Museum Technician

Museum technicians do practical work setting up exhibitions and displays. They also pack, unpack and prepare objects for transporting.

The Work

You could be:

• building display stands and units


• carrying out carpentry, lighting and maintenance work on display areas


• hanging paintings or handling old or fragile valuable objects


• moving exhibits to new sites in the museum when needed


• packing objects or materials to send to other places


• unpacking objects or materials sent from other museums


• setting up special displays and exhibitions, including any audio-visual equipment


• making sure that materials are stored safely.

Conditions

• Your duties will vary greatly depending on the size and type of the museum you work in.


• Most work is indoors; however, if you work in a museum with industrial, farming or heritage themes much of the work may be outside.


• You may have to learn how to lift heavy or fragile, valuable objects.


• You usually work a 35-hour week but you will work on evenings and weekends when preparing special exhibitions.

Getting In

• Most entrants have some Standard grades as well as a National Certificate (NC), National Qualification (NQ) or Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ). This is usually in a craft or technical subject such as carpentry or engineering.


• Entry to museum work is very competitive.


• If you do temporary or voluntary work in a museum, this may lead to a full time job.


• You must be prepared to do some heavy lifting.


• You must be fit, as you will be on your feet a lot.


• For some posts you will need a driving licence.

What Does It Take?

You need to be:

• flexible and adaptable
• careful, accurate and methodical


• reliable


• able to carry out instructions.

• the ability to work alone or as part of a team
• an eye for shape, colour and design
• basic computer or IT skills


• good hand skills and practical abilities.

Training

• Training is normally on the job with an experienced member of staff.


• Some museums provide training for SVQs in subjects relevant to museum work.
• You will need to keep up to date with developments in the industry.

Getting On

• With experience, you may be able to move into more specialised work such as helping museum conservators and restorers.


• Most job opportunities are in the larger museums in towns and cities.


• Promoted posts are limited. You may have to move to another area.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates vary, depending on:

• where you work


• the size of company or organisation you work for


• the demand for the job.

More Information

The Museums Galleries Scotland website lists over 340 museums in Scotland. They vary in size from the National Museum of Scotland with many employees to small local museums with very few employees and often run largely by volunteers.

Addresses

The following organisation(s) may be able to provide further information.