Public discussions about mortician careers are rarely about whether the work matters. The recurring complaints are more practical: low apprentice pay, 24-hour on-call expectations, burnout, weak management, family conflict, school debt, and the gap between a meaningful job and a sustainable life.
This page synthesizes themes from public funeral-service discussions, Reddit API research, and industry data. It does not treat anonymous posts as verified facts. Use the complaints as warning signs to investigate before you choose a school, apprenticeship, or funeral home.
Quick Answer
The most common real mortician complaints are not about seeing the deceased. They are about pay versus responsibility, on-call work, burnout, apprenticeship quality, and whether management protects staff from constant availability.
| Complaint theme | What it usually means | What to check before entering |
|---|---|---|
| Low apprentice pay | The first paid stage may not match the emotional and schedule load. | Ask local employers what apprentices earn and whether on-call time is paid. |
| On-call work | Nights, weekends, holidays, and fast response expectations can affect family life. | Ask for the written rotation and pay policy. |
| Burnout | Meaningful work can still become exhausting if staffing is thin. | Ask how many licensed staff share calls and cases. |
| School debt | Tuition starts before full licensed pay arrives. | Run the Career ROI Calculator. |
| Management culture | A good funeral home can feel very different from a poorly run one. | Shadow at more than one firm if possible. |
If you are still deciding, read this alongside A Day in the Life of a Mortician and Is Being a Mortician Right for Me?.
What Public Discussions Usually Agree On
Public threads from funeral directors, apprentices, students, and career changers tend to repeat the same pattern: people often respect the work, but they warn newcomers not to romanticize the job.
The strongest themes are:
- The job can be meaningful and stable.
- The early years can be underpaid relative to responsibility.
- On-call life is the biggest lifestyle shock.
- Some firms handle staffing and pay fairly; others rely too heavily on apprentices.
- The emotional work is manageable for some people and unsustainable for others.
- School choice matters because debt reduces your ability to leave a bad employer.
That mix matters. A positive calling does not cancel out bad scheduling, weak pay, or poor supervision.
Representative Reddit API samples reviewed for this page included:
| Public thread theme | Reddit signal reviewed |
|---|---|
| Leaving the industry after apprenticeship | ”I got out” in r/askfuneraldirectors, with 199 score and 47 comments at review time. |
| Livable wage anxiety | ”Is pursuing Mortuary Science worth it if I want a livable wage?” with comments warning about schedule, debt, and employer variation. |
| Mixed career satisfaction | ”do any of you enjoy your career in mortuary science?” where top replies separated love for the work from frustration with environment and hours. |
| Early burnout | ”already burnt out. need help” with replies pointing to underpay, overwork, and possible employer change. |
| Newcomer warnings | ”Things I Wish I Knew” with apprentice-life warnings around cleanup, removals, and being on call. |
Complaint 1: Apprentice Pay Can Feel Too Low
Apprentice and intern pay is one of the loudest complaints in public discussion. Search results and job-site data show apprentice figures that vary widely, with some public posts describing hourly wages in the high teens or low twenties and others describing lower or poorly structured arrangements.
For planning, do not use the national median mortician salary as your first-year expectation. The BLS median for morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers is $55,010 in May 2025 data used on this site, but apprentice pay often sits below fully licensed pay.
| Pay stage | Better planning assumption |
|---|---|
| Student helper / funeral attendant | May be hourly and limited in scope. |
| Apprentice / intern | Often below licensed pay; on-call rules matter. |
| Newly licensed mortician | Compare against state P25 and median, not national average only. |
| Experienced licensed worker | Pay improves with duties, market, management, and negotiation. |
Use Mortician Apprentice Pay and Mortician Salary by Experience before you accept “you will make good money after licensure” as a complete answer.
Complaint 2: On-Call Work Changes the Job
BLS describes funeral service work as full-time for most workers, with some working more than 40 hours per week and irregular hours including evenings and weekends. Public discussions make that concrete: the problem is not only being called at night, but being expected to stay available without clear compensation or recovery time.
Before accepting an apprenticeship or job, ask:
- How often am I on call?
- What response time is expected?
- Is on-call time paid, stipended, or only paid if called out?
- Who covers removals, transfers, and overnight calls?
- Can I decline a call if I am sick, in class, or already over hours?
- How many weekends per month are protected?
If the answer is “we all just help when needed,” treat that as incomplete. Good employers can still be busy, but they should be able to explain the system.
Complaint 3: Burnout Often Comes From How the Firm Is Run
Burnout is not only about death exposure. Many public complaints point to thin staffing, inconsistent schedules, poor boundaries, pressure to cover too many roles, and emotional fatigue after repeated difficult cases.
