When you step into a funeral home and see the staff working hard to make sure family members are comfortable with their visit, if you are like a lot of people, you will pay less attention to how the professional interacts with everyone and be focused more on the questions running around in your mind. Funeral directors do have jobs that not a lot of people talk about, and it is only human nature to be curious about the peculiarities of the job. Here are a few of the biggest questions you likely have in mind for a funeral director, but will likely never ask out loud or in person.

How much money does a funeral home director really make?

One of the biggest questions people usually have about funeral directors is how much they make. Most people assume that the money must be good for someone to want to be in the funeral industry. However, a funeral director's salary may be a lot less than what you would expect. On average, this professional only brings in a little more than $44,000 a year, which is way less than a lot of other professionals where people deal only with the living.

Wouldn't dealing with grieving people and the deceased all day be a big downer?

When most people stop and consider what a funeral director does all day at work, it is only logical that they assume that this must be a rather depressing job with a constant reminder that every one will see the end of their life at some point. However, many funeral directors choose to go into this line of work because they enjoy serving the public in some way, and the end of a person's life is one of the most sacred times to serve not just the deceased, but the family involved as well. As you can imagine, being able to offer kindness at such a grievous time likely brings about a whole level of appreciation for life itself.

Do all funeral directors actually live at the place of business?

This is actually just a myth that stems from dated funeral home traditions. In the beginning when funerals started to be something that you paid someone else to handle, preparing the deceased and offering a funeral was often just a side job for people who had other commitments. Therefore, they often operated out of their home as a matter of convenience. You may find a few funeral directors that stick around in their own private quarters above the parlor, but not as many as you would probably guess. 

Even though it may seem like a funeral director must have one of the strangest jobs around, when it comes down to it, this is just a public service like anything else. If the curiosity gets the best of you and you want to know more, don't be afraid to ask questions.