Bestattungsfachkraft (Ausbildung)

Bestattungsfachkräfte (funeral specialists) are trained in a dual system. Learning locations include the training company (usually a funeral home): offices, sales rooms, crematoria, outdoors at graves, and the Berufsschule (vocational school): classrooms. If companies cannot provide all required training content, parts of the training can be moved to inter-company training centers. Note: Vocational school classes are sometimes conducted in cross-state specialized classes. Currently, for the Bundesländer (federal states) of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia, classes are held at the State Vocational School in Bad Kissingen (Bavaria). For Berlin, Brandenburg, and Lower Saxony, classes are held at the BBS Berufsbildende Schulen Springe of the Hanover Region in Hanover (Lower Saxony). Source: Overview of Cross-State Specialized Classes (As of: March 27, 2025).

Occupation type: A recognized Ausbildung (vocational training) occupation. Type of training: Dual training in crafts, industry and trade, and public service (regulated by Ausbildungsverordnung). Training duration: 3 years. Learning locations: Training company and Berufsschule (vocational school) (dual training). What does one do in this profession? Bestattungsfachkräfte (funeral specialists) support the bereaved in the event of a death, advise them, clarify the details of the funeral with them, and coordinate related tasks. They first transfer the deceased, for example, to the funeral institute, where they provide hygienic and cosmetic care, then to the burial site. They prepare coffins or urns, lay out graves, and organize funeral ceremonies. Their commercial tasks include mediating funeral pre-arrangement contracts, calculating costs, and settling accounts with health insurance companies, insurance companies, and customers. Where does one work? Bestattungsfachkräfte (funeral specialists) find employment in funeral institutes.

Job title: Bestattungsfachkraft (Funeral Specialist). Occupation type: A recognized Ausbildung (vocational training) occupation. Training duration: 3 years. What does one do in this profession? Bestattungsfachkräfte (funeral specialists) support the bereaved in the event of a death, advise them, clarify the details of the funeral with them, and coordinate related tasks. They first transfer the deceased, for example, to the funeral institute, where they provide hygienic and cosmetic care, then to the burial site. They prepare coffins or urns, lay out graves, and organize funeral ceremonies. Their commercial tasks include mediating funeral pre-arrangement contracts, calculating costs, and settling accounts with health insurance companies, insurance companies, and customers. Where does one work? Bestattungsfachkräfte (funeral specialists) find employment in funeral institutes, cemeteries, crematoria, and cemetery administrations. Other professions in the funeral industry are also available.

3 years

The Ausbildung (vocational training) is conducted in parallel at the training company and the Berufsschule (vocational school). Vocational school classes take place on specific weekdays or in block form. Excerpt from the training framework plan and the framework curriculum: 1st - 18th month of training: Training in the company and, if necessary, in inter-company courses: Conducting funeral ceremonies, burials, and interments (grave technical work), rites and customs, profession-related legal regulations, standards and technical documents, processing and working with materials and auxiliary materials, conducting product knowledge work. 1st and 2nd year of training: Training in the Berufsschule (vocational school) in the learning fields: Orienting oneself in training and company, documenting business processes, providing goods, materials, and services, managing and appreciating cemeteries, concluding and billing funeral contracts, planning funerals and memorial services, organizing funerals and memorial services, presenting the funeral company in a market-oriented way. Intermediate examination.

No costs are charged for conducting the Ausbildung (vocational training). The training company provides the training materials needed for the operational part of the training and pays the examination fees. Unless otherwise regulated, trainees must bear the costs of learning materials for vocational school classes and for work clothing themselves. In addition, costs may arise if training locations are far from the place of residence. Funding opportunities: In certain life situations, trainees can receive Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (vocational training allowance). For more information: Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (BAB).

During this Ausbildung (vocational training), trainees learn, for example: what to consider when carrying out cemetery-related work; how to prepare and use technical documents; how to plan processes, control results, process administrative procedures, and apply quality assurance measures; how to transfer, store, and lay out the deceased; how to process funeral orders and advise relatives on funeral pre-planning. They also learn what to consider when supporting and advising relatives, taking into account their specific grief situation (application of grief psychology measures); how to care for the deceased according to hygienic and thanatopractical principles; what to observe for earth burials, cremations, sea burials, urn interments, and memorial services; which official formalities can be handled for relatives; and how to draft obituaries and death notices. Furthermore, throughout the entire training, other relevant topics are covered.

One should be prepared for the following conditions and requirements for this Ausbildung (vocational training): Practical participation in the company (under guidance) is required, for example, attending to and advising relatives of the deceased, processing and carrying out funeral orders, performing commercial-administrative tasks, and caring for and transporting the deceased. The environment may partly be in artificially lit rooms, such as workshops, chapels of rest, crematories, or outdoors. Dress code includes work attire (suit and tie or costume/trouser suit), and partly protective clothing (e.g., disposable gloves, face mask). Working hours may include on-call duties. Requirements include empathy (e.g., when dealing with grieving bereaved), psychological stability (e.g., when seeing the deceased), diligence and prudence (e.g., when designing death notices or preparing the deceased for burial), communication skills (e.g., when advising customers on types of funerals or funeral pre-planning), and customer and service orientation.

