Funeral Director
What the work is
Plans and coordinates arrangements for funerals according to the wishes of the deceased or their relatives.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Consults with family or friends of the deceased to determine their wishes for the funeral
- Provides guidance and support in making funeral arrangements
- Coordinates with relevant parties, such as cemeteries, crematoriums and clergy, to arrange burial or cremation
- Schedules funeral services and speakers
- Arranges for the purchase of caskets, urns and other funeral merchandise
- Organises transportation of the deceased's body to the funeral location
- Oversees the setup and decoration of the funeral venue
- Provides support and comfort to grieving family members and friends
- May prepare the deceased for viewing or burial
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a family-run funeral home and the gardens where celebrants hold ceremonies, in a fictional town. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A family tells you the service was exactly how their father would have wanted it
- A wedding in a park comes together with sunshine, laughter and a couple who are visibly happy
- You find the right words for a family who could not find any of their own
Hard days
- Sitting with a family on the worst day of their year
- Being on call at night, on weekends and on holidays when others are celebrating
- Two relatives disagreeing about the service, with you caught in the middle
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 461332, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.