Strange Question, but - Is Anyone in the Funeral Services Career?

Why not try voluteering at one of your local Funeral Homes? Explain to them your interest in the field and perhaps one of them would be willing to show you the inside of the business. I have a very good friend that works in the business. She is amazing. She took care of my cousin and my mom when it was time. She has such compassion and a passion for the business and the people that survive the death of a loved one.

Also may want to consider looking into perhaps becoming a hospice care volunteer or counselor. Hospice is an end of life, pain management facility. They help the terminally ill and their families cope. They are absolutely amazing and compassionate.

Err, well, my ex's family owns a chain of funeral homes. It is an odd business, odd in the sense that it is not what people think.

Small towns have small family owned funeral homes. They hire embalmers, not directors, what you seem to be speaking of is a mortician which is both. Not much call for them anywhere.

My ex is a director, my son will be a director come October. They could work their whole lives never setting foot in the embalming room.

Embalmers will never make funeral arrangements. They are trained and licences in embalming, there is no reason in a larger funeral home for the expense and training to be a director.

So that is kind of an overview.

Most larger chain funeral homes are no longer family owned and operated, they will hire, they will pay you beans. Considering around here there is no education involved in becoming a director other than finding a home that will allow you to apprentice, there is no value, they are sales people and paid as such.

My ex's family obviously owns the funeral homes. They want the best employees and they pay for that. Their directors are paid well. They are not hiring, they are never hiring. Most people fill the jobs by word of mouth and nearly everyone retires from there. Obviously the family runs the place.

Small funeral homes are almost always ran by the family that owns them so they don't hire either.

What I am saying is other than embalming there really isn't a lot of hiring going on in the field.

So far as the personality of someone in that business, I will use my son because frankly of that family he is the only normal one. :) Very compassionate very strange sense of humor. I mention the humor because that is probably the most important skill for that biz. It is not that you do stand up for the families it is that you have such a level of sobriety when working with the family that you must be able to blow it off. We have some 25 directors, they could all do stand up as a side business.

It is an odd field, my son is perfect for it. Poor lad. :-/

So far as pursuing it, contact funeral homes in your area and see what the market is. If it isn't there there is no point.

Oh yeah, and me, I hate funeral homes. I cannot be appropriately somber. Yet I lived above one of the locations for four years. The first four years of said child's life, perhaps that is why he is soooo good at it. He has also worked there since he was 14.

I have not and could not...but the one we worked with when my mom died was amazing and the whole process was so calming with her. I still think of her, J., to this day and the impact she made in my life just by being so supportive and caring those few days. Of course we let her know after as I sent her a heartfelt card.

I think it's a wonderful profession and know that people are called to do this.

I think there is a need for caring people in this field whether it's the embalming or the director. I didn't do it but family members did and have and they were more into the director end and meeting the families although I knew the embalmers too. I would just check and be sure there are opportunities for jobs in this area, what they pay, etc. It's a fascinating field and we will always have a need for funeral jobs.

My stepfather has worked for a local funeral home (part of a very large company) part time for many years. He is a driver. He loves to drive, he loves wearing a suit.

He tried working selling services and plots,, etc.. but he is very hard of hearing and that did not work well. He has driven across the state to pick up a "client" and then driven them here to Austin. He loves those trips cause he does not have to entertain the client.. Hee, hee..

I had thought about selling services. I can sell anything to anyone, but I decided the hours were too much for me.