How To Become An Apprentice Funeral Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is an apprentice funeral director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Michael LuBrant Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an apprentice funeral director. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.49 an hour? That's $38,454 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 5,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an apprentice funeral director?

Dr. Michael LuBrant Ph.D.

Director, Program of Mortuary Science, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Consider additional training opportunities to earn credentials that will enhance your professional skill set. For example, consider becoming a certified funeral celebrant, a certified crematory operator, and/or a certified funeral pre-arranger. All of these trainings and credentials demonstrate a willingness to go 'above and beyond' what is typically required for licensure as a funeral director and/or embalmer. Seek out employment opportunities at funeral firms which recognize and value these credentials.

ScoreApprentice Funeral DirectorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,454

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.20%

Asian 1.75%

Black or African American 12.92%

Hispanic or Latino 6.47%

Unknown 2.57%

White 76.08%

Gender

female 37.86%

male 62.14%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

1.3

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an apprentice funeral director

Explore apprentice funeral director education requirements

Most common apprentice funeral director degrees

Associate

46.0 %

Bachelor's

34.7 %

High School Diploma

10.2 %

Start to develop specific apprentice funeral director skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	18.85%
Client Families	18.04%
Veterans	16.83%
Compassion	15.31%
Death Certificates	14.62%

Complete relevant apprentice funeral director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New apprentice funeral directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an apprentice funeral director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real apprentice funeral director resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming an licensed apprentice funeral director usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you don't need to pass an exam to become a licensed apprentice funeral director in most of states. 41 states require apprentice funeral directors to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Licensed Funeral Director
Maryland	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	FUNERAL DIRECTOR
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Funeral Director
California	Degree required	State exam required	Funeral Director
Connecticut	-	-	Funeral Director

Research apprentice funeral director duties and responsibilities

Manage subordinates, facilities and MSDS files.
Assist families during calling hours and funerals by treating them with compassion and support.
Certify crematory operator; participate on removals; and assist on calling hours and funerals.
Initiate utilizing cutting edge technology at locations providing families with remembrance DVD's and the option of web casting.

Get apprentice funeral director experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become an apprentice funeral director. The most common roles before becoming an apprentice funeral director include sales associate, funeral assistant team lead and manager.

Apply for apprentice funeral director jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an apprentice funeral director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first apprentice funeral director job

Lucas Winter

Apprentice Funeral Director

Different states have different pre-requisites. I live in West Virginia,so you need to have at least 60 hours of college credits. In my state you go to the West Virginia Board Of Funeral Examiners website to file for your apprenticeship application. You will get all of the information you need to become ann apprentice. You have to send your transcripts. You will have to pay whatever they charge, usually your employer will pay. They will give you a booklet that’s shows everything you need to do to pass being an Apprenticeship. You will fill in everything you did : like raise vessels, meet with families, suture, arranged flowers. In general it’s funeral director duties. You also write down any service you attended and have a notary sign it every month for a year. They will give you a book with all the codes and laws. If you are looking to becoming a director you cannot go to mortuary school and do your apprenticeship at the same time. You have five years once your apprenticeship starts to go through mortuary school and take the federal and whatever state you reside in boards. They will give you a card, and a license showing your are a certified apprentice. They started a couple years ago that you didn’t need to go to mortuary school to be a director in West Virginia. You just need to do the apprenticeship for two year's under a license director, and pass the federal and state boards except you won’t be allowed to embalm. Every state has different rules to become an apprentice and to pass the apprenticeship