An Opportunity To Serve

There are few professions that provide an individual with a greater sense of self-worth and service to mankind than funeral service. It is a career opportunity that enables you to become a care-giver to your community. The personal rewards that come from providing guidance and compassion to people in crisis are tremendous.

Perhaps that is why so many young people are choosing funeral service for their life's work.

Perhaps it is a profession for you.

The Changing Role Of The Funeral Director

In recent years, there have been some remarkable changes in the way society thinks about death. And, the funeral director has changed during that time to meet new needs and to provide new services to the families who come to him.

Today's funeral director is a highly-trained and highly motivated care-giver for his or her community. The funeral director provides counseling on all aspects of grief and loss, offers facilities for the conduct of a meaningful service to commemorate a life, assists in meeting legal and procedural matters that must be dealt with and works with other care-givers to guide the family through the crisis.

Above all, however, the funeral director offers compassion and understanding. The funeral director must help families better understand and accept death and the grief that follows. He or she works with the family to help them mold a traumatic situation into a helpful service that assists them through the grief process.

The Rewards Of A Funeral Service Career

Salaries for funeral service employees are generally comparable with other positions requiring a similar level of education and experience. Since the vast majority of funeral homes are small businesses, there is also an opportunity to achieve ownership.

Funeral service is not, however, a "get rich" profession. While it can be very rewarding financially, the emotional rewards are immeasurable.

Funeral Service Education And Training

In Kentucky, there are two separate funeral service professional functions - as a funeral director and as an embalmer. The educational and apprenticeship requirements for licensing are somewhat different, however most funeral service professionals in our state are licensed as both a funeral director and an embalmer.

Funeral Director licensing requirements:

1. At least eighteen (18) years of age.
2. Is of good moral character.
3. Has graduated from high school or possesses a High School Equivalency Diploma.
4. Has served an apprenticeship of three (3) consecutive years in a Kentucky funeral establishment under the supervision of a Kentucky-licensed funeral director. An associate degree in funeral services from a college or university accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education shall substitute for two (2) years of the apprenticeship. The completion of thirty (30) semester credit hours of the equivalent from an accredited college or university shall substitute for one (1) year of apprenticeship. At no time shall more than two (2) years of apprenticeship be substituted.
5. Has taken an active part during the apprenticeship in assisting with the management of at least twenty-five (25) funerals under the direct supervision of a Kentucky-licensed funeral director.
6. Has paid to the Kentucky Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors an examination fee. g) Has passed an examination prepared or approved by the Kentucky Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors.
   
   

1. At least eighteen (18) years of age.
2. Is of good moral character.
3. Has graduated from high school or possesses a High School Equivalency Diploma.
4. Has received an associate degree in funeral service from a college or university accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education.
5. Has served an apprenticeship of one (1) year in a Kentucky funeral establishment under the supervision of a Kentucky-licensed embalmer.
6. Has taken an active part during the apprenticeship in assisting with the embalming of at least twenty-five (25) dead human bodies under the direct supervision of a Kentucky-licensed embalmer.
7. Has paid to the Kentucky Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors an examination fee.
8. Has passed an examination prepared or approved by the Kentucky Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors.