Thinking about a career in the funeral profession?
It is often said that the funeral service is a vocation rather than a job and it is easy to see why. Staff need to have varied skills and a genuine desire to offer as much help, guidance and assistance as is required by the bereaved families we are called upon to serve. Working in the funeral service is by no means an easy career option but, it will certainly be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding.
There are a wide range of jobs to choose from within the funeral service profession, including:-
- Funeral Director
- Coffin bearer
- Driver
- Embalmer
- Mortuary Assistant
- Coffin Fitter
- Funeral Administrator
- Bereavement Counsellor
- Funeral Home Manager
- Civil Funeral Celebrant
- Grave digger
- Crematorium operator
What does a Funeral Director actually do?
The role of a funeral director is incredibly varied and so every funeral director has to be multi-skilled, for example he or she must be able to:-
- Organise and conduct funerals
- Be on call 24 hours a day, every day, on a rota system
- Arrange transport for the deceased to a place of rest prior to the funeral
- Be aware of the various religious factors which may affect decisions
- Be aware of all the options available to clients and be able to advise them accordingly
- Advise on all aspects of the funeral arrangements
- Advise on what help may be available to pay funeral costs
- Office guidance on legal requirements, registration and Coroners procedures etc.
- Assist with cremation forms and legal details
- Assist clients with obituary and death notices
- Deal with floral tributes and charitable donations
- Complete all forms relating to funeral arrangements
- Submit written confirmations of funeral arrangements and estimate of all funeral costs
- Advise on all types of memorials
- Arrange and conduct visits to the chapel of rest
- Advise on pre-paid funeral plans
- Be available, often outside of office hours, to help, comfort and advise, even after the funeral is over
What qualities will I need to work in the funeral profession?
Care, compassion and the ability to absorb other peoples’ distress without if affecting you personally requires a very special personality. You will need to become accustomed to the various types of bereavement and the various stages of grief through which bereavement progresses – whilst never losing the emotional strength needed to cope with the massive range of feelings different people display as reactions vary greatly from person to person. You must accept that this is no ‘ordinary’ job with set hours of work. The funeral service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, in all weathers and in any circumstances. Death is no respecter of Bank Holidays, personal situations or private lives.
What skills and training do I need to become a funeral director?
The ability to communicate with colleagues and clients is very important and you will also need to have strong organisational skills. You’ll need to learn the find balance between necessary routine and outstanding customer service and then combine this with a caring, almost protective attitude. You will learn how to guide your clients through the emotional and traumatic experiences they are being subjected to, often for the first time in their lives.
Depending upon the role in the profession that you decide upon, there are a series of training and education programmes and qualifications available to you. The National Association of Funeral Directors offers a variety of nationally recognised courses.
This is an entry-level course leading to the Foundation Certificate in Funeral Service. It has been designed to provide an introduction to the funeral service and is suitable for:
- People wishing to enter the funeral profession
- Recent recruits to the profession
- Funeral directors wishing to study for the Diploma in Funeral Directing
Anne Beckett-Allen, a founding director of Rosedale Funeral Home is a registered tutor with the British Institute of Funeral Directors. The Institute holds a Register of Professionally Qualified Funeral Directors and has recently issued its own Licence to Practice to those members who are committed to Continuous Professional Development. Rosedale Funeral Training is proud to offer this course, which can be attained either through attending regular lessons or by studying at your own pace via distance learning. For details of the costs involved and to register your interest on a course, click here
The course is based on the Manual of Funeral Directing and the syllabus reflects best practice in funeral service, dealing with theory and practice. The course is taught by registered BIFD tutors.
Before the Diploma in Funeral Directing can be awarded, students are expected to have a comprehensive knowledge of the essential duties of a funeral director and all aspects of the role gained over a minimum of two years within the profession.
Rosedale Funeral Training is proud to offer this course, which can be attained through attending regular classes or by studying at your own pace via a combination of block lessons and distance learning. For details of the costs involved and to register your interest on a course, click here.
This is an entry level vocational qualification designed for Funeral Assistants and Funeral Operatives, Drivers and Bearers.
This vocational qualification is designed for people working as Funeral Arrangers and Administrators.
Rosedale Funeral Training has two in house Vocational Qualification Asssessors, Andy Free and Anne Beckett-Allen, both qualified Funeral Directors with many years of experience. We are able to assess our own staff in house, and welcome enquiries from other funeral directing firms who would like us to assess their candidates. We are also happy to provide work experience placements for those who need require experience within the profession.
This course is designed for people with supervisory responsibilities. In order to study for the Diploma in Funeral Service Management a candidate must either hold the Diploma in Funeral Directing or be a full member of the British Institute of Funeral Directors.
Other Courses
Embalmer Training
The British Institute of Embalmers offers a comprehensive training programme comprising both theory and practical examinations. For more details contact http://www.bioe.co.uk/
Civil Funeral Celebrants
Being a Civil Funeral Celebrant involves meeting with bereaved families, usually at home, to develop a funeral to be held at local crematoria and burial grounds. Each funeral ceremony is composed around a personal, accurate tribute to the life of the deceased. Training for the role of a Civil Funeral Celebrant requires attendance on a 4 day training course that is externally accredited by the Open College Network at Level 3.
For more information go to http://www.iocf.org.uk/training.htm
Bereavement Counsellors
It is important that funeral professionals are trained in bereavement care. At Rosedale, all our funeral directors are fully trained and have many years of expereicne in dealing with the bereaved. We also employ two fully qualified bereavement counsellors. If you are interested in persuing a career in bereavement counselling, a good place to start would be with Cruse or The Society of Bereavement Practitioners who have introduced a wide range of bereavement care training workshops.
Cruse is a charity which:
- Offers free information and advice to anyone who has been affected by a death
- Provides advice and support to bereaved people, one to one and in groups
- Offers education, support, information and publications to those supporting bereaved people
- Increases public awareness of the needs of bereaved people through campaigning and information.
Cruse are always looking for bereavement volunteers. All volunteers must first complete Cruse Awareness in Bereavement Care, a course requiring 60 hours of study before they are able to work with and for bereaved people.
The first step to becoming a volunteer:
Filling in a volunteer application form and sending it to Cruse Central Office (address on the form) will give them the information to get you started on volunteering with Cruse. This will be sent to your local area or branch of Cruse, where you would be working. Alternatively, contact your local branch direct; please click here for a list of branches. Please click here for a list of upcoming training courses for volunteers.
If you are interested in the funeral profession as a career, you may be interested in attending a one day introductory course, led by a BIFD registered tutor and an NAFD VQ Asssessor. The course would give you an insight into the different career paths available to you and an opportunity to look deeper into the work of the funeral director. Courses cost £45 per peson and run according to demand. If you are interested in attending, please let us know
Career histories
 |
|
My name is Brian Wilson and I have been employed at Rosedale Funeral Home as a Funeral Assistant since 2008.
I have received a substantial amount of training and my duties include the following:-
- Coffin Preparation
- Care of the deceased
- Out of hours duties – this usually involves bring the deceased into the care of Rosedale, but may also include showing relatives into the chapel of rest, interring cremated remains, or simply offering advice over the telephone
- Bearing and driving on funeral services
I have just completed my Advanced Certificate in Funeral Service and I found the whole experience very interesting and have learned a lot from it. Until you actually do the job you don’t realise what is involved, but I thoroughly enjoy every minute of it. |
|
|
