Funeral Home Workers Job Description: Duties, Knowledge and Training Requirements, Job Information
Submitted by: Cheska Davenport
Job Overview: Funeral home workers consist of funeral directors, morticians and undertakers. Persons in this industry handle all the necessary arrangements for funeral and burial services of the deceased based on the family’s wishes. Their job begins by taking the body to the funeral home, securing the necessary documents and papers, embalming the body and organizing the service and burial ceremonies. They are usually found in funeral homes and provide various service s, from merely cleaning and preserving the body of the deceased to burial or cremation operations.
Education, Knowledge and Training Required: Back then there is no educational requirement needed to become a funeral home worker, but these days various colleges and vocational schools now offer two and four-year programs in funeral service. The lessons tackled in these programs include the methods and principles of modern embalmment, fundamentals in funeral customs, terminologies and public health laws, as well as laboratory training. Graduates of these courses may enter the job as apprentices in which they will receive on-the-job training for a few months to almost three years.
Skills and Abilities: Funeral home workers should have good understanding, empathy and the desire not only to take on the duties and responsibilities of their work, but also to provide moral support to the family of the deceased. They should be tactful and capable of communicating with their clients, as well as remain strong, calm and confident to work on the necessary tasks of their jobs. They should also be attentive when it comes to their clients’ wishes, such as putting on cosmetics and outfits for the deceased. Undertakers should be strong and physically fit to carry caskets to the funeral service down to the burial.
Tasks: The main tasks of funeral home workers vary. Funeral directors act as overseers of the details of the funeral ceremony, interment and burial, and they are in charge of processing administrative and clerical duties, such as processing papers and death certificates, making sure that the service adheres to legal rules and regulations as well as process payments, insurances policies, pensions and funds. They also assist the family in choosing the casket, the type of funeral service, preparation of the deceased, and as well provide moral support to the family in grief.
Morticians meanwhile serve as makeup-artists and stylists of the deceased. They also work on the embalmment procedures, make sure that the cadaver is properly preserved and disinfected. Undertakers meanwhile take charge in carrying the casket from the morgue to the funeral hall, and from the hall to the place where the funeral service will be held. They also help in lowering the body to the ground during burial, or carrying the body towards the crematorium. Morticians and undertakers work under the supervision of funeral directors.
Earnings and Job Outlook: The earnings of funeral home workers vary depending on the company they work for, their own skills and experience, their level of formal education, and services performed. The median annual salary of employed funeral service workers is $47,630, but this figure may still increase or decrease depending on the area they work on.
Cheska Davenport is a career search strategist who focuses on creating power resumes and providing job search advice that aim to help individuals achieve their target goals in the job market.
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