{"id":11978,"date":"2026-08-10T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T08:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/?post_type=news&p=11978"},"modified":"2026-08-10T10:22:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T08:22:35","slug":"series-insights-into-working-at-dignitas-karin","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/news\/series-insights-into-working-at-dignitas-karin\/","title":{"rendered":"Series: Insights into working at Dignitas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Part 5: An interview with Karin from the Team for Registry Office Documents and Urn Shipping<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What led you to Dignitas?<\/em><\/strong>
After a long stay abroad, I was looking for meaningful work. At first, I wasn\u2019t really sure what that might be. All I knew was that I wanted to work directly with people again, as much as possible, and to be in a supportive role. It also was, and still is, important to me that I can put my language skills to good use. I then came across the job advert from Dignitas at exactly the right time. I had already heard of the organisation and knew straight away that I could make a difference here, even on a small scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does your typical working day look like?<\/em><\/strong>
Basically, we check the documents that will be needed for issuing the death certificate for members who are planning an accompanied suicide. But the tasks and requirements have changed considerably since I started this work nearly 15 years ago. When I first joined Dignitas, our team didn\u2019t exist in this form. One could almost say that everyone did everything. Since then, specialisation has taken place within the organisation, and the Team for Registry Office Documents and Urn Shipping has been here for some time now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning, we didn\u2019t have as many members, and they didn\u2019t come from as many different countries<\/a> as they do today. This is relevant because each country has its own regulations regarding which documents are needed and \/ or whether and how the urn can be sent on. What\u2019s more, these requirements change frequently. That is why we have country-specific checklists which our team needs to update regularly. To do this, we liaise with the registry office as well as with foreign consulates. And we coordinate the transport of the urn with the crematorium and the local funeral home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What qualities are important for your job?<\/em><\/strong>
A high standard of accuracy, very good language skills, and the ability to connect the dots are essential requirements. You need to think holistically, understand how things are connected, and enjoy getting to the bottom of things. It\u2019s also important to know who can provide the information or where to look it up. And everything we do must be well documented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you like about working at DIGNITAS in general, and within your team in particular?<\/em><\/strong>
The work here isn\u2019t just a run-of-the-mill job for me, but a fulfilling role. It\u2019s nice to know that I can show our members and their loved ones: “we\u2019re here to support you on your journey.” Although we cannot obtain the necessary papers, such as a birth certificate, for our members, we support their decision, accompany them on their journey and enable them to exercise self-determination right up to the end of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also appreciate the flexibility, for example when it comes to organising my working hours. The fact that we can work from home is also a big plus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which moments or situations have particularly stuck in your memory?<\/em><\/strong>
It doesn\u2019t happen often, but sometimes a member wants to hand over the documents in advance in person. I always try to make this possible. Recently, a member\u2019s sister contacted me; she wanted us to have the original documents. We met up, and this allowed her, on the one hand, to hand over the documents to me and feel assured that everything would go smoothly \u2013 and on the other hand, she was able to meet a real person face-to-face, rather than just dealing with an email address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which moments or situations touch you particularly deeply?<\/em><\/strong>
Even after all these years, I\u2019m still moved by cases where, for example, a young mother is terminally ill and has to leave behind small children. At the same time however, I know that I can support those affected and at least bring them some relief. And I am firmly convinced that accompanying someone throughout the assisted dying process is an act of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To what extent has your work at Dignitas changed you?<\/em><\/strong>
I have asked myself this question before, and I have to say: I don\u2019t know. That\u2019s a question to answer by those who know me well in my private life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Karin is responsible for registry office documents and urn shipping. She has been with DIGNITAS for around 15 years. Her team makes sure that the Swiss civil registry office can issue the correct documents after a death.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 1: Carola from the First Contact Team<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 2: Myriam from the Planning Team<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 3: Andrea and Tino from the Assisted Dying Companion Team<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 4: Michael from the External Relations Team<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 5: An interview with Karin from the Team for Registry Office Documents and Urn Shipping What led you to Dignitas?After a long stay abroad, I was looking for meaningful work. At first, I wasn\u2019t really sure what that might be. All I knew was that I wanted to work directly with people again, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","tags":[540],"class_list":["post-11978","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","tag-dignitas-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/11978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}