Went to my friends dads cremation this afternoon and was having a good old think look around etc and I got thinking blimey these guys do a lot of standing around/waiting and they have to look solemn all the time either they find it really easy or really hard…

so who here is an undertaker ?

Chap I went to school with became an undertaker many years ago after going travelling for a year and coming back to find that his old job as a junior manager in a bank was a bit hollow. When I asked him about his job he said it was the most rewarding decision he had ever made. He loved working with people and helping them through a very difficult time in their lives.

He was a really cheerful bloke. I’ve moved away from the area but I can still remember getting a big grin and a thumbs up from him whenever he was driving past me in the ‘private ambulance’.

A work colleague of mine has his own funeral business which he runs when he’s not a (part time) prison officer. He’s a great bloke & a good laugh at our place & I’d imagine he’s a good undertaker too. I’d like him to ‘sort me out’ when necessary!

I think we’ve got an eater!

A work colleague of mine has his own funeral business which he runs when he’s not a (part time) prison officer.

Hows that work then ? Does he only bury half the body 😀

Mate at school went into the family firm. It’s not a job for everyone, but as above if you are the type it would suit then helping people through bereavement in a kind and conscientious way would be quite a rewarding job.

He has plenty of good stories too; people falling into graves, odd last requests, and the like.

Bloke two doors down is a funeral director. Has had his drive covered in exactly the same chippings they use on graves and also has the house number on a marble stone – same stone, same font, even the same colour as a headstone 🙂

Seems OK though has a boat and an apocalypse-proof van *and* a Mondeo so he must be all right

Our family used to be undertakers,all dead now sadly,seemed a well paid job, and some intresting people you meet, and sadly some sad stories you hear,but a cheerful disposition a sence of humour and the walk and the talk also help.

There is a huge market in alternative funerals and cremations, and we all need to make plans now, as you never knnow whats round th corner.

Yep I am.

Been a funeral director for nearly 15 years now (blimey!!)

As mentioned above its a very rewarding job. Your dealing with people at possibly the lowest points of their lives when they’re stressed, angry, upset, confused and desperate. They place total trust in you, a total stranger, to advice them and help to give their loved ones the send off they deserve.

It can be a stressful and frustrating job at times and the pressure can be unbelievable on occasions whilst your still having to come across calm and collect.

Ultimately though its great. You meet lots of nice people from all walks of life, your days are always different and varied and quite frankly its a laugh!

I go to visit families, in there home. Sat in a room with maybe 5 total strangers that are all grieving but with the right approach you can be laughing and sharing stories of their loved ones as if you were part of the family. It does have its hard / rough times but these are few and far between surprisingly.

Although a very very traditional vocation the days of a solemn and grumpy old grey fella knocking on your door in a top hat are long gone. I’ve always got a smile on my face and at times feel more like a wedding planner than a funeral director!

gravitysucks – Member

Yep I am.

Gotta love this forum 8)

I’ve come to realise that there aren’t that many jobs where you get to meet all sorts of people. Just as everyone needs their teeth fixing at some point, so everyone dies eventually (and not always tyre logo/valve related) and as said above, people are interesting if you’re interested.

Was at my uncle’s funeral yesterday and thought much the same. How did you get into it gravitysucks? I assumed it is the kind of job that is passed down through the generations.

I’d be interested to know what job roles / titles are involved in the trade. Having seen decomposing corpse that’d fall apart of you so much as farted, I really don’t envy the undertakers who remove them.

Cabinet maker, joiner, upholster, beutician,mortician, councellor,accountant, driver, vehicle washer,Pall bearer, director of ceremony and many more.

Many coffins are ready made nowadays, one of the largest just down the road, along with a woodland burial site overlooking the river.

Youll never be out of work,but discretion is important, as is a sence of huumour and a tape measure

gravitysucks – please can you rejoin as hearsewhisperer ? 😀 😳

I have had a couple of customers that were undertakers over the years. I remember one had number plates on his car with the motto “Don’t fear the reaper” and little death’s head valve caps on his wheels.