What Is a Funeral Home Assistant?
Funeral homes serve as places to prepare bodies for burial or cremation and as a gathering place for friends and family to pay their respects. The daily operations of funeral homes require the efforts of a team of professionals, including funeral home assistants.
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Function
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Sometimes called attendants, funeral assistants perform routine tasks so funeral directors can spend more time with mourners. Funeral directors also have licenses to prepare bodies.
Types of Duties
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Funeral home assistants might transport bodies to or from the funeral home in a hearse, carry the casket during funeral services, assist the funeral director with embalming or cremation and set up visitation rooms and chapels prior to viewings or services. Assistants might also stand at the door of the funeral home to greet visitors and direct them to the appropriate room within the funeral home.
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Variations
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In some funeral homes, assistants might clean the facility or dispose of flowers not taken by the family after a visitation. Others might help family members pick out caskets or urns, which involves explaining the benefits and features of the products sold by the funeral home and answering questions as needed.
Education
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Although there is no formal education program designed for funeral home assistants, most employers prefer to hire assistants who have at least a high school diploma or GED.
Compensation
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As of May 2008, the average annual salary for funeral home assistants was $23,270, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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