Funeral directing is an important but often misunderstood profession. Requiring a variety of skills, funeral directors are the ultimate all-rounders.
While some might people think that making funeral arrangements is straightforward, there is far more that goes on behind the scenes than most people realise.
What Does A Funeral Director Do?
A Funeral Director takes care of all the logistics required for a funeral and burial/cremation to take place. From the transportation of the body to the permits and permissions required for cremation, a Funeral Director does it all. Just some of the tasks a Funeral Director performs include:
- Transporting and storing the body appropriately
- Collecting medical certificates and registering the death
- Embalming the body for burial
- Providing advice on coffins, urns, death notices and eulogies
- Arranging a viewing of the deceased if requested
- Booking the church if required
- Supplying funeral vehicles
- Organising flowers and music for the service
In essence, a funeral director takes care of all the details, so you don’t have to worry about them. They can help you with as many or as little of the arrangements as you would like.
Things You Might Not Know About Funeral Directors
They Are Good At Science, Business & Art
While some funeral directors focus more on the organisational side of the business, most funeral directors work in small (often family-run) businesses and need to know how to liaise with families, coordinate a service, advise on burial products, supervise cremations & burials, as well as how to embalm a body. Making a body look natural and peaceful isn’t easy and comes with the added pressure of meeting the expectations of families.
They Work Irregular Hours
If you want to go into the funeral industry, don’t expect to work 9-5. Funeral directors work long hours including evenings and weekends. You will likely be on an on-call schedule, ready to pick up bodies from hospitals and homes, whenever and wherever you are needed. Just like birth, death doesn’t run to a schedule.
They Don’t Always Feel Sad
A funeral director’s job can be physically and emotionally demanding, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of laughter. A lot of families like to tell funny stories about their loved one, and there are occasions, usually with pre-planned funerals, where the deceased has made a humorous or outrageous request. Of course, there are times where the situation is just so devastating that it is impossible not to feel sad, but an ability to remain calm and composed is also part of the funeral director’s skillset.
They Enjoy Their Work
You might think that being around death all the time might make funeral directors morose. However, most feel an immense sense of satisfaction with their work. Helping people through an extremely difficult time is rewarding work and makes all the difficult tasks worthwhile.
