If you always wanted to be one of the funeral directors in Kendall, FL, then here is all the pertinent information you need for that.
Let’s start with the most important question, what exactly does a funeral director do?
From planning the funeral to handling the body for embalming, the job of a funeral director is varied depending on his or her qualification. The common jobs include:
- Making obituary notices.
- Handling the logistics and other details of the funeral while coordinating with the family members of the deceased person.
- Preparing the schedule for burials, memorial services, wakes, and other related funeral services.
- Arranging for flowers, transportation of the deceased person’s body, transportation of the deceased person.
- Preparing the sites for various services.
- If the burial is out of state, prepare and arrange the shipment of the body.
The next important thing to know is of course the salary a funeral director gets. Funeral directors are full-time workers and their working hours are often long and not strictly 9 to 5. As for the salary, it will depend on the qualification, experience, and where the funeral home is located. On average, a funeral director can earn anything between $48,000 to $72,000 per year.
If this sounds exciting to you, here are the requirements for being a funeral director.
- Associate Degree
The minimum educational qualification one needs to become a funeral director is an associate degree. You can obtain one from any college that has accreditation from the American Board of Funeral Service Education. There are over 50 programs in this field that have accreditation from this board for you to choose from; most states require that you have a degree from an accredited college. The field is called mortuary science and along with it, you will have classes in microbiology, chemistry, professional ethics, embalming, pathology, and other related fields. Parts of psychology like grief handling as well as learning about mortuary law are also included. The courses last anywhere between two to four years depending on how many subjects you have chosen. As for preparing yourself, make sure your high school subjects include chemistry, biology, and public speaking. You can even work part-time in your nearest funeral home to prepare for your future career.
- Apprenticeship
Once your educational course is done, then you have to do an apprenticeship of a minimum of 1 year to maximum of 3 years as per ABFSE guidelines. This apprenticeship can be done while pursuing your course, before or after, depending on which state you live in. You will be working under an experienced mortician and funeral director which will prepare you for your job.
- State license
Once your apprenticeship and degree are over, you can apply for a state license to become funeral directors in Kendall, FL. The age requirement is a minimum of 21 and depending on the state, you may have to take a different license for embalming along with your license for being a funeral director. The subjects you will be tested on include funeral service merchandise, psychology, embalming, funeral service history, and more.
Once you get the license, you can send out your resume to become a funeral director.