Apprentice Funeral Director
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 13, 2026. First seen by Alion on Nov 13, 2026. Dignity scores A on the Alion truth index.
Salary: £28,103.56 per annum
Closing date: 04/12/2026
Apprentice Funeral Director
Location: Preston Ireland Bowker Funeral Directors, Lancaster
Job Type: Full-time, permanent, 38.33 hours per week
Salary: £28,103.56 per annum
We're looking for a compassionate individual to join our team as a Apprentice Funeral Director at Preston Ireland Bowker Funeral Directors. You'll support overseeing funeral operations, ensuring every service is delivered to the highest standard, while representing Dignity Funeral Directors and building trusted relationships in your local community.
Our Mission: To help every family in Britain navigate the hardest moments of life with simplicity, dignity, kindness and exceptional care.
Our Vision: The UK's leading end-of-life company, helping 1 in 3 people across the UK to plan for and deal with death.
Why This Role Matters
This role calls for expert knowledge of funeral processes, care of the deceased, and legal and regulatory requirements, along with deep respect for cultural and religious beliefs. You'll coordinate your team with care and lead by example every day.
Your Impact and Responsibilities
As a Apprentice Funeral Director, you're a calm, confident presence at the heart of our funeral care, guiding families from first meeting through to the day of the funeral and beyond, with clarity and compassion, and supporting aftercare, ashes, memorialisation and funeral plans.
As a Apprentice Funeral Director, you will learn to l:
- Lead funeral services with professionalism and attention to detail.
- Run pre-funeral briefings to keep everything clear and well-coordinated.
- Take a consultative approach, helping families explore their options.
- Collaborate with arrangers, specialists, Funeral Directors and care teams, keeping the diary, resources and records on track.
- Assist with coffin preparation, handling of the deceased, and chapel duties where required.
- Mentor less experienced team members and take part in training and development.
- Build relationships with care homes, celebrants and local religious and ethnic groups to support community engagement.
Skills and Knowledge
- Full UK Driving Licence (essential).
- Excellent communication, leadership and organisational skills.
- Calm under pressure, with a respectful, compassionate approach to service.
- Physically capable of manual handling tasks, including coffin bearing.
- Able to work flexibly, including weekends and on-call.
- PC literate, Microsoft Office, Outlook and internal systems (training provided).
What you can expect from us
- Time to recharge - Accrue up to 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, based on the hours you work, giving you valuable time to rest, recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
- Planning for your future - 4% matched pension to help you build long-term financial security.
- Everyday savings and perks - Access to MyStaffShop, our employee rewards platform, offering savings across high street and online retailers, alongside eyecare support, flu jab reimbursement and lifestyle discounts.
- Support when you need it - Access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, occupational health services and confidential counselling.
- Learn and grow with us - Ongoing training and development, including internal learning pathways and apprenticeship opportunities.
- Making work easier - Free on-site parking available at most of our locations.
What Sets Us Apart
- Meaningful purpose - Supporting families through the hardest moments of their lives.
- Grow with us - More career paths and leadership opportunities as our group grows.
- Shape the future - Help us become the UK's number one end-of-life provider and see the difference it makes.
What are the next steps?
If this sounds like the next step in your career, hit 'apply' - a member of our Talent Acquisition Team will be in touch to guide you through what's next.
Why Dignity Funeral Directors
Dignity Funeral Directors helps families say goodbye to the people they love with simplicity, dignity, kindness and exceptional care. Every day, our funeral teams across the country support families through some of life's hardest moments. As part of Life Services Group, Dignity Funeral Directors is also part of a wider mission to make end-of-life care more joined up, more supported and easier for families to navigate. Be there when families need you most; with work that matters, a team that supports you, and the training to build a career, whether you've done this before or not.
Dignity Funeral Directors is part of Life Services Group; the group bringing together Dignity Funeral Directors, CMG, Simplicity Cremations, Dignity Legal Services and Farewill. Together, we can support families across more of the end-of-life journey, while each brand keeps the name, identity and community connection people already know. For Dignity Funeral Directors, that means more investment in better training, better support and better tools for our funeral teams.
You'll be part of a close-knit team who look out for each other and take real pride in their work. No two days are the same, and the work you do is noticed and valued.
If you want a job that is genuinely meaningful, helping families in your community through one of the hardest times in their lives; find your Life's work.
FCA Statement
Dignity Funeral Directors is part of a group that includes FCA-regulated activities. Some roles may require additional training, screening or regulatory checks, confirmed during recruitment.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
We know diverse teams build a better place to work. Whoever you are, we'd love to hear from you - let us know if you need anything to make the process more accessible.
Unsolicited agency submissions will be treated as direct applications, with no fee payable. We may close or extend applications depending on response levels, so we'd recommend applying early.