Funeral services director to hearse driver
A funeral services director already meets 34% of what the hearse driver role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.3/ 100
1 How much of what a hearse driver is expected to do is already part of a funeral services director’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the hearse driver role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A hearse driver role treats 2 of its required skills as things a funeral services director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- drive vehicles in processions
- maintain personal hygiene standards
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A hearse driver role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a funeral services director background worth leading with.
- already held manage funeral equipment handling and moving
- already held provide emotional support to the bereaved assisting and caring
- already held drive vehicles in processions working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held prepare ceremonial locations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held transfer coffins handling and moving
- already held provide directions to guests assisting and caring
All 9 carried skills, including the 2 the hearse driver role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn control the performance of the vehicle required
- still to learn drive vehicles required
- still to learn park vehicles required
- optional, not held ensure vehicle operability optional
- still to learn lift heavy weights required
- optional, not held clean vehicle interiors optional
- optional, not held clean rooms optional
- optional, not held execute vehicle maintenance optional
- still to learn interpret traffic signals required
- still to learn road traffic laws required
- still to learn maintain vehicle appearance required
- optional, not held transport topography optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a hearse driver role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 control the performance of the vehicle practise this
- 02 maintain vehicle appearance practise this
- 03 drive vehicles practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held drive vehicles in processions skill
- already held maintain personal hygiene standards skill
- already held greet guests skill
- already held manage funeral equipment skill
- already held prepare ceremonial locations skill
- already held provide directions to guests skill
- already held provide emotional support to the bereaved skill
- already held transfer coffins skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held clean vehicle interiors optional
- optional, not held ensure vehicle operability optional
- optional, not held clean rooms optional
- optional, not held execute vehicle maintenance optional
- optional, not held transport topography optional
36 held skills the hearse driver role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role administer appointments skill
- not needed by the target role advise on funeral services skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial performance of a company skill
- not needed by the target role apply business acumen skill
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role assist with funeral planning skill
- not needed by the target role business knowledge knowledge
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role control minor maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate catering skill
- not needed by the target role develop organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role dress bodies skill
- not needed by the target role embalm bodies skill
- not needed by the target role keep personal administration skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
- not needed by the target role maintain inventory of tools skill
- not needed by the target role maintain professional administration skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage emergency evacuation plans skill
- not needed by the target role manage financial aspects of a company skill
- not needed by the target role manage maintenance operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role operate cremation equipment skill
- not needed by the target role oversee cremations skill
- not needed by the target role perform religious ceremonies skill
- not needed by the target role prepare coffins for cremation skill
- not needed by the target role promote human rights skill
- not needed by the target role provide visitor information skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role relate empathetically skill
- not needed by the target role respond to visitor complaints skill
- not needed by the target role show diplomacy skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn road traffic laws required
- optional, not held transport topography optional
Other moves recorded from funeral services director
Common questions about this move
Can a funeral services director become a hearse driver?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A funeral services director already covers 34% of what a hearse driver is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 2 of which the hearse driver role treats as required.
What skills does a funeral services director need to become a hearse driver?
7 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is control the performance of the vehicle.
How hard is the move from funeral services director to hearse driver?
Its learning distance is 57.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.