Funeral Service is a Rewarding Career

If you are compassionate, sensitive to the needs and emotions of others and have a strong desire to help people, then becoming a funeral director might be an excellent career choice for you. There is always a need for well trained, qualified funeral service professionals.

There are emotional and spiritual rewards for those who choose funeral service as a career as well as approval from the community. According to a Gallop Poll of consumers, funeral directors are ranked among the top ten most trusted professionals. Families rely on funeral directors for quiet support during times of emotional stress and advice on end-of-life issues. It is an honorable and vital profession that provides a needed service, which comes at one of the most difficult times in a person’s life.

Funeral service is a career choice that appeals to men and women alike. In fact, more and more women are entering funeral service. If you are considering a career in funeral service, speak with several funeral directors in your neighborhood who will be happy to answer any questions you have.

What it takes

• Patience
• Caring
• Attention-to-detail
• Self-motivation
• Reliability
• Flexibility
• Understanding, especially during highly emotional times
• A desire to help others

• Care for the deceased
  • Coordinates transfer of the deceased from place of death.
  • Cares for and prepares the decedent to allow for viewing, services, and/or final disposition.
  • Schedules and coordinates arrangements for the final disposition (burial, cremation, donation).
• Support for the family of the deceased
  • Provides compassionate support to families immediately following death.
  • Meets with families to plan personalized funeral ceremonies for the deceased.
  • Guides survivors in writing the obituary.
  • Locates information for legal documents, death certificates and required forms.
  • Arranges details, manages logistics, and directs the funeral ceremonies.
  • Provides support and resources to the bereaved.
• Community Education & Preplanning
  • Educates the community about death and bereavement.
  • Encourages individuals and families to plan funerals in advance.

Transferring Ashes Into Urns and Keepsakes

Proper Flag Folding Technique

MYTH: What we do is scary.
FACT: What we do is rewarding. We help people on their saddest days as they say goodbye to someone they love.

MYTH: You must have family who is in the business to get a job.
FACT: The majority of people joining the workforce of funeral service have no family relationship to the profession.

MYTH: We will always have a job.
FACT: Just like any job, we must act professionally and ethically. Sure, while deaths will always occur, a family will not choose to work with a particular funeral home if they do not treat their customers well. In fact, many funeral homes and directors are closing or losing their job because they do not provide the level of service needed.

MYTH: Funeral directors drive fancy cars and wear fancy clothes because they make so much money.
FACT: Traditionally, funeral directors dress and drive “the best” as a way to show respect for someone’s final goodbye.

MYTH: The deceased sit up. Funeral directors deal with ghosts all the time.
FACT: That has never happened to us.

MYTH: Funeral directors work short hours (calling hours are for 2-4 hour blocks of time and a funeral service is only an hour or two.
FACT: Funeral directors work long, strange hours. We often work holidays, birthdays, during family parties. We work whenever a family needs us to help.

MYTH: Every funeral director is the same.
FACT: Funeral directors are as unique as the families and communities they serve. Some funeral directors and funeral homes specialize in certain faiths and/or cultural traditions.

MYTH: Funeral directors are “numb” to death.
FACT: Funeral directors are humans, too. And they sometimes cry.

MYTH: Every funeral is the same.
FACT: Funerals today most often reflect the life of the person who died. From the music that is played, to the tributes offered, the funeral is a way to tell a person’s life story.