Bestattermeister/Bestattermeisterin

Preparatory courses for the examination take place, for example, at educational centers of associations and other educational institutions. Learning locations are training rooms and educational cemeteries for in-person events, and at home for online learning units.

Occupation type: Advanced training occupation: Master craftsman/woman (Meister/in). Type of advanced training: Master craftsman examination according to nationwide uniform regulations. Participation in preparatory courses is not required. Duration of advanced training: Varies depending on the educational offer and learning format. Tasks and activities: Master funeral directors plan work processes, instruct skilled workers, and may manage the entire funeral business. They also train apprentices. They negotiate with suppliers, calculate offers, and handle correspondence. In addition, they advise clients and provide grief psychological assistance. They organize funeral ceremonies considering religious, social, and cultural aspects. Work areas and locations: Master funeral directors are employed in the funeral industry, mainly in funeral homes or institutes. Workplaces: Master funeral directors...

Varies depending on the educational offer and learning format.

Distribution of hours (example): Part I - Practical part and Part II - Theoretical part: approx. 510 hours. Part III - Business administration, commercial, and legal part: approx. 240 hours. Part IV - Vocational and work pedagogical part: approx. 115 hours. Total hours: approx. 865 hours.

Course fees are incurred for attending preparatory courses, and examination fees for the examination itself. Further costs arise for the Master craftsman project and, if applicable, for work materials, travel to the training location, or external accommodation. Funding opportunities: Preparatory courses for the Master craftsman examination can be financially supported according to the Aufstiegsfortbildungsförderungsgesetz (Advanced Training Promotion Act). Further information: Aufstiegs-BAföG - Advancement with funding. Promotion of particularly talented young professionals: Stiftung Begabtenförderung berufliche Bildung (SBB) - Weiterbildungsstipendium (Advanced Training Scholarship).

Practical training (Part I): Master craftsman project and expert discussion: e.g., planning, conducting, and documenting an earth or cremation burial with national or international relevance. Situational task: Identifying technical, organizational, or service-related deficiencies for a given funeral and outlining measures for their elimination. Theoretical training (Part II): Action field funeral consultation: e.g., developing concepts for conducting discussions with clients about funerals and funeral pre-arrangements and their financing, considering religious foundations and specificities of funeral, mourning, remembrance, and cemetery culture. Action field cemetery and crematorium operation: e.g., assessing requirements for facilities and machinery, evaluating work and assembly procedures for inserting formwork and for preparing and building over graves, selecting oven and filter technologies for crematoria. Action field order processing: e.g., wishes...

In-depth knowledge in the following areas is a good prerequisite for successfully passing the advanced training examination: Mathematics (e.g., to determine operational costs and key figures), Economics/Law (e.g., to safely manage a funeral business), Employee Leadership and Instruction (e.g., to apply management tools such as target agreements and feedback).

The advanced training consists of theoretical and practical instruction. Depending on the education provider, one should be prepared for the following conditions: Instruction time is usually part-time advanced training on weekends or in the evenings, or as block instruction. The learning format for in-person events involves classroom instruction at the educational institution (possibly not at the place of residence), and for combined learning formats (e.g., blended learning), it includes in-person events in a classroom setting at the educational institution and self-directed learning from home via electronic learning platforms and systems.

Participation in preparatory courses is not remunerated.

The following advanced training alternative is available for the profession of Bestattermeister/Bestattermeisterin (Master Funeral Director): Fachwirt/Fachwirtin im Bestattungswesen (Certified Specialist in Funeral Services) in the field of funeral services. The commonality is managing the operational organization of a funeral company.

In 2009, the Ordinance on the Master Examination Professional Profile and Examination Requirements in the Funeral Industry came into force. In 2020, the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts Code (HWO) were amended, including the introduction of advanced training qualifications such as 'Geprüfte/r Berufsspezialist/in', 'Bachelor Professional', and 'Master Professional' to emphasize the equivalence of vocational and academic education. The use of professional titles depends on the enactment of corresponding new advanced training regulations.

Qualification Title: Bestattermeister/Bestattermeisterin (Master Funeral Director)

Bestattermeister/Bestattermeisterin (Master Funeral Director) is a professional advanced training. The master examination in the craft-like funeral industry is uniformly regulated nationwide in Germany. It is not mandatory to attend a course to be admitted to the examination.

After completing their advanced training, Master Funeral Directors primarily work in the funeral industry, mainly in funeral homes. To maintain their employability, they can update and expand their expertise through adaptive training, for example, in grief counseling. For career advancement, it is common to take the examination as a Business Administrator (Betriebswirt/in) according to the Crafts Code. With their master's degree, individuals can also gain access to a Studium (university degree program) without a general higher education entrance qualification and, for example, earn a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Starting one's own business is also possible, for instance, by opening a funeral service company.

For the examination: Ordinance on the Master Examination Occupational Profile and on the Examination Requirements in Parts I and II of the Master Examination in the Funeral Industry (Bestattermeisterverordnung - BestMstrV) of 15.09.2009 (BGBl. I S. 3036), last amended by Article 2 Section 72 of the Ordinance of 18.01.2022 (BGBl. I S. 39). Ordinance on the Master Examination in Parts III and IV in Crafts and Craft-like Trades (Allgemeine Meisterprüfungsverordnung - AMVO) of 26.10.2011 (BGBl. I S. 2149), amended by Article 2 Section 97 of the Ordinance of 18.01.2022 (BGBl. I S. 39). Ordinance on the Admission and General Examination Procedure for the Master Examination in Crafts and Craft-like Trades (Meisterprüfungsverfahrensverordnung - MPVerfV), promulgated as Article 1 of the Ordinance of 18.01.2022 (BGBl. I S. 39). Further: Framework curriculum for the preparation for Part III of the Master Examination in Crafts, as of 2011 (Ludwig-Fröhler-Institut, Research Institute in German Crafts).

Completion of a recognized Ausbildung (vocational training) is a prerequisite for admission to the master examination in the funeral industry.