what does it mean to be a funeral director

A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician

(American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites.

Full Answer

What are the skills needed to become a funeral director?

• Be 21 years old
• Complete 2 years in an ABFSE funeral service or mortuary science program, and pass a national board exam
• Serve an internship lasting 1 to 3 years

What are the advantages of being a funeral director?

The Rewards of Being a Funeral Director

• Values. You are an teacher of more than just the sport; you teach values to make a positive impact in the future of your team members.
• The Extra Mile. As a good coach, you go the extra mile and deserve respect. ...
• Education. ...
• Enrichment. ...
• 2016 Salary Information for Coaches and Scouts

What to expect from a funeral director?

● When you arrive, you will be greeted warmly by our funeral director. He or she will do their best to make you feel comfortable and at ease during the meeting. This person will also give you a list of pricing for services, caskets and anything else you may inquire about.

What are the job duties of a funeral director?

Funeral Director Responsibilities

• Manage subordinates, facilities and MSDS files.
• Manage business office including filing paperwork, supply management and insurance paperwork.
• Maintain protocol and necessary paperwork for OSHA mandate Bio-Hazardous waste removal.
• Compose and produce obituaries, memorial cards and DVD tributes.

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What is the most difficult part of being a funeral director?

Funeral directors that do a good job will often immerse themselves into the families situation and even make it harder on their own emotions. The constant exposure to death and unfortunate circumstances numbs the feelings. Depersonalization and lack of empathy can occur and scare off friends and family.

What qualities do you need to be a funeral director?

A good funeral director needs to keep everything organized while a funeral is being planned out. If they're not able to keep things together, it could lead to issues down the line during funeral services. As a funeral director, you need to be great at both talking and listening.

What exactly does a funeral director do?

Morticians and funeral arrangers (also known as funeral directors or, historically, undertakers) plan the details of a funeral. They often prepare obituaries and arrange for pallbearers and clergy services. If a burial is chosen, they schedule the opening and closing of a grave with a representative of the cemetery.

Is funeral director a hard job?

The truth is that funeral directors and morticians have a career that requires much compassion, counseling, support, planning, and organization. It is a highly people-oriented profession with a focus on helping others during some of the most challenging moments of their lives.

How does a funeral director prepare a body?

If you do not opt for embalming, the funeral director can prepare your loved one's body for a viewing before their funeral following many of the same steps – washing the person's body, setting their features, brushing their hair and dressing them. The person's body will be kept refrigerated in between viewings.

What is the most important role of a funeral director?

A funeral director has many responsibilities, but their main role is to provide compassionate support to the bereaved family members and arrange a good funeral according to their wishes.

What funeral directors do with bodies?

Services provided by funeral directors the care of the person who has died until the funeral. This will include washing and dressing the person who has died and laying the body out, but will not include embalming. providing a hearse to take the body to the nearest crematorium or burial ground.

Do funeral directors have days off?

I also get 20 days of “Paid Time Off” which is nice. Although it may seem like my only job is to stand around and chat with people during a visitation, the truth is that by the time you see me there, all of the hard work has already been done.

Do funeral directors wash the body?

They will also wash the body of the person who's died, making sure it's clean of any blood or bodily fluids.

Can funeral directors have tattoos?

“I always make sure my tattoos are covered up when I go into a funeral home because you don't want to offend anybody. There are lots of funeral directors that have tattoos, and they have to do the same thing. It's just the way it is right now.” It's a lot of work, but it's a job Castro loves.

Is becoming a funeral director worth it?

Many people who study mortuary science go on to become funeral directors. This is a highly rewarding job for many who enjoy being able to work closely with people to honor their last wishes, provide grief services, and plan life celebrations. But there are also other career paths available with this degree.

What is the highest paying job in the funeral industry?

High Paying Funeral Professional JobsFuneral Director. Salary range: $44,500-$59,000 per year. ... Embalmer. Salary range: $39,000-$55,000 per year. ... Funeral Arranger. Salary range: $34,500-$44,500 per year. ... Crematory Operator. Salary range: $31,000-$38,000 per year. ... Funeral Attendant. ... Cemetery Caretaker.

What skills do you need to be a funeral attendant?

Funeral Attendant Requirements:High school diploma or GED.Extensive knowledge of religious, cultural, and custom burial practices.Ability to lift at least 75 pounds.Valid driver's license.Availability to work nights, weekends, and holidays and to be on call.Attention to detail and excellent communication skills.More items...

What skills are needed in a funeral Parlour?

Some of the necessary funeral director skills have to do with the technical knowledge needed on a day-to-day basis, but the most important virtues are those related to the psychological and emotional management involved in offering a good service to people who are grieving the death of a loved one.

What kind of skills do morticians need?

Most Important Skills for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral DirectorsBeing Aware of Others—Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.Coordinating with Others—Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.More items...

What makes a good funeral assistant?

Empathy: Because funeral planning is stressful for family members, funeral attendants need to be empathetic and understand the various feelings that families may be experiencing. Ultimately, the ability to be empathetic allows a funeral attendant to better meet the needs of the deceased's family and friends.

What is a Funeral Director?

A funeral director, also frequently called a mortician or undertaker, manages a funeral home, arranges the details of a funeral, and gives much needed sympathy and compassion to the loved ones of the deceased.

What is embalming in funerals?

In many settings, funeral directors embalm the deceased. Embalming is a sanitary and cosmetic process through which the body is prepared for burial, usually in a casket.

