Embalmers preserve bodies from the time of death until they can be buried or cremated.

Their work can include:

• washing and disinfecting bodies to prevent deterioration and infection
• removing fluids and gases from the body and replacing them with injected preservatives
• washing and arranging hair and applying cosmetics
• using plaster of Paris or wax to restore the appearance of bodies after injury.

Hours and Environment

As an embalmer your working hours are likely to vary, and could include weekends.

You will spend a lot of time standing and your work will involve lifting and bending. 

You may have to travel to different funeral parlours locally and even nationally.

Skills and Interests

To be an embalmer you need:

• to be sensitive to other people's feelings
• a serious and dignified manner 
• the ability to pay close attention to detail
• to understand and respect different religious beliefs
• not to be squeamish
• an interest in science, particularly chemistry and anatomy
• the ability to handle tools and surgical instruments.

Entry

You do not need any particular qualifications to get into embalming work. However, It might be useful if you have GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) or similar qualifications in English, maths, chemistry and biology.

Embalmers often have to drive, so you are likely to need a driving licence.

To obtain a professional qualification in embalming you will first need to find a relevant job and register with a tutor accredited by the British Institute of Embalmers (BIE). See Further Information below for contact details. 

Vacancies do not come up very often, so It can be difficult to get into this kind of work. It will be useful if you have previous experience in the funeral service or in mortuary work, but entrants come from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Training

As an employer you will train mainly on the job with part-time tuition from a tutor. Some employers offer training through trainers who are accredited by the British Institute of Embalmers (BIE). Other employers are themselves BIE-accredited trainers and provide their own in-house training. Some tutors offer correspondence courses.  

You will have to take an introductory foundation module before you can register with the BIE and study for the full registration course. The main course modules include:

• anatomy
• physiology
• bacteriology 
• practical embalming.

You can get a list of accredited tutors from the BIE - see Further Information below for contact details.

Opportunities

Embalmers can work for any of the following:

• large funeral directing organisations
• several funeral directors, on a self-employed basis
• embalming companies, which do not direct funerals.

Some embalmers do specialist training to work with disaster teams, embalming the bodies of those killed, for example, in air crashes.

In some firms embalming may be part of funeral directing work. See the Funeral Director profile for information on this career.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Embalmers are likely to earn between £10,000 and £15,000 a year.

Further information

Anubis House
21c Station Road
Knowle
Solihull
West Midlands
B93 0HL
Tel: 01564 778991