People rarely ask this outright, so we will answer it plainly.
Where the work comes from
Most of it arrives through funeral homes. A director has a family with no minister and needs someone this week. If you are known, available and easy to work with, your name comes up.
The rest comes from families directly, from people who saw you lead a service, and over time from families who call you again because you got it right the first time.
That means the work is built on relationships rather than advertising. Directors, venues, cemeteries and other celebrants in your region matter far more than a marketing budget.
What it pays
When a funeral home engages you, the fee is most often set by them. When a family comes to you directly, they will generally expect fair market rate for your region. Travel is normally charged on top, and a graveside service is usually billed the same as a full service.
Some services you will do for very little or for nothing. Every experienced celebrant does. That is simply part of the work.
Very few celebrants start full time. Most build slowly, alongside other work, as directors get to know them. At the end of the day, your success is in your own hands. No one is going to hand you a calendar.
Since the training I have been asked by several funeral homes to perform funeral ceremonies. Once I got through the first one, the second was easier. Rosanne said it takes about two hundred to be fully comfortable — I have a long way to go, but I am on my way.
Ann · licensed funeral directorIt is broader than leading services
Certified celebrants work in more ways than one. Some become professional communicators and speakers. Some specialize in pre-planning, which is where the greatest good is done. Poor services are almost always the result of poor planning. Others host death cafés, offer grief support, work inside funeral homes, or move into the profession entirely.
The certification opens a whole field of work, and you decide where to take it.
What actually determines whether it works
After more than forty years, the celebrants who build something lasting are consistently the ones who are:
- AvailableFamilies do not schedule deaths. Being reachable is most of it.
- FlexibleEvery service is different, and plans change late.
- PredictableDirectors send work to people who never surprise them.
- PresentableHow you show up is part of the service.
- DependableYou do what you said, every time.
- RespectfulOf the family, the venue, and everyone else doing their job.
None of those take talent. You simply decide to do them, every time.
Last week I facilitated funeral number 100 on my list. People are very happy with what I do, and some are calling me back a second time because they want me for the next loved one who passes.
Nola Wilson · certified 2016