Crematorium technician
Crematorium technicians maintain and operate equipment to make sure cremation services run smoothly.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a crematorium technician, you could:
- clean and prepare the chapel and equipment before a service
- carry out safety checks on cremation equipment
- receive coffins and check identity documents
- meet mourners as they arrive and escort them into the chapel
- make sure that relevant legislation and regulations are followed
- operate cremation equipment
- make sure remains are stored correctly after cremation
- follow bereaved families' wishes on what to do with the deceased person's ashes
- keep accurate records of the process
Working environment
You could work at a cemetery.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could mentor trainee technicians or move into crematorium management.
You could also move into roles in the wider funeral services industry.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- sensitivity and understanding
- customer service skills
- the ability to understand people’s reactions
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- a desire to help people
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
You may need a full driving licence for some jobs.
How to become
You can get into this job by applying directly.
You do not need any particular qualifications to apply for jobs, although it may help to have a GCSE at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and some IT skills.
You must be able to deal sensitively with bereaved people attending services or visiting the cemetery, so it can be helpful if you have experience of dealing with the public.
Once you're working in a crematorium, your employer will arrange for you to follow the Crematorium Technicians Training Scheme.
Career tips
Many jobs combine crematorium duties with grounds maintenance, so experience in operating horticultural equipment could be useful.
Further information
You can find more on crematorium work and training from the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.