'People don’t believe me when I tell them what I do': 19-year-old reflects on becoming one of the UK’s youngest funeral directors.

Now, aged 19, Charlie is one of the youngest Funeral Directors in the UK, working at Co-op Funeralcare William Black, in Brechin.

Charlie’s career in the funeral sector began unexpectedly when he stumbled across an advert for a position at the Alexander Bain branch in Forfar in 2024.

Charlie said: ‘’Funeralcare was something I’d never have thought about before and when I saw the job advertised last year, I thought why not?

“Naturally, I was a little nervous when I got the role as a Funeral Services Coordinator (FSC), but I decided to give it a go. The team I worked with were brilliant and helped ease my nerves immediately.”

As an FSC, Charlie’s duties included working closely with the rest of the team and supporting families during such a sensitive time in their lives.

After settling into his role as an FSC, gaining valuable skills and insight into the sector, Charlie knew that he wanted to become a Funeral Director. Little did he know that it would happen so soon.

‘When a funeral director position opened at Co-op Funeralcare William Black, I applied. I had been working at the company for only nine months. My main thought when applying for the position was that they’d think I was too young. All I was hoping was to get through to the interview stage and gain interview experience, so I’d be prepared for the future,'' said Charlie.

To his delight, Charlie was successful in the interview. Reflecting on this moment, he said: ‘’I was so excited when my manager told me I was successful, and I’m very grateful for the trust Co-op Funeralcare has placed in me.”

Charlie hopes to break the stigma around death and bereavement and openly talks about his career with friends and family, who have been incredibly encouraging, ‘’My family have been very supportive, and they say they are proud of what I do. Most of them say that they’d never be able to do this job, but I would have said the exact same thing if I’d never applied for the FSC job last year!’

“I find it funny when I meet new people and tell them what I do because they never believe me.’’

Commenting on his day-to-day work in the branch, Charlie said: ‘’It is important to make sure I am up to date with everything, working with the funeral arranger at the branch to go over any upcoming services, going out to funerals and meeting with families for arrangements. Ultimately caring for bereaved families and their loved ones is our priority’’

Charlie also believes in the importance of having open conversations about death. He added: “Death is the one thing that is guaranteed for everybody, so I think it should be spoken about more.’’

Importantly, through his work, Charlie hopes to inspire others to view funeralcare as a rewarding career.