Career Confessions: The Gen Z who chose to work in the funeral business

Do you like your job? Or wonder what it would be like if you’d gone against your parents’ advice and pursued your dream career? Her World’s Career Confessions column spotlights the professional journeys of its subjects and reveals how each individual’s career path and the choices they have made can have an impact on their personal finances, psychological health, and interpersonal relationships.

Working in the funeral industry is an unconventional career choice for anyone, much less a 22-year-old. But Rachael Tay has never thought twice about the vocation, for she grew up with her family’s homegrown business, Casket Fairprice, a funeral services provider and undertaker. 

“Growing up, I had a rather different childhood. Death and funerals were topics that weren’t shunned in our household but instead openly talked about,” she says. “As individuals who see life and death in their line of work, my parents taught me to always live the life that I want and one that I would be proud of.” 

Rachael credits her parents as huge motivators in her life who “place [her] happiness and wellbeing above conventional standards of success”.

She explains: “Just two weeks into secondary school, I requested to drop out of the formal education system. [My parents] provided me the option to do homeschooling where I had the freedom and opportunity to pursue what I love. Fortunately, I was able to do well in my studies and started university a month after my 15th birthday. Their values and teachings have made me who I am today.”

She decided to join Casket Fairprice about three-and-a-half years ago. Being the third generation of the family business didn’t automatically earn her a key position in the company; she had to earn her stripes just like everyone else. 

“I was a Management Trainee, where I learnt the ropes of the operational aspects allowing me to gain a better understanding of what happens on the ground. This understanding aids me in my decision making today,” says Rachael.

Today, she is the company’s Corporate Development Manager, where she oversees the daily activities of the company and works closely with the rest of her team to strategise and plan the growth and development of the business. 

Though young, Rachael has plenty of ideas to offer a new lease of life to the funeral industry, which many perceive as a dying trade. These plans, she explains, will help make the business stay modern and relevant in today’s ever changing landscape. 

Last December, for example, she launched a sustainability-focused campaign titled Dignity for the Departed, where unused makeup was collected from the public to help in the embalming process in beautifying the departed. Rachael hopes to make the campaign part of a wider sustainability-minded programme, with plans for eco-conscious funeral packages in the works. 

“We are very grateful to say that the initiative was a resounding success. My team is looking forward to launching our eco-friendly funeral package sometime this year, as we hope to contribute in playing our part for the environment and community,” says Rachael. “As Singapore is advancing towards The Singapore Green Plan 2030, we aim to be more conscious about our carbon footprint and provide more opportunities for our customers to join us on this journey.”

This is "a meaningful career that [she] is extremely passionate about", reflects the young undertaker. “It definitely isn’t just a job to me, especially since we are entrusted to perform a dignified last journey for the dearly departed. It is our honour to be able to serve the community.”

In her career confession below, she shares more about working in the family business, the challenges of the job, as well as her long term plans for Casket Fairprice. 

Name: Rachael Tay
Highest Education: Bachelor’s in Business Administration, currently pursuing
Masters in End-of-Life Studies
Job Title & Industry: Corporate Development Manager, Casket Fairprice (Funeral Industry)
Years of Work Experience: 3.5+

Tell us more about taking over the reins of a third-gen family business – is this the career path that you envisioned for yourself, or do you wish you were doing something else? 

I’ve never regretted my decision to join the company. I’m very grateful to have been given this opportunity and for my parent’s trust in me. Casket Fairprice will always be a part of my identity and I look fondly on the experience I’ve gained and people I’ve met through working in the funeral industry. There’s always new things to learn every day. I’m still working on plans to grow and position the business even stronger in the market. And only when my parents and I feel that I’ve earned the right to do so, will they hand over the reins of the business and take a backseat to spend more time on themselves!

Tell us a bit about your salary and compensation. How has it had an impact on your life? 

Growing up, my parents always taught me the importance of saving for rainy days and spending within my limit. At this stage of my life, I’m actively saving up as my boyfriend and I have plans to buy a house in the next 2 years. I’m also saving up to self-fund the Master’s program that I’m undertaking now. So those alone already take up a chunk of my salary. Other than that, the biggest impact that my salary has made is allowing me to be more generous in spending on my loved ones, whether it be on food or splurging on gifts for them.

Do you feel pressure to have a successful career, or to earn more money? If you do, is it mainly internal or external pressure? 

Personal success and earning more money for myself has always been secondary. I’m currently more invested in the success and health of the business because it is the foundation for the success of everyone in the company. As the third generation of the company, I feel a great sense of duty and self-imposed pressure in ensuring that the company is not only sustainable in its operations, but that it continues to adapt, grow and thrive in this competitive industry.

If you could tell your younger or future self something, what would you say? 

If I could speak to my future self, I would tell her to never forget why we first started on this journey. I hope that we will always remember our passion for the end-of-life industry, and our desire to contribute to society by being a funeral service provider that serves from the heart.

Has your career impacted your relationships with other people? 

I’m heartened that I’ve never had any friends or relatives who turned away because of my chosen career. I think that people in my generation are more willing and open to talking about death. It no longer feels like a taboo anymore.

What challenges have you faced in pursuing your career? 

As we all know, the funeral industry has a long history and traditions play a significant role. It hasn’t always been easy to balance the traditional way that things were carried out and forging a new path forward towards the future. There are also days when self-doubt and imposter syndrome will hit me. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing because it just serves as a motivator for me to work even harder to prove myself through my actions and abilities, not through my connections to the business.

What are some of your long-term plans? 

There is a lot of potential for growth and I am very excited to be able to lead the change for Casket Fairprice. We envision expanding beyond just being a funeral service provider and we are constantly looking out for ways and new partnerships that enable us to contribute more to the end-of-life sector in Singapore. We have many exciting plans coming up this year, so stay tuned and follow our socials to get updates on them! 

Anything else you would like us to know? 

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of family and allowed us to spend more time with our loved ones. At the end of the day, material items don’t matter as much as the connection and memories we create. A quote comes to mind “we come with nothing, we go with nothing, but one great thing we can achieve in our beautiful life is a little remembrance in someone’s mind and a small place in someone’s heart”.