 |
A Quiet Funeral Driver/Bearer |
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death" | ||
| Funeral What to do first Non religious services Save a fortune Before it happens Make it personal How to complain Details Of mice & men Snippets
|
The driver/bearer or chauffeur
is the manual worker of any funeral company.
They usually perform all the heavy and more physical aspects of the job and will form the bearer party on any funeral. In the background they will make up coffins, dress and assist with the preparation of the deceased for presentation and attend hospitals, private homes and public places to recover bodies. If full-time employees, they will also usually be available for 24 hour call out duty when they will normally work alongside one of the funeral directors as part of a team. The driver/bearer may well aspire to becoming a funeral director one day and many companies will provide on the job training as well as entry to diploma courses or the newer NVQ and BTEC courses. They will collect and deliver paper work, goods and deceased persons and may be required to travel long distances in the course of their various duties. They are responsible for the proper presentation of their own vehicle and can, on occasion, perform some of the basic functions of the funeral director during a funeral. When the work load permits (usually between funerals) they will often have to deliver flowers to private homes, hospitals or cemeteries. They will need a good basic knowledge of their area and must be a safe and competent driver. Physical fitness is a must! These people are sometimes driving on several funerals in one day, following a busy night of call outs and facing more of the same until the end of their stint on duty. All staff are answerable to their funeral director when acting for them on any particular funeral. Employment can be sought by writing directly to any of the funeral homes to be found in the local telephone directories. Be aware that writing to all the offices listed will inevitably result in some duplication where the firms are actually sub branches of the same company. If you're giving consideration to joining the funeral service as a driver/bearer, spare a moment to think of the distances involved - hurtling through the night to respond to a Police removal can lose it's novelty rapidly after the third call in one shift and nobody likes to be kept waiting....... |
LINKS
The disclaimer bit Persons acting upon information gained from these pages or personal contact do so at their own risk. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of any information contained herein. |
