A former pastry chef and teacher have spoken about moving into the world of funeral planning. Philip Wilson and Becky Hogg are two of what management at A.W. Lymn in Nottingham say is a growing trend for people with no background in the service taking it up as a career.
Philip, who worked as a pastry chef from 2011 to 2022 at Michelin star restaurants, is now a funeral arranger and conductor.
He said: “Joining A.W. Lymn in 2021 has changed my career for the better. Shifts as a chef could sometimes last up to 19 hours, and there was nothing personal about the job whereas at A.W. Lymn I see us making a real difference in the community.
“I love looking after the people that walk through the door, it feels like the job has a purpose that’s more involved in making people’s lives easier. Funerals can be very stressful both physically and mentally, so to give that support is fantastic, and I think people understand that as it feels like an industry people have the utmost respect for.”
Becky, who is a funeral arranger, said: “I originally started out as a teacher in 2009, a career that I had fallen into as I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I loved the actual teaching part, directly looking after children and helping them develop and grow was very satisfying, but it was only a small part of my job.
“I knew I wanted to continue looking after and caring for people, but I didn’t know where to go. It was in 2017 when I decided to fully change my career and took a job in a crematorium as an admin assistant for four years, but I wanted to get more involved in the industry. I then moved to A.W. Lymn to work as a funeral arranger.
“The interview process was very different, and they were very keen on who I was as a person over my experience in the industry.
“It takes the right type of person to help with arranging funerals, you get grieving families coming to us seeking help and advice, and we need to make sure we handle requests with care and dignity. You can train people in the admin side but being sensitive, nurturing and caring is what really counts.”
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A.W. Lymn commercial director Pete Clarson said the industry was seeing a shift in the entry paths of recent recruits.
He said that traditionally Lymns had seen people joining from other funeral firms or starting their careers as apprentices. But in recent years the fifth-generation family business has noticed more new starters coming from jobs with no link to the funeral sector.
Mr Clarson, who heads up recruitment for the business, said: “The pandemic had an unprecedented effect on the 海角视频’s collective mental health. Being stuck inside combined with reports of daily death tolls seems to have caused many people to evaluate if they were enjoying their current job.
“We’ve certainly seen a shift recently in the variety of applicants we’re receiving for a broad selection of roles across our business, from drivers to funeral arrangers.
“A.W. Lymn has been employing a variety of people from different working backgrounds and training them up to work within the industry – from arranging the funerals to arranging the flowers, there’s a role for everyone.”
He said the most important aspect of the role was an ability to provide heartfelt care and support for families during their most vulnerable time.
A.W. Lymn was established in Nottingham in 1907 and now operates 27 funeral homes, employing more than 120 people.
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Managing director Matthew Lymn Rose said: “We welcome the best candidates to our company no matter what previous experience they have had. We look into who they are – caring, sensitive and compassionate are the qualities we look for in a candidate.
“It’s great that a broader scope of people are wanting to join our industry. It is certainly a profession which brings out the best in people. We see a lot of curiosity for what we do, but also a lot of respect.”
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