What skills do funeral directors need?
Being a funeral director requires a wide range of different talents and abilities. In addition to the skills required to do the work itself, many funeral directors own their own businesses and often are family-run companies. They need to understand how to run a small business, including areas of finance, personnel and general management. Many funeral directors work their way through the company, as a sort of apprenticeship. This plays a key part in understanding the nature of the business, and its various demands on everyone who works for it.
Role of a funeral director
A funeral director needs to be able to combine being able to act in a serious and dignified manner with a commitment to detail and excellent organisational skills. They need to be able to feel comfortable dealing with people who have suffered a bereavement, sometimes in fairly terrible conditions. Being able to understand and empathise with someone's sense of loss is really important.
This process can often start with removing the deceased from someone's house to the funeral home itself. Here the person will be kept until the funeral. This can often involve embalming, as well as preparation for a private viewing before the funeral takes place. The funeral director needs to be able to oversee all of this being done and make sure that the family of the loved one remain reassured at all times.
In addition, the funeral director will need to take care of all the paperwork. This includes all the legal documents and notifications that need to be filled in.
Arranging the funeral
The most important skill that a funeral director needs is in many ways to be able to navigate the requests of the family of the deceased. They may have a pre-paid funeral plan, which will provide a framework for what type of service will take place.
If not, then cost may be an issue, depending upon the wishes of the deceased or the family. A funeral director will also have to negotiate in a number of sensitive areas. There may be disagreements within the family about planning the funeral.
Different faiths and religions
A funeral director needs to know about different faiths requirements. These normally relate to issues about death, burial and cremations. The family may need to be reassured that the funeral director understands their faith tradition.
A funeral director needs to be aware that any bereavement can sometimes inflame family tensions. These may have existed before the person passed away. These tensions may surface at any time. They may well have an impact on both the planning and carrying out of the funeral.
It may fall to the funeral director to have to manage very sensitive and distressing situations. This can often happen on the day of the funeral itself. This will require a great deal of tact and patience. Speak to a funeral director for more information.
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