IS FUNERAL DIRECTING FOR YOU?

Are you interested in:

  • Helping Others?
  • The Human Biological Sciences?
  • Community Involvement?
  • A Business Environment?

A Funeral Service Professional:

  • Works with the bereaved, providing sensitive, effective intervention during a time of emotional need.
  • Is a professional caregiver who enables families and communities to express their concern for life and the living.
  • Is a motivated man or woman who practises a unique vocation and who is legally required to possess certain professional qualifications.
  • Is involved in a variety of activities within the community.
  • Carries out administrative and logistical tasks required by law, custom and accepted practise.

Duties and responsibilities of a funeral service professional:

  • Provides support to the bereaved during initial stages of their grief.
  • Arranges and directs funeral ceremonies.
  • Arranges for removal of the deceased from the place of death.
  • Prepares the body according to the wishes of the survivors and requirements of the law.
  • Secures information for legal documents.
  • Files death certificates and other legal papers.
  • Assists survivors with details for filing claims for death benefits.
  • Helps individuals adapt to changes in their lives following a death through post-death counselling and support group activities.

Why should you enter funeral service?

  • You are a caregiver who desires to serve others.
  • You believe that ceremony is an effective means of expressing feelings and meeting needs.
  • You are tolerant of ways in which people of different faiths and cultures express their feelings and practise their beliefs.
  • You are interested in the technical sciences.
  • You exhibit sensitivity and compassion for those with whom you are in contact.
  • You are interested in learning all aspects of a business.

Educational Requirements

The following is a summary of basic educational requirements for most states. Please contact the funeral service college of your choice for specific education guidelines.

  • A high school diploma or equivalent.
  • Passing a provincial board licensing examination.
  • An internship or apprenticeship ranging from one to three years.
  • Many provinces require that funeral directors meet continuing education requirements to maintain licensure.

The funeral service curriculum, approved by the includes courses in:

  • Public Health and Technical Area - microbiology, anatomy, chemistry, pathology, restorative art and embalming.
  • Business Management Area - business management, funeral arranging, funeral merchandising, funeral home management, computer applications, Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule and accounting.
  • Social Science Area - sociology of funeral service, psychology of grief, funeral directing, history of funeral service, communication skills and counselling.
  • Legal, Regulatory and Ethical Area - business law, funeral service law and regulation and professional ethics.

Career opportunities

With over 1000 funeral homes in Canada, there is always a need for well trained funeral service professionals.

6-14845 Yonge Street, Suite 192 | Aurora, ON L4G-6H8 | Phone: 905-841-7779 | Fax: 905-841-0997 | Email: info@fsac.ca