer to running a small business or a bookkeeping practice, which have their own pages on this site.

Business 101 is free and teaches that part

Quick answers

Questions people ask about this job

How much does a bank teller make in Ontario?

The median pay for a bank teller in Ontario is $22.00 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025). The range Job Bank publishes runs from $17.95 to $30.39 an hour. Pay varies by region, employer and experience.

What is the job outlook for a bank teller in Ontario?

Job Bank rates the employment outlook for this work in Ontario as limited for 2025-2027 (updated 10 December 2025). Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions. A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements. There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation. A lower rating means more competition for each opening, not that no one is hiring.

What do you need to become a bank teller in Ontario?

Job Bank says this work usually needs a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training. The usual route in Ontario, in order: Finish high school; Consider a college business diploma; Get on-the-job training.

Where does a bank teller work in Ontario?

Majority employed in financial services, mainly in banks, and to a lesser extent in credit unions, and other institutions providing cheque-cashing and related services. (Job Bank.)

How many people work as a bank teller in Ontario, and how many are women?

Job Bank counts about 31,300 people working in this job in Ontario. 71% of them are women, compared with 48% across all jobs. That describes who does the work today, not who can.

Not sure this is the right list to be reading

Start from yourself, not from the job.

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Parent of a teenager weighing this up? Career coaching for teens gets them talking to people who do the work, anywhere in Ontario.

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Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.