The work itself can include:
- removals and transfers;
- embalming or preparation room duties;
- arrangement conferences;
- paperwork and permits;
- family conflict;
- services, visitations, and graveside work;
- after-hours calls.
That is a lot for one person if a funeral home is understaffed. Read The Hardest Parts of Being a Mortician for the deeper emotional side.
Complaint 4: Some Students Discover the Job Too Late
Another recurring theme is that school does not always reveal the daily rhythm early enough. A student may enjoy anatomy, restoration, or the meaning of the profession, then discover that the actual job is more customer service, logistics, paperwork, and family care than expected.
Before enrolling, try to get at least one of these:
| Test | What it reveals |
|---|---|
| Funeral home shadowing | Whether the environment feels sustainable. |
| Funeral attendant work | Whether service days and family interaction fit you. |
| Removal technician work | Whether after-hours response fits your life. |
| Informational interview | Whether local pay and apprenticeship access are realistic. |
If your state allows pre-school experience to count toward apprenticeship, verify it with the board. Start with Can You Be a Mortician Apprentice Without School?.
Complaint 5: The Emotional Load Is Real, But Not Always Where Outsiders Expect
Outsiders often focus on seeing bodies. Public worker discussions usually focus more on families, children, traumatic cases, conflict, and the need to stay composed while other people are in crisis.
The question is not “can I be around death?” A better question is:
Can I stay calm, accurate, and kind while handling grief, logistics, legal details, and unexpected calls on the same day?
If you are unsure, read The Emotional Challenges of Being a Mortician and then shadow before committing to school debt.
Complaint 6: School Debt Reduces Your Options
Debt is not just a financial issue. It changes your leverage. If you borrow heavily, you may feel stuck in a bad apprenticeship, a low-paying market, or a firm whose schedule does not work for you.
Before choosing a program, compare:
- total tuition and fees;
- living costs while in school;
- lost income if you reduce work hours;
- apprentice pay after school;
- state salary P25 and median;
- licensing fees and exam costs;
- relocation costs if local apprenticeships are scarce.
Use Is Mortuary School Worth It?, the School Finder, and the Debt Payoff Calculator before enrolling.
How to Tell a Hard Job From a Bad Setup
Funeral service will always involve grief, irregularity, and responsibility. The key is separating unavoidable work from avoidable employer problems.
| Hard but normal | Warning sign |
|---|---|
| Some nights and weekends | No written on-call rotation |
| Emotional cases | No debriefing or support culture |
| Learning slowly as an apprentice | Being used as cheap full-responsibility labor |
| Busy service weeks | Constant understaffing with no recovery time |
| Moderate early pay | Pay that ignores license, calls, or case load |
The same career can feel sustainable in one firm and impossible in another.
Questions to Ask Before You Commit
Ask these before school, apprenticeship, or a first licensed role:
- What does a typical week look like here?
- How many calls did apprentices take last month?
- What is the on-call pay policy?
- Who supervises apprentices and signs case logs?
- What happens after a difficult case?
- How long did recent apprentices take to become fully licensed?
- What was their starting licensed pay?
- How often do staff leave in the first two years?
If a funeral home cannot answer those questions clearly, keep looking or at least compare another employer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do morticians regret their career choice?
Some do, but public discussions show a mixed picture. Many people value the work and still warn that low early pay, on-call schedules, burnout, and poor management can make the career hard to sustain.
What is the biggest complaint about being a mortician?
The biggest recurring complaint is the mismatch between responsibility and compensation, especially during apprenticeship or in firms with heavy on-call expectations.
Is mortician burnout common?
Burnout is a real risk because the work combines grief exposure, irregular hours, family conflict, physical tasks, and legal precision. The risk is higher when staffing, pay, or management support is weak.
Should Reddit complaints stop me from becoming a mortician?
No, but they should change what you verify. Use public complaints as a checklist: pay, on-call policy, supervision, case volume, school debt, and emotional support.
Best Next Step
If the complaints on this page sound manageable, move from interest to evidence:
- Read A Day in the Life of a Mortician.
- Check Mortician Apprenticeship.
- Compare pay in your state with the Salary Calculator.
- Verify rules in License Requirements by State.
Sources and Method
- Reddit OAuth API searches and selected top-comment reads from r/askfuneraldirectors, including threads on leaving the industry, livable wage concerns, career enjoyment, burnout, green burial, direct cremation, and newcomer warnings. Anonymous comments were used as aggregate qualitative signals, not as verified factual claims about the whole industry.
- AnySearch and search-layer searches of broader Reddit-style and web discussions for supplemental discovery.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook search result summaries for funeral service work schedule context.
- BLS OEWS May 2025 wage figures already used in this site’s salary guides.
- Existing site guides on salary, apprenticeship, emotional challenges, and school ROI.