Occupation

Funeral Attendants

Human Advantage 67%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
4.5 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

Perform a variety of tasks during funeral, such as placing casket in parlor or chapel prior to service, arranging floral offerings or lights around casket, directing or escorting mourners, closing casket, and issuing and storing funeral equipment.

Also Known As: Cemetery Services Specialist, Embalmer Apprentice, Funeral Assistant, Funeral Associate, Funeral Attendant, Funeral Director, Funeral Greeter, Funeral Home Assistant +9 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Greet people at the funeral home.
  2. Perform a variety of tasks during funerals to assist funeral directors and to ensure that services run smoothly and as planned.
  3. Close caskets at appropriate point in services.
  4. Direct or escort mourners to parlors or chapels in which wakes or funerals are being held.
  5. Place caskets in parlors or chapels prior to wakes or funerals.
  6. Offer assistance to mourners as they enter or exit limousines.
  7. Clean funeral parlors or chapels.
  8. Arrange floral offerings or lights around caskets.
  9. Clean and drive funeral vehicles, such as cars or hearses, in funeral processions.
  10. Act as pallbearers.
  11. Supervise funeral processions and assist with cemetery parking.
  12. Deliver floral arrangements or other items to family members of the deceased.
  13. Carry flowers to hearses or limousines for transportation to places of interment.
  14. Perform general maintenance tasks for funeral homes, such as maintaining equipment or caring for funeral grounds.
  15. Issue and store funeral equipment.
  16. Provide advice to mourners on how to make charitable donations in honor of the deceased.

Supplemental Tasks (8)

  1. Embalm, dress, cosmeticize, and casket the deceased.
  2. Prepare obituaries for newspapers.
  3. Obtain burial permits and register deaths.
  4. Transport the deceased to the funeral home.
  5. Obtain doctors' signatures on death certificate and complete other paperwork, such as insurance claims forms.
  6. Assist with cremations and the processing and packaging of cremated remains.
  7. Attend to the needs of the bereaved, such as by offering comfort, counseling, or after-care programs.
  8. Perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls.

Education & Training

Job Zone 2 Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Education: These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Experience: Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
47%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
22%
Some College Courses
13%
Bachelor's Degree
9%
Less than a High School Diploma
7%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.
2%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Word

Software (5)

  • Bookkeeping software
  • iCIMS Talent Cloud software

Tools & Equipment (21)

  • Body bridges
  • Casket carriages
  • Casket lowering devices
  • Compaction tampers
  • Cremation stands
  • Dump trailers
  • Funeral church trucks
  • Hearses
  • Mausoleum lifts
  • Monument lifts
  • Mortuary bier pins
  • Mortuary cots
  • Mortuary dressing tables
  • Mortuary lift systems
  • Mortuary operating tables
  • Mortuary roller systems
  • Mortuary vans
  • Numbering machines
  • Pallbearer casket carriages
  • Passenger vehicles
  • Vault lowering devices

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Physical Health Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 2
Funeral Attendants You are here
Zone 3
Embalmers 93% match
Zone 4
Critical Care Nurses 77% match
Zone 5
Dentists, General 78% match

Resume Builder

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Related Occupations

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