Funeral director
Career outlook for funeral director
UK Salary Ranges
Entry-level
£20,000
£20,000
Experienced
£27,000
£27,000
Currently employed in Scotland
1,600
Salary information is provided by the "National Careers Service". "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.
What's it like?
You would help bereaved families with the arrangements for funerals. You’d give people advice and support at a distressing time.
You’d talk with the family of the deceased person, make the funeral arrangements and help them complete the legal requirements for the burial or cremation. You’d need to be able to deal sensitively with people who are distressed.
You’d arrange for the body of the deceased to be kept at your funeral home or another location – the place of rest – before the funeral.
You would:
- Take details from relatives or friends of the deceased
- Transfer the body to the place of rest before the funeral
- Give advice and arrange details of the funeral
- Arrange the date and time of the funeral with the church, cemetery or crematorium
- Organise flowers, transport and death notices in the newspapers
- Advise on legal requirements and help people complete the paperwork
- Prepare the body for burial or cremation
- Arrange for friends and relatives to visit the place of rest
- Receive floral tributes and donations to charity
- Advise on types of memorials, such as headstones
You would travel in the hearse to the funeral and make sure that everything runs smoothly during the ceremony.
You may also give people advice about coroners' procedures if necessary.
Working conditions
Hours
Environment
Travel
UK employment status
Full-time
50%
Part-time
34%
Self employed
17%
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Find a jobTop skills
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- Positive attitude
- Ethical
- Time management
- Developing a plan
- Attention to detail
- Listening
- Verbal communication
- Written communication
- Supporting
- Empathising
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Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Qualifications
The normal route is to enter the industry as a funeral service operative. You may start as a funeral service arranger and administrator then progress while on the job.
There are no set qualifications to become an operative, however some employers prefer entrants to have some National 4/5 qualifications (SCQF level 4/5).
Useful subjects
- English
- Maths
- Business subjects
- Administration subjects
- Religious, moral and philosophical studies
You will also need
To be physically fit
Helpful to have
A full clean driving licence
National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) offers an online course in Funeral Service Awareness which leads to the Certificate of Training.
Once in the job you may be able to take a NAFD National Certificate in Funeral Arranging and Administration.