At Picaluna, our funeral directors or funeral arrangers as they are sometimes called, come from a wide range of backgrounds. Many of our funeral directors are also marriage celebrants, who may have attended a funeral service organised by Picaluna and decided to explore the pathway of becoming a funeral celebrant and then funeral director.
Other funeral directors on our team have a background in event management, not for profit management, aged care, social work, counselling, along with experience in the corporate world.
As part of joining the Picaluna team all funeral directors undergo funeral director training, they then work in a trainee capacity before graduating onto working as a funeral director.
In addition to funeral director training our funeral celebrants have completed external celebrancy training to become qualified celebrants.
Good celebrancy is at the heart of creating a beautiful and healing funeral ceremony. We encourage a good foundational funeral celebrant training course, to gain a deeper understanding of the pivotal role the funeral celebrant takes, in guiding the ceremony.
We continue to learn from every family we work with, but being able to craft the funeral ceremony for them is a true talent and highly valued.
What makes a good Funeral Director?
There are many skills that make a great funeral director. The funeral director’s role is to support the family in bringing together all the elements and creating a very personalised funeral. Being organised is incredibly important for any funeral director. There are many elements that need to be coordinated for a funeral ceremony, whether it is a funeral burial or cremation.
Equally important is the ability to truly listen to a family and understand how to best meet their needs.
In the role of a Funeral Director, you need to have compassion, be sensitive, and be comfortable working in an environment dealing with death and grief. Most funeral serviceshave at least three staff members working together in a team environment. Excellent communication skills are vital as well as the ability to deal with dynamic task management.
It is important to have an open mind. You will meet many different families from various cultural backgrounds with different beliefs and views. It is important to keep the family’s needs as the number one priority.
The funeral directorhas the honour of being able to assist a family say farewell to their loved one. You need to be able to build trust quickly, share your heart and assist the family during this very difficult period. Respecting the privilege of stepping into such a delicate and sacred space of bereavement. It is important to have a certain self-awareness and take the time to listen and choose your words carefully and thoughtfully.
Join the Picaluna team
Picaluna has expanded over the last 6 years, from a Sydney based start up to now employing over 25 funeral directors across Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle and now into Melbourne.
Picaluna is changing the way funerals are done for the better.
In 2022, our funeral services will expand to Melbourne. We will be seeking the right people to join our team.
If you would be interested in finding out more about the funeral director training process with Picaluna please contact: 02 9067 9536 or visit www.picaluna.com
