The National Trust are launching a 3 year fixed term programme to develop a new team of Assistant Curators, currently recruiting for 8 roles across all regions of the National Trust. As pointed out by @kathleenlawther on Twitter, this is a Very Good Opportunity: "@nationaltrust is recruiting Assistant Curators at £27K, giving on the job training and development, recognising skills gained outside the sector and not insisting on academic qualifications for applicants" When you look into it, oh yes, this is a very open offer, apparently aimed at getting a more diverse Curatorial team, and understanding that those coming into the role will require training and development along the way. "We are particularly interested in considering applications from people from a wide range of diverse backgrounds who may or may not hold formal qualifications in the heritage or museum sector, but who can offer evidence of relevant experience and personal capabilities." It's a shame that this seems so good, as one would hope that what they are offering would be industry standard for a position like this. It's not though, as so often the expectation is that you've got a "piece of paper to prove you are clever" rather than relevant hands on experience, and that you're willing to work for almost tuppence because it's such as hotly fought for position.
So if you're after a change, or just after a job at all, have a look. careers.nationaltrust.org.uk/OA_HTML/a/#/vacancy-detail/63207
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Thanks to the new follower who submitted this tale of someone playing fast and loose with interpreting the rules for visiting their property. The lady with the dog was quite cheerful, and unaware of the issues behind the rules. Her friend was the one to argue the case, threatening to "write to your head office and ask for my membership to be refunded" if the staff "persisted in being petty and demanding."
The issue was resolved when the lady with the dog suggested he may get restless anyway, so if they put him in the car they'd be able to enjoy the house without him wiggling around. I've seen a lot of museums, galleries, heritage sites and stately homes holding Easter egg hunts, find the bunny/chick/egg trails etc. This makes sense over a period when the kids are off school, you want to entertain those visiting you, and want to attract new visitors looking at a range of options - you tap into the reason for that holiday break. This is the first year though when I've stopped and thought, but is this relevant, and in the long term, beneficial to those sites? “All this happened, more or less.” Wait, no, this is a slightly different story, it involves poor copywriting, the National Trust and the centenary of the Titanic. In February I spotted an advert promoting forthcoming events in the National Trust magazine which veered from “ill fated liner” to “enjoy afternoon tea” in one paragraph. This juxtaposition I had to query, and so I requested more details about the activities. Dress up activities for the kiddies and nautical knot tying all flummoxed me a bit. Thus began a voyage that held conflicting personal details and letters being sent saying that letters would be sent. It’s taken some flipping time but I have now had a full and very sensible answer. I got a bee in my bonnet about the National Trust's Titanic events at Springhill and wrote them a letter asking for some clarity on their thoughts. That was mid February. End of February they asked me to confirm my name, as since getting married I'd not updated my name on their system, so it didn't tally with the membership number I'd provided. Then, nothing. I wrote again mid April, asking if they had progressed any further, and querying the wait. They rang to check my postcode, saying that a letter had been sent to me, but the postcode on their system didn't match the one on my letter. Being dumb, yes, that was my error. I've now had a letter, which says: |
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February 2023
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