I couldn’t resist writing a quick blog-post regarding these morbid careers that hit the headlines at the weekend. If you are considering a change of career I am sure that dealing with dead bodies isn’t top of your list! You may change your mind considering financial rewards;
- Gravedigger. The average salary for a gravedigger is £27,500. Gravediggers usually work 9-5 with possible weekend work and are usually responsible for grounds maintenance as well as digging graves. You will need to be physically fit.
- Embalmer. The average salary for a typical embalmer is £30,300. OH MY GOD – this is one job I definitely couldn’t do, they very thought of it makes me want to vomit. Yahoo news reports “The easiest on the stomach is washing and drying the body and applying cosmetics to give them a "life-like" glow. The less appetizing duties include draining blood and using a pump to replace it with embalming fluid, removing other body fluids and wastes, sewing shut lips and putting cotton behind the eyelids so they don't sink down.”
- Coroner. The average salary for a coroner is £30,300. Are you interested in law and court proceedings? Coroners coordinate autopsies and perform them. They organize pathological testing and are called to crime scenes to remove bodies. Coroners testify in court concerning the circumstances surrounding the body when it was found, and the discoveries made through the autopsy and subsequent testing. They are barristers, solicitors or medical practitioners of not less than five years standing. For more details visit the Coroners Society of England and Wales website
- Funeral Director. Once trained, salaries in excess of £20,000. Funeral directors have to be multi-skilled from being good communicators, to highly organised and great sympathy for the grief of others. This is not an easy job. There is a lot of info on this website, The Bereavement Services Management Centre, detailing the profile of a funeral director.
- Crematorium/Cremation Technician/Cemetery Worker. Senior staff in supervisory roles can earn £20,000+. Can you stand the heat!? Cremation, or crematorium, technicians are responsible for making sure the body is the correct one and for storing the ashes after cremation is complete. Read this interview with a Cremation Technician. His response to what skills/qualities required to work in your role? “The most important skill is dealing sympathetically with people who are in mourning and experiencing one of the most difficult times in their lives. It is necessary to understand how the cremation equipment works and you need computer skills for logging all the information.”
- Gravedigger. The average salary for a gravedigger is £27,500. Gravediggers usually work 9-5 with possible weekend work and are usually responsible for grounds maintenance as well as digging graves. You will need to be physically fit.
- Embalmer. The average salary for a typical embalmer is £30,300. OH MY GOD – this is one job I definitely couldn’t do, they very thought of it makes me want to vomit. Yahoo news reports “The easiest on the stomach is washing and drying the body and applying cosmetics to give them a "life-like" glow. The less appetizing duties include draining blood and using a pump to replace it with embalming fluid, removing other body fluids and wastes, sewing shut lips and putting cotton behind the eyelids so they don't sink down.”
- Coroner. The average salary for a coroner is £30,300. Are you interested in law and court proceedings? Coroners coordinate autopsies and perform them. They organize pathological testing and are called to crime scenes to remove bodies. Coroners testify in court concerning the circumstances surrounding the body when it was found, and the discoveries made through the autopsy and subsequent testing. They are barristers, solicitors or medical practitioners of not less than five years standing. For more details visit the Coroners Society of England and Wales website
- Funeral Director. Once trained, salaries in excess of £20,000. Funeral directors have to be multi-skilled from being good communicators, to highly organised and great sympathy for the grief of others. This is not an easy job. There is a lot of info on this website, The Bereavement Services Management Centre, detailing the profile of a funeral director.
- Crematorium/Cremation Technician/Cemetery Worker. Senior staff in supervisory roles can earn £20,000+. Can you stand the heat!? Cremation, or crematorium, technicians are responsible for making sure the body is the correct one and for storing the ashes after cremation is complete. Read this interview with a Cremation Technician. His response to what skills/qualities required to work in your role? “The most important skill is dealing sympathetically with people who are in mourning and experiencing one of the most difficult times in their lives. It is necessary to understand how the cremation equipment works and you need computer skills for logging all the information.”
- Forensic Pathologist. Topping the salary list, with a whopping average salary for a forensic pathologist is £142,000! A pathologist is the senior doctor responsible for the performance of autopsies and for the determining as to how an individual died. This particular role within the forensic science sector is a demanding and sometimes harrowing job, which is not for those faint of heart. The position requires a medical degree, so be prepared to invest in this career. In fact, be prepared to spend up to 15 years studying, being a resident and then doing a fellowship before you can even take the exams!
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