Trainees can complete parts of their Ausbildung (vocational training) abroad, for example, in various European countries. An internship abroad can be undertaken as part of the additional qualification 'Europaassistent/in'. This internship lasts at least 3 weeks and requires a secondary school leaving certificate (mittlerer Bildungsabschluss). Further information on the 'Europaassistent/in' additional qualification is available.

The Ausbildung (vocational training) remuneration for a dual Ausbildung (vocational training) is paid by the training company and, for companies bound by collective agreements, is based on collective bargaining agreements. Trainees must be granted appropriate remuneration. If the Ausbildung (vocational training) takes place in a school setting (e.g., at a Berufsfachschule or as a Berufsgrundbildungsjahr - BGJ in the 1st year of Ausbildung), no Ausbildung (vocational training) remuneration is paid. Example for the funeral industry (monthly gross): 1st year: 750 €, 2nd year: 905 €, 3rd year: 1,021 €. This recommendation applies to the entire Bundesland (federal state) area. Example for public service (municipal employers) (monthly gross): 1st year: 1,368 €, 2nd year: 1,418 €, 3rd year: 1,464 €. The collective bargaining agreement applies to the entire Bundesland (federal state) area. Sources: Collective bargaining information from the federal and state governments (e.g., Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, WSI-Tarifarchiv, collective bargaining archives of the Bundesland's). Note: These figures are for orientation.

In-depth knowledge in the following school subjects are good prerequisites for a successful Ausbildung (vocational training): German (e.g., to draft obituaries), Mathematics (e.g., to calculate funeral contracts), Manual Arts (Werken) (e.g., to equip coffins), Psychology/Ethics (e.g., to interact respectfully with relatives).

The additional qualification 'Europaassistent/in' is aimed at trainees with at least a secondary school leaving certificate (mittlerer Bildungsabschluss). It expands the initial Ausbildung (vocational training) with intercultural competencies and offers trainees the opportunity to improve their foreign language skills. For this, trainees attend additional Berufsschule (vocational school) classes, for example, in European Commercial and Economic Law, and complete a multi-week internship abroad. The responsible IHK (Chamber of Industry and Commerce) or similar institutions provide further information, e.g., on 'Europaassistent/in'.

The following training alternative is available for the profession of Bestattungsfachkraft: In the area of office and secretarial work, a Kaufmann/Kauffrau für Büromanagement (clerk for office management). Commonality: performing commercial and administrative tasks.

2003: Recognition of the profession Bestattungsfachkraft (probationary phase). 2007: Training regulations according to the Vocational Training Act come into force. 2020: Amendment of the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts Code (HWO): among other things, introduction of a minimum training allowance; expansion of the possibility to complete training in part-time. 2024: Entry into force of the Vocational Training Validation and Digitalization Act with adjustments to the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts Code (HWO): among other things, legal anchoring of the possibility of digital mobile training; introduction of an assessment and certification procedure (vocational validation) of individual professional competence based on the standard of a recognized training occupation, regardless of a formal vocational training qualification.

Bestattungsfachkraft is a 3-year recognized vocational training (Ausbildung) profession in crafts, industry and trade, and public service. In addition, there is the possibility to complete further training (Weiterbildung) as a Bestatter/Bestatterin (funeral director).

Qualification title: Bestattungsfachkraft.

Improve opportunities with additional qualifications: Aspiring Bestattungsfachkräfte can secure a good starting position by acquiring additional qualifications during their vocational training (Ausbildung), for example, in European Commercial and Economic Law through the additional qualification 'Europaassistent/in'. Find the right employment: After their training, Bestattungsfachkräfte primarily work in funeral homes, crematoria, or cemetery administrations. Secure employability: Through adaptive further training (Anpassungsweiterbildung), one can keep their specialized knowledge current, up-to-date, and expand it. The range of topics extends from grief counseling to finance and accounting. Advance professionally: Upward further training (Aufstiegsweiterbildung) helps to advance professionally and reach leadership positions. It is obvious to take the exam as a Bestattermeister/in (Master Funeral Director). With a university entrance qualification, one can also pursue a university degree (Studium) and, for example, obtain a bachelor's degree.

In 2024, there were a total of 348 new trainees in the vocational training (Ausbildung) areas of crafts, industry and trade, and public service. 48 percent had a secondary school leaving certificate (mittlerer Bildungsabschluss), 35 percent had a university entrance qualification (Hochschulreife). 16 percent had a Hauptschulabschluss (basic secondary school leaving certificate), 1 percent could not demonstrate a Hauptschulabschluss. New trainees 2024 (in %): without Hauptschulabschluss 1.0%, with Hauptschulabschluss 16.0%, with secondary school leaving certificate 48.0%, with university entrance qualification 35.0%. Source: The information is based on data from the Datensystem Auszubildende (DAZUBI) of the Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB).

There are legal regulations and recommendations for the Bestattungsfachkraft (funeral specialist) vocational training (Ausbildung). These include the Ordinance on Vocational Training for Funeral Specialists (BestAusbV) from May 7, 2007, and the framework curriculum adopted by the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs on March 15, 2007.

Legally, no specific prior education is required for this vocational training (Ausbildung).