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Business & Finance

Telephone Operators

Provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories. Assist customers with special billing requests, such as charges to a third party and credits or refunds for incorrectly dialed numbers or bad connections. May handle emergency calls and assist children or people with physical disabilities to make telephone calls.

Median salary (BLS)

$41,740

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$32k – $63k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Plan a path to Telephone Operators

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$500–$3,150

Time to qualify

1 yr

Renewal

—

  1. 1

    High school diploma or GED

    Course

    Expected by most employers; if you need the GED, test fees run $0–$150 depending on the state.

    $0–$150 · 3 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    On-the-job training

    Experience

    Employer-provided and typically paid — days to a few months for most no-degree roles.

    Cost varies · 3 months source

  3. 3

    Industry certification (optional for many roles)

    Certification

    Role-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.

    $500–$3,000 · 6 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Telephone Operators" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Telephone Operators

    Entry / Junior

    $31,510

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Telephone Operators

    Established

    $41,740

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Telephone Operators

    Senior

    $52,345

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.
  • •Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls.
  • •Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
  • •Update directory information.
  • •Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.

Fields of study

Any field

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.