“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
art jobsterhttp://artjobster.com Artworkers jobsite: arts, media, visual arts, gallery, museum, community arts, heritage, theatre, dance, festivals, music, & art therapy jobs.
Cultural Heritage National Training Organisationwww.chnto.co.uk (has careers section with job descriptions, volunteering opportunities and more)
24-Hour Museumwww.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 Webhttp://vlmp.museophile.org/uk.html - the Virtual Library site has similar listings for museums in other countries