How long does it take to arrange a funeral?

Funeral directors need to arrange the many details of a funeral within 24 to 72 hours of death, therefore work schedules often include evenings and weekends. Administrative duties include keeping records of expenses and services, preparing invoices, submitting reports for unemployment insurance, and preparing tax forms.

How much does a funeral director make?

Funeral director salary. The average salary for funeral directors in the United States is around $54,150 per year. Salaries typically start from $29,370 and go up to $89,880. Read about Funeral director salary.

What is the personality of a funeral director?

They tend to be enterprising individuals, which means they’re adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic. They are dominant, persuasive, and motivational.

What are the administrative duties of a government agency?

Administrative duties include keeping records of expenses and services, preparing invoices, submitting reports for unemployment insurance, and preparing tax forms.

Who can help with funeral arrangements?

Although family members or others may handle some details, funeral directors must be able to assist family members in preparing obituary notices and arranging for pallbearers (people who carry the coffin) and clergy. They may decorate and prepare the sites of services, arrange for flowers, and provide transportation for the deceased and mourners.

What Does a Funeral Director Actually Do?

This quiet presence is usually seen wearing professional attire, greeting guests with sensitivity and respect for the family and friends who are also grieving their loss. What guests do not realize, however, is that the job entails so much more than being in a suit.

What is embalming a body?

Embalming is a temporary, cosmetic preservation process through which the body is prepared for viewing by family and friends at the funeral service. This requires a mix of art and science.

What is mortuary science?

Mortuary science is not just about the study of the deceased. It is the study of everything that happens within the funeral home and funeral services. Prospective funeral directors must study embalming, business management, and service work all together, as they pertain to post-mortem events. They even sometimes write obituaries for local publications. Because of this all-encompassing role, the field of mortuary science requires a very special person to pursue a career in this line of work.

How much do funeral directors make?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), these professionals earn an average salary of nearly $60K per year. Additionally, roughly 4,000 job openings will become available for funeral service workers each year for the rest of the decade.

What is a mortician?

Morticians – also known as funeral directors – play a vital role in our culture and the greater cycle of life. However, there are many misconceptions around this career path. As a result, you may be wondering, “What is it like to be a funeral director today?”

What does it mean to be a funeral director?

Being a funeral director means that you are overseeing everything that comes with the final services for a person who has died. Aside from the business, scientific, and logistic aspects of the job, there is a great responsibility of the funeral director to guide and assist the family coping with their loss. You are serving as a temporary support system for a family in grief. You are their confidant, and, in many ways, a counselor to families planning the service to honor their loved one. This is an important part of the funeral director’s job, and it requires empathy and understanding. Anyone who enjoys working with people and helping them through times of need would appreciate the great reward that a career in funeral service can offer.

What do funeral directors do when a family opts for cremation?

If a family opts for cremation, they coordinate the process with the crematory. They also arrange the shipment of bodies for final disposition.

What is the purpose of a funeral director meeting with the family?

During this time, the funeral director can get to know the family and educate them on how to plan a healing and meaningful service.

What is the purpose of staying informed on funeral policies?

Stay informed on any policies, regulations, or laws to ensure that funeral service operations are in compliance

What is a funeral director?

Funeral directors are event planners, caregivers, and administrators. Often, they are also embalmers, caring for a loved one’s body. In many ways, funeral directors are guides to families during a very confusing and difficult time. For instance, funeral directors are there to offer comfort, advice, guidance, and insight to families during ...

What to do after losing a loved one?

Assist with legal documentation. After losing a loved one, there are a lot of legal documents to complete and file with the state or federal government. However, the funeral director will take the lead on some of this documentation, ensuring that everything is taken care of as needed.

What happens if scattering is chosen?

If scattering is chosen, they will offer location options and suggestions

Do funeral directors do their own thing?

As you can see, funeral directors do quite a lot. While there may be some things you’d like to do yourself, the professionals are there to take care of you! They know exactly what is needed and can make everything a little easier.

Who oversees cremation?

If cremation is chosen, the funeral director will oversee the cremation and return the cremated remains to the family. In cases where the body must be transferred out of state, the funeral director will coordinate the transfer of the body to the final place of rest, in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.

How much does a cremation cost?

Shop around. Prices at funeral homes vary wildly, with direct cremation costing $500 at one funeral home and $3,000 down the street. (Federal law requires that prices be provided over the phone.)

What is a rental casket?

On a budget or concerned about the environment? Consider a rental casket. The body stays inside the casket in a thick cardboard container, which is then removed for burial or cremation.

Why do we remove pacemakers?

We remove pacemakers because the batteries damage our crematories.

Where do funeral homes hide caskets?

If there’s no low-cost casket in the display room, ask to see one anyway. Some funeral homes hide them in the basement or the boiler room.

Is embalming necessary for a funeral?

Embalming isn’t necessary. Running a funeral home without a refrigerated holding room is like running a restaurant without a walk-in cooler. But many funeral homes don’t offer one because they want you to pay for the more costly option: embalming.

Do funeral homes keep their original name?

It might be wise to check out just who owns your local funeral home. Corporate chains have bought out hundreds of family-owned funeral homes in recent years, but they often keep the original name, appearance, and even some employees after a buyout. The one thing they usually do change? The prices. Stay informed by learning about these 16 things smart people do to prepare for death.

Can a funeral director say "This is the last thing you can do for your loved one"?

Never trust a funeral director who says, “This is the last thing you can do for your loved one.”