Funeral Director and/or Embalmer Internships
Top 10 Things to Know about Interning as a Mortician
Not all funeral homes are licensed to give internships.
It’s best to visit funeral homes in person to ask this question, as those who are answering the phone do not always know the answer.
An internship must be approved by the State of Florida, by application, before you can legally be an intern.
It can take longer than you think to get your application approved, for example, a month or more.
Interns must maintain a 40 hour work week for 50 out of 52 weeks in the year.
If you do not keep up the 40 hour work week, your internship may be in jeopardy if you continuously miss work.
An intern must be paid, but each funeral home determines how much the hourly rate of pay will be.
In general, in Florida, I have heard of pay rates from $15 per hour to $19 per hour.
An internship lasts exactly 365 days.
You will have to submit four quarterly reports and probably one last report.
Extending an internship means filing a form and paying an additional fee.
This would mean coordination with your funeral home and the State.
You can do observations, work part time, or work full time for a funeral home - and it's legal - but it just wouldn't be considered the mandatory internship.
See above #2.
You must submit quarterly reports throughout the year to the State of Florida.
Four reports at specific times throughout the year, as written in instructions you receive from the State of Florida.
Your Funeral Director in Charge (FDIC) must sign off on your reports, as well as review your work as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
Do not irritate your FDIC. Do your best work, so that your FDIC will sign your report and give you a favorable review.
Your funeral home may or may not offer you employment after you complete your internship.
Be ready to seek employment elsewhere. Your funeral home may have been gracious enough to let you complete your internship, but they may have no room for you to be a Funeral Director/Embalmer. They also may offer you a job that does not meet your expectations for pay, benefits, time off, etc.
Good luck with your search, and perhaps in the future I may be able to make a list of those funeral homes who have offered internships in the past.
