“I've found the job I want to do for the rest of my working life”: 24-year-old reflects on swapping farm life for the funeral sector

Elizabeth’s career in the funeral sector began unexpectedly when she stumbled across an advert for a Funeral Arranger position at Co-op Funeralcare Hexham in 2023, after spending years working on her family's farm until she was 21 years old.

“I had never considered entering the funeral sector before, but as soon as I saw the job advert, I knew it was something I wanted to try,” Elizabeth recalled. “I applied, and thankfully, my managers took a chance on me.”

Elizabeth joked: “After securing the role and telling my family, I was concerned by how many said they thought I'd be good at it! But I know that everyone who matters is proud of me for what I do.”

Commenting on her day-to-day work in the branch, Elizabeth said: “My work is varied, but it always starts and ends with making checks on those who are resting with us. I handle a mixture of tasks such as preparing and processing invoices, taking payments and ordering flowers and stationery for the funerals. I also regularly meet with families to discuss their loved one’s funeral plans.

“Every day is different, you never know what each phone call or client meeting will bring, but that's what keeps it interesting. Whether it’s supporting someone who has recently experienced a loss or having a cuppa with a client you met a few months ago, it's all incredibly rewarding, and I wouldn't change a thing.”

Reflecting on her journey with Co-op Funeralcare, Elizabeth commented: “Over the past couple of years, I've had the chance to meet some wonderful people, both colleagues and families, and learned about the lives of some phenomenal people who have sadly died, which has often left me wishing I'd had the chance to speak to them when they were alive!”

Elizabeth is passionate about breaking the stigma around funeralcare, seeing it as an honour to support families through their hardest moments. She added: “I understand that for many, death is a difficult topic, but I'd love to see a shift in attitudes towards this. Discussing death earlier can have a massive impact on how families cope when the time comes, it doesn't need to be a morbid conversation.

“Within months of working at Co-op Funeralcare Hexham, my view on death changed massively, and it led to my mum taking out a funeral plan with us. We then spent hours going through everything she wanted, from music choices to flowers. Although it's hopefully not necessary for a long time, we both agreed that it was nice to discuss it together now. We laughed, cried and lost track of how many times we changed the details, but knowing that we'd made these decisions together was a great comfort.”

To find out more about Co-op Funeralcare Hexham, visit Funeral Directors in Hexham, Haugh Lane - Co-op