FSO Review

As an FSO in the funeral business my job includes collecting the deceased from private homes, care homes and hospitals. Transfering deceased between branches. Preparing the deceased and preparing the coffin. Driving funeral vehicles, either hearse or limousines, on the funeral. Bearing the coffin in on the funeral and attending to the mourners needs. Also it includes on-call evening and weekends.

I have learned about what happens behind the scenes of the funeral business. I had no idea what was done before starting this job as nobody seems to know about this profession. I have developed my ability to interact with people. As you are dealing with people who can be distressed and upset I have developed an understanding and caring nature.

I have enjoyed the program. The job focused training parts have been useful as it brings to your attention the aspects of the role that you are currently performing but might not have thought about in depth. As an older student I have appreciated the opportunity to refresh my maths and English training.

The program itself is well organised once you get started. In the beginning it seemed a little basic and not relevant to my job role, but once you start learning about the specifics of your role in more detail it becomes interesting and relevant. There is a good mix of subjects to learn about.

I received no support from my employer. My employer was supposed to give me 4 hours a week allocated to my course work but I did not get any. After the year was finished I complained along with my tutor and we arranged a six month extension in which I would definitely get 4 hours a week for the course. I did not always get the 4 hours every week but I started to make some progress. After completing the first part of the course, and totalling around 30 hours on the course, my employer stoped the 4 hours. I am currently waiting to complete the final exams without having had the time to complete the training.

My training provider has been great. As I have been struggling with getting my allocated time to do the course, they have been patient and understanding. When I eventually got some of the modules completed they have been quick in assessing them and moving onto the next task. They helped me put pressure on my employer in order for me to get the time to completed the course.

Although I was already performing the job, this qualification gives you a better understanding of the job. When you are initially taught the job you are not necessarily taught the reasons why you do the individual tasks. This qualification shows you, not necessarily how, but why you do these tasks and what the dangers and benefits are.

I guess they must be some extra-curricular activities but I am not aware of them. They are not made accessible if they do exist. The company does not promote them. The company is only interested in getting as much work out of you as possible. You personal welfare does not seem to concern them. There is infact, a lot of absence, stress and work related illness.

No

The job itself is extremely rewarding and fulfilling. I absolutely love the job. However, working for coop funeralcare is not rewarding. The stress, anxiety and bullying from management makes the job very difficult. The funerals only work well because of the great staff on the ground, their commitment to the families and their love of the job. Coop management seem to be trying to undermine this all the time.

The job itself is fantastic and rewarding. It is very difficult and frustrating working with the co-op. They make every job twice as difficult as it need be. Other, independent funeral directors operate much better and do not have the levels of stress and bullying that you get at the coop. Be aware that high proportion of people leave out of frustration or are off work with stress. It should not be like this.