Mortician’s Salary

If you have ever watched a popular television show such as Six Feet Under or even a horror movie that has to do with funerals and funeral homes, you have probably seen a mortician. A career as a mortician is far more than the movies and television shows portray as there is an ample amount of education and experience that goes into the job. In some cases, there is a high level of scientific knowledge required to become a mortician as it isn’t just someone working with dead people.

The Duties of a Mortician

Depending on the level of responsibility that the individual has, there are an array of different duties that a mortician will have to take into consideration. Also, it depends on the area that they work as they may have more or less daily duties. As an example, in rural communities a mortician may be responsible for cleaning the mortuary, embalming and meeting with families. Whereas in more metropolitan areas, they may be responsible for specialized duties and tasks and hire other people to handle less specialized tasks.

Education Requirements and Licenses

Depending on where you live, the requirements necessary to become a mortician may vary. As an example, some areas may require you to become a licensed embalmer, whereas other locations may only require you to have an associate’s degree. Your best choice is to do an abundance of research to determine what is required to become a mortician.

As a high school student you should consider taking as many science classes as possible, particularly chemistry and biology. You will also want to consider taking public speaking classes as you will need to learn how to deal with grieving family members in their time of need. This will help you to sufficiently prepare for further education once you have chosen an accredited program from a university or college.

Another thing to take into consideration is that the majority of states require morticians to have a reasonable amount of work experience before they become licensed. You can take advantage of apprenticeships or cooperative programs where you can go to school and work simultaneously. This will not only help you to become licensed, but to also develop an array of different skills.

Mortician’s Salary

Once you have become established, you can expect to earn an average of $46,840 annually, or $26 an hour. In some circumstances you can make upwards of $80,000 and in other situations you can earn less than $26,580.