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I Want to Work In … the Heritage Sector
“Becoming a museum or heritage professional is not the easiest career route to follow. There is increasingly intense competition for jobs, the pay would generally be described as poor and the level of qualifications and experience demanded is high. In addition, career progression can be difficult - people often have to be willing to move anywhere in the country - and short term contracts in many areas of work are now seen as the norm. Getting a job in the sector can indeed be a tough nut to crack”.
CHNTO – Cultural Heritage National Training Organisation
The key to getting into this sector – museums, art galleries, historic buildings and conservation – is to gain relevant experience. This must usually be through volunteering, but there are some paid posts available for students and graduates – English Heritage, for example, regularly recruits Seasonal Custodians to work at sites including Dover Castle and St Augustine’s Abbey. See our page on heritage volunteering opportunities
A degree in a relevant subject, such as History or Classics and Archaeology is often an advantage. There is a shortage of men working in the museums sector and also a shortage of science graduates, especially those with a knowledge of the history of science and technology.
PROFILE: Museums Officer/Curator
INVOLVES: planning & creating exhibitions. Researching & writing catalogues. Preserving exhibits. Encouraging the public to visit & value museums. Presenting information to groups. Writing pamphlets.
EMPLOYERS: national museums, local authority museums, private museums.
RELATED JOBS: museum education officer, art gallery curator, arts administrator.
SATISFACTIONS: Working with members of the public. Assuming role of 'expert' in presentations.
NEGATIVES: Quite a lot of administration. Commercial pressures increasing. Pay is generally poor. Many initial contracts are short term.
SKILLS: spoken & written communication, organising, cooperating, investigating.
ADVANCEMENT: Can move to senior posts in larger museums - in smaller ones may have to move between institutions. Short term contracts more common.
DEGREE: Depends on specific nature of museum. Archaeology, History, Science & related degrees preferred.
POSTGRADUATE STUDY: Postgraduate course in Museum Studies or PhD in subject usually preferred.
VACANCY SOURCES: Museums Journal, The Guardian, Association of Independent Museums Bulletin, the Times Education Supplement.
TIPS: Gain museum work experience - voluntary if necessary. A higher degree is very useful. |
See the Prospects website www.prospects.ac.uk/links/InfoMusManage for occupational profiles of Heritage Manager, Museum/Art Gallery Curator, Museum Education Officer and Museum/Art Gallery Exhibitions Officer. The site also has a Historic Buildings Inspector/Conservation Officer profile at www.prospects.ac.uk/links/HistBuildOff
Some Postgraduate courses in Heritage Management and Museum Work
Do be aware that a postgraduate qualification in Museums and Galleries will by no means guarantee you a job in a museum or gallery, although it will improve your chances of entry. There are not many bursaries available, so it is likely that you will have to pay for the course yourself.
- University of Leicester - Art Museum and Gallery Studies
- University of Leicester - Museum Studies
- Newcastle offers programme options in Art Museum & Gallery Education, Art Museum & Gallery Studies, At as Enterprise, Heritage Education & Interpretation, Heritage Management, Museum Studies.
- City University - Information Management in the Cultural Sector
- Nottingham Trent University - Museum and Heritage Management
- University of Sheffield - Arts and Heritage Management
- Aberystwyth University - Historical Studies (Heritage Skills)
- Birmingham City University - Contemporary Curatorial Practice
- University of Birmingham - Curatorial Archaeology
- Bournemouth University - Museums Studies
- Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London - Conservation
- University of Cambridge - Archaeology (World Archaeology/Archaeological Heritage and Museums)
- Cardiff University - Conservation
- Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London - Curating the Art Museum
- Durham University - Museum and Artifact Studies
- University of East Anglia - Museology
- University of Essex - Gallery Studies and Critical Curating
- University of Glamorgan - Heritage Management
- University of Glasgow - Tourism, Heritage and Development
- Institute of Education, University of London - Museums and Galleries in Education
- King's College London (University of London) - Cultural and Creative Industries
- Kingston University - Conservation Science for Museum Artifacts
- University of Wales, Lampeter - Cultural Heritage
- University of Leeds - Art Gallery and Museum Studies
- See our postgraduate study pages for help on how to apply to postgraduate courses
Other useful websites
- Museum Jobs www.museumjobs.com jobs in museums world-wide, both paid and voluntary
- Leicester University Museums Jobs Desk www2.le.ac.uk/departments/museumstudies/JobsDesk
- The Museums Association www.museumsassociation.org
- Museum Net www.museums.co.uk
- art jobster http://artjobster.com Artworkers jobsite: arts, media, visual arts, gallery, museum, community arts, heritage, theatre, dance, festivals, music, & art therapy jobs.
- 24-Hour Museum www.24hourmuseum.org.uk “the national virtual museum” with news, listings and features from over 3500 museum, gallery and heritage sites.
- Virtual Library of UK museums on the Web http://museophile.org the Virtual Library site has similar listings for museums in other countries
- Canterbury Cathedral Official Website www.canterbury-cathedral.org
- English Heritage www.english-heritage.org.uk
- The National Trust www.nationaltrust.org.uk
- Wordsworth Trust www.wordsworth.org.uk regularly recruits volunteers to work at the Wordsworth museum in the Lake District
- The British Museum volunteering opportunities www.britishmuseum.org/join_in/volunteers.aspx
- Do-It www.do-it.org search for volunteering opportunities by sector, location etc
- See our page on HERITAGE VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/HeritageVolunteering.htm
Last fully updated 2012
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