Retail Banking Stereotype Breaker

At this stage you’ve probably only really encountered the people who work in retail banks as you’ve set up your personal account and sorted out your overdraft. You may be under the impression that the jobs on offer in this area of banking are restricted to life in the branch.

But is retail banking more than some faces behind a screen who are super speedy at counting money?  Actually, this industry stretches out so much further than you may think!

The realities of retail banking…

The requirements for a job in retail banking extend beyond the ability to count money quickly and accurately. High attention to detail is indeed essential in everything that they do, but they have to be able to deal effectively with a whole manner of issues with customers’ accounts. It’s by no means as simple as you may think it looks!

There is so much more variety in a branch role. Customer Services Officers (CSOs), financial advisers and managers help people from all walks of life on a daily basis, which means you’ll have to adapt quickly to each new scenario and new character you face depending on each request, query or complaint. These professionals really are the face of the bank as a whole as you will have to deal with customers in person on a day-to-day basis; the way in which you handle a situation will always leave a last impression. That’s a lot of responsibility!

Managers also have to be creative in the ways they motivate their staff and ensure their branch hits targets. Regional managers will also have the opportunity for travel as they handle a number of branches.

Many professionals in private and business banking also start out their careers in branches in retail banking, and cross over into private and business once they’ve got some experience under their belts. So there’s plenty of scope to develop a career in various different directions in banking.

Beyond the branch…

But retail banking isn’t just about roles in a local branch. The development and maintenance of digital services are a huge part of this industry. It’s a field which is also a haven for the technically-skilled!

Retail banking welcomes people from various education routes too; either as school leavers via school leaver programmes or apprenticeship schemes which allow participants to can work their way up the ladder to and eventually enter managerial positions in some cases, or as graduates who may specialise in a particular area of the bank’s services. Graduates don’t have to have come from a finance related course either!