The banker career
The term "banker" is commonly used, but it does not correspond to a single career. It actually refers to several quite distinct roles, ranging from advising retail customers to supporting businesses, and including wealth management or risk analysis. This article introduces the careers hidden behind this term, and the courses of study that give access to them.
In brief
The term banker refers to a family of banking and financial advisory careers, which support the projects of individual or business clients.
A Bachelor's degree at Bac+3 can prepare you for roles in advisory and customer relations, while a course of study at Bac+5 lets you deepen your skills and gives access, in particular, to corporate advisory, finance or wealth management.
What is the banker career?
The word banker does not correspond to a single career: it is a general term that refers to a whole family of careers in the banking and financial sector, based in particular on management, advisory and customer relations.
What links these careers is a shared logic: understanding the situation and needs of a client, whether an individual or a business, in order to offer solutions suited to their projects, while respecting the rules and responsibilities specific to the banking sector.
Identifying the career that matches what you want to do on a daily basis is therefore more relevant than simply aiming to become a banker. That is the subject of the next section.
What are the banking careers?
The most visible role remains advising retail customers: you support clients in their projects and offer them suitable solutions, from opening an account to credit, as well as savings. The corporate business account manager carries out this advisory role for professionals and businesses, in particular to finance their projects or manage their cash flow.
The wealth management adviser supports clients in managing and growing their wealth, through savings, investments, tax matters or inheritance. Other roles complete this picture: the risk analyst assesses the strength of a file and the associated risks, while the branch manager leads a team and the commercial activity of their branch. Excelia Business School also presents the other careers that are hiring in finance.
What does a banker do on a daily basis?
Beyond the counter, which is no longer at the heart of many banking careers, these roles draw to varying degrees on financial analysis, risk management and negotiation, in a sector where advisory work occupies a growing place.
A credit application, for example, requires analysing the client's situation, assessing their repayment capacity and the associated risks, then proposing suitable terms, with a good command of banking products, services and regulations.
At Excelia Business School, the programmes prepare you for this change in the sector: digitalisation is automating part of day-to-day operations and transforming professionals' roles, in particular by increasing the importance of advisory work, expertise and the relationship of trust.
What skills do you need to work in a bank?
Two areas complement each other in banking careers: technical skills, particularly in finance, tax or regulation depending on the role, and interpersonal qualities, with the listening skills and clarity of explanation needed to explain sometimes complex solutions to clients.
Compliance and regulation also play an important role: each piece of advice and each transaction falls within a specific regulatory framework, which changes regularly. At Excelia Business School, some pathways prepare you for the AMF certification (Autorité des marchés financiers), which verifies a minimum level of knowledge of the regulatory and ethical environment as well as financial techniques.
Do you need a Bac+5 to work in a bank?
No: several levels of study give access to banking careers, depending on the role targeted.
At Excelia Business School, a Bachelor's degree at Bac+3 leading to a Grade de Licence can prepare you in particular for advisory and customer relations roles. A Master of Science at Bac+5 lets you deepen this expertise and prepare for roles such as corporate business account manager or wealth management adviser.
The choice therefore depends less on a sufficient level than on the role and level of expertise targeted. According to APEC (Association Pour l'Emploi des Cadres), for the generic role of business account manager, banking included, 80% of the salaries offered are between €33,000 and €58,000 per year, with an average of €45,000. If you are still unsure, you can receive full details of these two courses of study.
Which pathways give access to banking careers?
At Excelia Business School, the Bachelor in Business and its banking specialisation open this path from the third year onwards. Dedicated to banking and insurance advisory, this specialisation also allows you to obtain the RNCP level 6 professional certification « Conseiller multi-canal de clientèle particuliers en Banque Assurance ».
To deepen your skills and target more specialised roles, the MSc in Banking and Business Account Management lets you continue up to Bac+5. State-recognised and leading to the Grade de Master, it prepares you in particular for careers as business account manager, wealth management adviser or bank branch manager.
These pathways draw on Excelia Business School's international recognition, which holds the EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master accreditations, a quadruple accreditation held by only 1% of business schools worldwide. The Excelia network also has 53,000 graduates.
Bac+3 or Bac+5: the Bachelor in Business allows you to specialise from the third year onwards in banking and insurance advisory, while the MSc in Banking and Business Account Management allows you to deepen your expertise and target more specialised roles.
Discover the Bachelor in Business
Discover the MSc in Banking and Business Account Management
Frequently asked questions
- Is "banker" really a job title?
Banker is above all a term in everyday use that refers to several careers in the banking and financial sector: customer adviser, business account manager or wealth management adviser. Each corresponds to different tasks, skills and levels of responsibility.
- What is the difference between a customer adviser and a business account manager?
The customer adviser mainly supports individuals with their banking needs: accounts, credit, savings or insurance. The corporate business account manager supports professionals or businesses with often more complex needs, such as financing a project, investment or cash-flow management.
- Can you work in a bank after a Bac+3?
Yes. With its banking specialisation, Excelia Business School's Bachelor in Business prepares you in particular for advisory roles with individual customers and lets you obtain a professional certification listed on the RNCP at level 6. This Bachelor's degree, a Bac+3, also confers the Grade de Licence.
- What is the AMF certification, and what is it for?
The AMF certification (Autorité des marchés financiers) verifies a minimum level of knowledge of the financial sector's regulatory and ethical environment, as well as financial techniques. Excelia Business School's MSc in Banking and Business Account Management prepares you for the exam that allows you to obtain it.
- Is wealth management a banking career?
Yes, in particular. The wealth management adviser supports clients in organising, growing and passing on their wealth, through wealth advisory, tax matters and financial investments. These skills can in particular be developed in a Master of Science at Excelia Business School.
