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Funeral director

Alternative titles for this job include Undertaker

Funeral directors organise burials and cremations and support people who have lost a loved one.

Average salary (a year)

£20,000 Starter

to

£27,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

41 to 43 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become Funeral director

You can get into this job by doing an apprenticeship or working your way up.

Apprenticeship

You can start by taking a funeral team member intermediate apprenticeship.

Once you have one year of experience, you can do a funeral director advanced apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

Work

You could get a job at a funeral home, supporting funeral directors. You would then get experience as you learn on the job.

To do this, you usually need:

  • customer service experience
  • to use a computer well
  • administration skills

Qualifications while you work

While you work, you could take a diploma in funeral arranging and administration or a certificate in funeral service.

As you take on more responsibilities, you could do the diploma in funeral directing or the diploma in funeral service.

More information

You can get more advice about training to work in the funeral service from the British Institute of Funeral Directors and the National Association of Funeral Directors.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • sensitivity and understanding
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • business management skills
  • the ability to understand people’s reactions
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could:

  • help families plan funerals, including the time, date and location
  • manage team members on the day of the funeral
  • organise services like flowers, transport and notices
  • explain laws about funerals and help families fill in forms
  • advise on types of memorials, like headstones

Working environment

You could work at a funeral home, at a cemetery, in an office or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

If you work for a large organisation, you could be promoted to branch, area or regional manager.

With experience and training, you could become a tutor and teach others how to become a funeral director.

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a Funeral director right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Are you interested in becoming a Funeral director?

Search for training courses near you.

Jobs In the United Kingdom

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Skills assessment

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