Each month, staff from the Amelia and the wider council will be sharing an hour of their time with young Home Educators, giving them a hands-on introduction to their role.
Read more to find out how they get on.
12th May 2026
Home Educator Careers Taster - Session eight
Job of the month: Lesley Caveill, Bereavement Services Manager, Crematorium
This month, our Home Educators took up the chance to find out what it’s like working at the Crematorium.
Read about their experience in their own words below.
"During my visit to the crematorium, I learned about the respectful process of how a body's cremation inside it is carried on and the diverse ways people choose to remember their loved ones. The gardens offer memorial options including specialised areas like the Cloister Garden and Panoramic Niches, shown out at the front of the garden booklet from the Kent & Sussex crematorium. I discovered that the memorialisation can include unique tributes such as moving personal items or plaques, parents though these customised options can become quite expensive. Seeing the variety of choices helped me understand how important it is for families to find a meaningful, lasting way to honour those they have lost.
I also had the opportunity to learn about the people who operate the facility and their unexpected career journeys. Many of the staff members shared that they never originally expected or planned to work at a crematorium. For example, the crematorium operator originally as a child wanted to become a vet. However, despite entering the profession by chance, they now expressed a deep passion for their jobs and the meaningful service they provide. This taught me that working in bereavement services require a great deal of empathy and dedication, and that job satisfaction often comes from helping families during their most difficult moments."
Crematorium Workshop
"I found the crematorium workshop very interesting. There was lots of information such as what happens within the cremation process. It is a respectful and carefully managed operation that breaks down to the bones.
What happened first was we had a chat with a staff member and she informed us that it is a very safe environment and not at all scary, which helps dispel misconceptions people may have had. I also learned that many employees had not planned on working there until the opportunity arose.
We were shown the variety of options for handling cremated remains and memorialising loved ones after cremation, and we even got to witness a cremation taking place."
The Home Educator Careers Taster series continues the second Tuesday of each month 10am-11.30am. To find out more and to book onto a session, click here.