Bank Officer

• Diploma of Financial Services (Banking)

You've just received your first pay cheque and the thought of setting up a bank account and earning some interest is an exciting one. So, its off to the bank to chat with a bank officer. Bank officers advise customers about the different accounts into which they can deposit their money and inform them about any terms and conditions. Once they've set up your account, bank officers will deposit money into your account and pay you out money on request, assuming that there's money still left in your account!

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Of those currently employed as Bank Officers there are 13% with Bachelor degrees, 8% who have either Certificate I or II, 6% who have either an Advanced Diploma or Diploma, 5% who have either Certificate III or IV and 62% have no post school qualification.

TAFE SA offers the following courses:

Certificate II in Financial Services;
Certificate III in Financial Services;
Certificate IV in Financial Services (Banking);
Certificate IV in Financial Services;
Diploma of Financial Services (Banking).

For more information, go to the TAFE SA website http://www.tafe.sa.edu.au.

Flinders University, The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia all offer a Bachelor of Commerce degree which may assist in finding employment in the banking and finance industry.

As well as working in banks, bank officers may find employment in non banking financial institutions such as credit unions, building societies and financial companies. A basic understanding of financial principles, good customer service skills and strong selling skills (used to promote bank products) are prerequisites for this occupation. The closure of some bank branches, particularly in regional areas and the introduction of phone banking have reduced the demand for customer service officers/tellers and lending officers. However, people with an interest in this occupation should also consider applying their skills and interests in other non banking institutions where employment growth is still strong. Willingness to accept a country posting is also a benefit which will assist a person in advancing their career within banking.

Finance and Insurance

To be updated.

Bank officers receive and pay out money and assist customers with loans, foreign currency and investments. They are usually rotated to different positions during their careers to broaden their experience and develop their skills. They may specialise in areas such as export financing, international banking, superannuation, personnel administration, law, economics, accountancy, corporate and commercial lending, public relations, advertising or information systems. A bank officer must also enjoy customer contact and they must be self motivated to achieve targets.

A bank officer must have good communication skills. They also need to be able to make calculations quickly and accurately and should be well organised. Once they've gained experience as a customer service officer/teller, bank officers can then move on to a number of other areas. With the advent of mobile banking and lending, bank officers may be required to travel to different branches or to go and visit clients.

Telephone consultants working for some banks are mostly located in the eastern states. They assist customers with phone banking, promote bank products such as credit cards and investment funds and also assist customers with loan applications. And to ensure that all of the transactions being handled by the customer service operators are accurate, operations/accounts officers record all transactions. This helps trace mistakes more easily. They also look after clerical duties, such as sorting mail and filing any correspondence. Finally, let's say a South Australian businesswoman wants to import hundreds of dollars worth of stock into Adelaide and she needs to arrange a money transfer for the merchandise. An International /Overseas Officer will answer her queries and assist her to transfer the money electronically.

For further information, contact:

Australasian Institute of Banking and Finance
Level 19, 385 Bourke St Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: (03) 9602 5811
Fax: (03) 9602 3923
Email: info@aibf.com
Internet Address: http://www.aibf.com

Finance Sector Union (National Office)
341 Queen St Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: (03) 9261 5300
Fax: (03) 9670 2940
Email: fsuinfo@fsunion.org.au
Internet Address: http://www.fsunion.org.au

The starting salary for this occupation is about $23,000 per year, rising to around $35,000. After gaining experience as a teller it may be possible for you to move into other specialised positions or supervisory roles which can result in a higher salary.

For further information about all TAFE SA Courses, phone 1800 882 661 or email tafeinfo@saugov.sa.gov.au