Funeral Service Apprentice

Bliley's Funeral Homes & Cremation Center; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Bliley's Funeral Homes & Cremation Center is seeking a Funeral Service Apprentice to support licensed funeral professionals and gain hands-on experience in embalming, funeral arranging, and direction. This role includes transporting deceased persons, assisting with ceremonies, and helping with decedent care under supervision.

The apprentice will work toward state licensure requirements while promoting Bliley’s in the community, with opportunities across the care center, fleet, and facilities.

Qualifications

• Must have a mortuary science degree or be in the final semester.
• Aspiration to become a licensed funeral director.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; compassionate with families from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to lift 25–75 pounds with occasional 75–125 pounds.
• Must be detail-oriented and able to multitask.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Central Services Manager as needed, including transporting deceased persons, answering phone calls, and running company errands.
• Serve as a Funeral Director Assistant during ceremonies and logistics like transporting flowers, directing parking and processions, and driving hearses.
• Assist licensed funeral directors in the Care Center with embalming, dressing, presentation, and maintaining a clean environment.
• Assist with funeral arranging tasks including conferences, death certificates, obituaries, receptions, and ceremony planning.
• Support all aspects of funeral services, including visitations, church ceremonies, funeral home ceremonies, cemetery ceremonies, and processions.
• Support Fleet & Facilities Manager with maintenance of fleet and facilities.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Mortuary science degree or in final semester

Job description

Description

For more than a century, Bliley’s Funeral Homes & Cremation Center has stood for service, trust, and professionalism. As we continue to grow, joining our team means being part of a legacy of care and a culture where every associate contributes to the experience families remember. We seek individuals who hold themselves to a high standard and find meaning in helping others.

Summary of Job Function:

At Bliley's, our mission is to \"guide our community through grief with ritual, education, and compassion\" - and training the next generation of licensed funeral directors is a key component of that philosophy. The Funeral Service Apprentice at Bliley’s supports licensed funeral professionals across the organization while gaining hands-on experience in all aspects of funeral service. This role includes opportunities to assist with embalming, funeral arranging, and funeral direction, as well as the transportation of deceased persons, maintenance of fleet and facilities, running errands, and actively promoting Bliley’s in the community. Apprentices work under supervision of licensed funeral professionals to fulfill state licensure requirements and develop the skills necessary to become a licensed Funeral Director.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Assist the Central Services Manager as needed, including transporting deceased persons, answering phone calls, and running company errands.


• Serve as a Funeral Director Assistant when needed, assisting licensed funeral directors with conducting ceremonies, transporting flowers, directing parking and processions, and driving hearses.


• Assist licensed funeral directors in the Care Center to provide all aspects of decedent care, including embalming, dressing, presentation, and maintaining a clean environment.


• Assist licensed funeral directors with all aspects of funeral arranging, including conferences, death certificates, obituaries, receptions, celebrants, venues, escorts, military honors, ceremony planning, etc.


• Assist licensed funeral directors with all aspects of funeral services, including visitations, church ceremonies, funeral home ceremonies, cemetery ceremonies, processions, etc.


• Assist Fleet & Facilities Manager with maintenance of fleet and facilities.


• Complete all necessary licensing requirements, including 2000 hours, 25 embalmings, and 25 family interactions.


• Actively promote Bliley’s Funeral Homes and Cremation Center in the community.

Requirements

• Must have a mortuary science degree or be in the final semester of completing one.


• Must have career ambitions for becoming a licensed funeral director.


• Must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work compassionately with families and associates of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures.


• Significant carrying, pushing and/or pulling and frequent lifting of objects weighing 25-75 pounds along with the ability for job related lifting of 75-125 pounds.


• Significant ability to work independently.


• Ability to multitask within job requirements.


• Must be detail-oriented.