A financial institution is an institution that provides financial services for its clients. South Korean financial institutions consist of the banking sector, like the Bank of Korea, and the non-banking sector, for example, Samsung Venture Investment. A bank clerk is an employee of a financial institution who deals with customers and receives and pays out money.

Role
Bank clerks have a variety of duties. Their main duties are depositing customers’ money, currency exchange, receiving utility bills like electricity and water, and issuing credit and check cards. In addition, bank clerks accept applications for Internet and mobile banking. Communication with customers is very important. Therefore, bank clerk is a suitable job for people with good manners, strong concentration, and patience.

Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications to become a banker. Usually, applicants have to pass a formal employment examination. Candidates have to submit a cover letter and a resume and have two or three interviews. However, each bank is different.
There are four typical qualifications. They are a bank teller certificate, a financial planner certificate, an associate financial planner Korea certificate (AFPK), and a certified financial planner certificate. For the bank teller certificate, you must study how to work and deal with customers. The financial planner qualification enables you to work in the sales department and the financial technology department of a bank. You can also work in a financial institution’s financial technology department and private banking department. In these departments, you analyze data, for example, a customer’s income and expenses, assets and liabilities. The AFPK certification allows you to provide professional services connected with financial planning. To acquire the AFPK certification, you have to complete a training requirement, pass an exam, and apply for the certification. It is a precondition for the CFP (certified financial planner). It is supervised by the Financial Planning Standards Board. This is an international organization that supervises financial qualification tests in Korea. Finally, the CFP is a professional certification for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in the United States.

Prospects
Bank clerks can work in banks or in other companies, for example, the Korean Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives. Bank clerks have a large income and adequate welfare. In 2016, the Korean Federation of Banks will support an overseas expansion of Korean banks and the internationalization of the banking industry. Accordingly, bank clerk employment will increase.