Work Study Review

My role was as a student on work study under the collection care project. I assisted with the setting up of installations but mainly I was preparing museum artefacts (skulls, horns, animal bones) to be frozen, documenting artefacts to be prepared and those that were ready for storage, cleaning collections and looking for pests within the skull and textile collections. I also assisted the gardeners within the greenhouses. My interactions were mostly with the collections team (head of collections, curator, conservator and document assistant), but I also had interactions with the director, gardeners, learning and engagement officers, archivist, senior administrator and museum staff.

Yes! I developed new skills in identifying English museum pests, preparation of artefacts for freezing, setting up of installations in museums and incorporating artefacts in activities for learning and development.

Not really. Responsibility was based on what activities were needed for the day

The support and guidance was fantastic! If I was unsure about an activity, it was very easy to ask for help from the collections team. The team would also regular check-in with me to find out how my tasks were going and suggested other tasks I may be interested in.

It was a great culture. The staff on site were relatively small and would meet regularly during lunch or staff would just stop by for a chat. Although there was limited diversity on staff, I always felt welcomed and a part of the team at all times. I would definitely recommend working here just based on their company culture.

I really did enjoy my work study to the extent that I invited friends from my department to visit the museum.

Yes

The company culture is great but given the work nature of the company, most activities are project based. With that said, a lot of the work may be repetitive.