A new adventure as a funeral director
| 1.8 minutes reading time
Well, how do I come to apply for a funeral director after 20 years of teaching?
Well, here's the thing: as a teacher, I've always been interested in bereavement. This was already my thesis topic at the PABO. After graduating, the interest remained and in the years that followed, I was able to continue my education as a bereavement expert. So the interest was there, but how to proceed.
In Corona time, I had, outside of teaching, time for something on the side. That's when I decided to start a new challenge; Writing a picture book for children about bereavement. With lessons and in the hope that this will be used preventively in schools for bereavement. But enough about that adventure. That will be discussed later.
How did I become a funeral director? So the interest in bereavement was already there, together with the curiosity about the world of funerals, I started sparring with someone about his own funeral company. He talked passionately about his work, including what you can do for the families and that you arrange the funeral together. It all sounded like a lot of fun, yes stupid maybe, but I like arranging and organizing, doing something for someone else, so this sounded fun to me.
"So the interest in bereavement was already there"
"So the interest in bereavement was already there"
As an exception, I was allowed to join him in the company. I was able to take a look behind the scenes of the funeral with him. I was excited!
The experience I gained there, a vacancy for a funeral director that became available and my need for something new made me dare to take the plunge and apply.
And then after several conversations.... I would have become one! I was super happy! That's crazy, you've been hired and you've never worked as a funeral director.
And then, then you're going to learn what the profession entails and what it's like to be a funeral director...
The first few weeks you will shadow a fellow funeral director. You watch how she does it. What questions are asked? How does the system we use work? In short: how do you do that; Arranging a funeral?
I can tell you from experience that there are a lot of things involved. But also, that you can arrange and organize all that well together.
And that it is indeed a very cool job: nice to make every funeral so personal that it fits exactly with the deceased and the next of kin.
In my next blog article: 'Going to a family alone for the first time...'
