A career as an undertaker may be unusual but it’s a fulfilling job with many young people entering the industry

IT’S the one industry all of us are guaranteed to use yet working as a funeral arranger is still seen as an unusual career choice.

The sector is relatively small with around 20,000 undertakers, mortuary and crematorium assistants working nationally, plus jobs in support services such as coffin making and headstone and memorial carvers.

A rise in eco-friendly funerals and more families choosing highly personalised celebrations rather than traditional mourning means the industry is attracting a wider range of talent.

Dubbed the “Youngertaker”, many staff are joining straight from school or college, attracted by the caring nature of the profession.

A spokesman for the National Association of Funeral Directors explains: “Funeral service is not always included in the list of caring professions recommended by career advisors, but it should be.”

More people are also joining the sector later in life, often after seeing how funeral staff cared for one of their own loved ones.

As well as practical aspects, the job also requires emotional skills to provide support and advice to families.

Salaries are slightly below the national average, but most staff point to the immense job satisfaction.

Large firms such as Dignity and Co-operative Funerals have launched apprenticeship schemes.

A spokeswoman for Co-Operative Funerals said: “We’re using digital technology to transform a traditional industry.

“It’s a great time to join us.”

Find out more at bit.ly/funeraldirectorstraining, jobs.coop.co.uk/funeralcare or bit.ly/workingfordignity.

‘Our unique memorials are precious to relatives’

WITH three A* A-levels, Libby Chadwick was expected to head to university, but instead the 21-year-old chose to become an apprentice headstone fitter at Mindful Memorials.

Libby, from Sherburn in Elmet, near Leeds, said: “From the moment I walked through the door for my interview, the business really resonated with me.

“It is so lovely to create something unique for someone.

“The choice of wording on a memorial says so much about a person.

“I’ve been in the workshop for about 18 months now.

“Traditional masonry isn’t an easy skill to master, but it has me hooked.

“Knowing our work will give someone who is grieving a unique memorial that will become so precious to them can never be underestimated.”

WORKING HOLIDAY

SWITCHING off from work on holiday is proving harder.

Almost two-thirds of staff feel guilty if they don’t work on holiday, with pressure to check company emails causing the most amount of stress.

As a result, 54 per cent of workers admit to working while on vacation while 59 per cent confess they struggle to switch off at all.

A further one in three work while away for fear of losing their job.

Nadya Movchan, of Movchan Agency which commissioned the study, said: “While it’s good to be ambitious and work hard for what you desire, you can’t dedicate your whole life solely to work.

“You need some downtime if you want to continue performing at your best.”

HECK OF A CHANCE

BY HECK! If you fancy a career in food and farming, apply to Heck’s internship programme.

The sausage and burger firm is searching for two trainees to work and learn across the whole firm from farm to fork.

Based in Bedale, North Yorks, Heck has a track record in unusual hires, previously recruiting a former Pizza Express manager as a “sausage scientist”.

Heck co-founder Jamie Keeble said: “Our HQ and factory are based on the family farm.

“We’re opening our first internship programme to give two people the opportunity to come and work with us and learn about every aspect of the business.

“It’s like the Apprentice of the food world.”

Apply at careers.heckfood.co.uk/jobs.

SIGNS OF A TOXIC CULTURE

“TOXIC work-places” is one of the most- searched hashtags.

So how can you spot a damaging culture?

Martin Preston founder and chief executive at private rehab clinic Delamere, says: “A toxic workplace usually refers to a job where the tasks, people, or atmosphere encourages negative behaviour to the point where it becomes the norm.”

Here’s what to look out for. . . 

• Poor communication: This may manifest itself by being kept out of the loop on projects, or not being able to seek advice or feedback.
• Employee turnover is high: If lots of colleagues leave fairly soon after starting this could indicate all is not well with the culture.
• Low staff morale: Signs include employees complaining a lot, generally seeming miserable and high sickness absences.
• Unhealthy interpersonal relationships: Observe how employees interact with each other. Is there general chit-chat between co-workers, or is there bullying/rudeness?
• Signs of burnout: Look out for co-workers regularly seeming stressed, having sleep or digestive problems, or experiencing panic attacks without HR support in place to help them cope.