Funeral Director or Embalmer

Funeral directors make funeral arrangements, for a burial or cremation service. They do as much as they can to help their clients at a difficult time.

Embalmers prepare the body for burial. Some funeral directors also carry out embalming.

The Work

Funeral Director

You could be:

• taking details of name, age and date of death and collecting the deceased person from hospital, home or other place


• meeting relatives to arrange the details of the funeral and giving advice, being aware of religious factors


• giving a written estimate for the cost of the funeral to the client


• advising on help available to pay for funeral costs


• arranging the time and date of the funeral with church, cemetery or crematorium officials


• organising transport, flowers, catering and obituary notices


• making sure legal requirements are met, helping clients with any paperwork and paying fees on the client’s behalf


• travelling in a hearse and guiding relatives through the ceremony.

• washing and sterilising the body to prevent deterioration or infection


• removing blood and gases from the body and replacing these by injecting disinfectant or preservative fluid


• restoring normal appearance after injury using wax or plaster of Paris


• doing other work to improve appearance, such as inserting eye pads, wiring the jaw to keep it closed, shaving men, washing and arranging hair and applying cosmetics.

Conditions

• As a funeral director you would spend a lot of time with clients who are distressed and in need of support.


• You would work in an office, but often travel to meet clients and to arrange and attend funerals.


• You would be outside in all weathers when attending funerals.


• Working hours are irregular and you would often be on-call – funeral businesses must be available 24 hours a day.


• Both jobs involve heavy lifting and standing for long periods.


• Both jobs involve dealing with bodies and with unpleasant sights and smells.


• Part time work is common.


• Embalming areas can be cold.


• Embalmers often work alone and have little contact with the public.

Getting In

• Many funeral companies are small businesses and it can be difficult to get in - even larger companies do not recruit many people.


• You do not need formal qualifications but some employers prefer entrants to have some Standard grades at general or credit level including English and maths.


• To be a funeral director you need a full clean driving licence – a driving licence is also useful to embalmers who work for more than one employer.


• You should be fit because of the heavy lifting and standing.

What Does It Take?

You need to be:

• interested in helping others


• sympathetic, caring and tactful when meeting bereaved people


• dignified and respectful


• a good listener


• able to deal with other people’s distress and the wide range of feelings people show without being affected yourself


• able to get on with people from different backgrounds and cultures


• well organised and accurate, as any mistakes could cause further distress for your client


• able to cope with handling bodies and with unpleasant sights and smells.

Training

• Training is usually on-the-job – you might start as a funeral operative doing routine work, such as driving, carrying coffins, cleaning the embalming room or collecting the deceased, and then move on to more responsible work such as helping to arrange funerals.


• You might choose to train in embalming.


• Funeral directors often study part time or by distance learning, while working, for the Foundation Certificate in Funeral Service and the Diploma in Funeral Directing – this is the recognised qualification for funeral directors and gives membership of the National Association of Funeral Directors. For entry to the Diploma, you need practical funeral directing experience. You should have personally arranged at least 25 funerals.


• Embalmers mostly train on the job and study part time towards the qualification of the British Institute of Embalmers – details are on the Institute’s website.

Getting On

• With experience, and the Diploma in Funeral Directing, you can go on to take the Diploma in Funeral Service Management, which can help you become a manager – this is usually possible only in large companies. The diploma includes the Certificate in First Line Management.


• Funeral directors may set up their own funeral services company – the Diploma can be useful for this.


• As an embalmer, you might be employed full time in a larger company or you might become self-employed and work for several companies.

Pay

Pay rates vary, depending on:

• where you work


• the size of company you work for


• the demand for the job.

More Information

Addresses

The following organisation(s) may be able to provide further information.