How Do I Become a Mortician?

Being a mortician is a fascinating career choice. Not only do you help counsel family members through a grieving time, but you also play a spiritual role in putting bodies to rest. You play a very interesting role that balances counseling with the business knowledge of running a funeral home. Maybe you have wondered on occasion, “How do I become a mortician?” If you want to become a mortician, then there are a few ways that you enter into this unique career field.

What’s it like to be a mortician?

Being a mortician is not as spooky as you may think. There are plenty of administrative and business-related tasks that you must complete on a daily basis. If you want to run a funeral home that is respected in the community, then you will need to take an active role in the local churches and community. You will need to market your funeral home in a way that is respectful. You will need to have compassion for grieving family members and be able to help them work out a payment plan during highly emotional times. One of the reasons that you may actually like the idea of being a mortician is for the ability to sympathize with the struggles of other people and being able to manage a business at the same time. Your weekly schedule may involve hosting receptions for families who have lost their loved ones. You may also meet with local church leaders to deal with very tragic situations in which a family has lost a loved one due to a car accident or murder. You may also need to tally the monthly budget for the operation of your funeral home. Being a mortician requires the ability to deal with highly emotional situations and maintain compassion and a good business sense.

Education Requirements

To become an embalmer, you may need only an associate’s degree. The degree requirements will vary depending on the state in which you plan on opening the funeral home. Obtaining a business degree can be helpful for dealing with the accounting and financial operations of a funeral home. It can be helpful for you to pursue an apprenticeship with a person who already runs his or her own funeral home. This can provide you with exposure as to the reality of operating a funeral home. You may find that operating a funeral home is not as scary as you initially once thought it may be. There may be other requirements that you should learn about in your state before you can become a mortician. You may need to be at least 21 years of age.

Salary & How to Get a Job

The typical mortician earns about $54,000 a year. You can expect to work full-time if you decide to open up your own funeral home. You may also find that you are very busy if you own a funeral home in a rural town. You can also meet with funeral directors in your community and ask whether there are any open positions available. It is better if you can gain personal contact with a funeral director in order to show him or her that you are genuinely interested in pursuing a position in this career field.

Becoming a mortician can give you the sense that you are bringing peace to your local community. It can be fulfilling to know that you are helping the local community in dealing with a tragedy. If you are a sensitive person, then you can truly be successful in helping people adapt to loss in this field.
sources:

1. http://www.ehow.com/how_8117_become-mortician.html

2. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/funeral-directors.htm