Museum/Art Gallery Attendant

Also known as:

Art Gallery/Museum Attendant
Gallery/Museum Attendant

Introduction

Museum/art gallery attendants' work may include cleaning displays, patrolling rooms to monitor security, talking to visitors and helping them with their enquiries, issuing entrance tickets, and helping curators to set up exhibitions.

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Work Activities

Museum/art gallery attendants' duties vary depending on the museum or gallery they work in. Attendants in national museums or galleries, sometimes called warders, normally clean displays, patrol rooms to monitor security, guide visitors within the museum and help curators to set up exhibitions.

Independent and privately owned museums and galleries usually have a smaller number of staff members. They may be required to help with a variety of other tasks such as issuing entrance tickets, looking after a gift shop and mounting exhibitions.

In some cases, attendants may have a role in explaining exhibits and answering questions from the public. They may give guided tours at set times or for pre-booked groups and help with special activities organised for schools, colleges or societies.

Many museums are now 'working'. Working museums can be either outdoors or within a special building. They are designed to let people see how objects were used in the past and how people used to live. In some cases, attendants may have to wear a costume from a particular historical period.

National museums and galleries have security equipment and security guards. In many smaller organisations, security can be part of the attendant's job.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a museum/art gallery attendant, you must enjoy meeting people. Talking to visitors and helping them with their enquiries is an important part of the job. You should therefore also have good communication skills and a polite, helpful manner.

It is helpful to have an interest in the subjects covered by the museum or gallery and develop some knowledge about them in order to explain them to the public.

Museum/art gallery attendants must be security-conscious and alert at all times, as many of the objects are valuable and at risk of being stolen. You must therefore be dependable and totally trustworthy. It is also important to be aware of health and safety issues, be able to follow emergency procedures and direct the public in the event of any emergency.

You should be physically fit, able to deal with a variety of different tasks and enjoy working as part of a team.

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Pay and Opportunities

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Museum/art gallery attendants earn around £12,500 - £16,000 a year, rising to around £17,000 a year.

Attendants work a basic 37-hour week. However, evening, weekend work, and work on public holidays is usual. Part-time opportunities are available with some employers.

Employers are the national museums and galleries (who employ about 50% of all museum/art gallery staff), and independent or privately owned museums and art galleries.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Relevant work experience is useful, such as a background in customer service or security work.

• 17% of people who work in occupations such as museum/gallery attendant work part-time.
• 9% of employees work on a temporary basis
.

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