History of Art CAREER INSIGHT
LJMU CAREERS TEAM 0151 231 2048/3719 ❚ careers@ljmu.ac.uk
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Career Insight: History of Art
Introduction Your degree in History of Art can lead to a variety of professions, particularly in the creative industries. You will develop strong employability skills through the course and will have the opportunity to make connections with a range of local arts organisations, including the Tate. The programme will help you develop your research, writing, communication and teamwork skills and will put you in a good position for working in a variety or professions, such as curating, marketing, arts administration and PR. Planning for your career and gaining experience throughout your course will benefit you when you graduate. Take advantage of work experience opportunities and networking events to develop your skills and help you decide what area you want to move into. Try and make links with people through your course and get involved with the wealth of creative activities in Liverpool and beyond to broaden your skillset and open up opportunities. You should also set up a LinkedIn profile and following relevant organisations through Twitter to keep up to date with opportunities and developments in the creative industries. Many employers use social media to post work experience opportunities so take advantage of using the sites to help you make links and find out more about what opportunities are out there.
Voluntary Work You are unlikely to get a foot on the career ladder without some work experience, which means becoming a museum or gallery volunteer. There are many benefits of volunteering as listed below;
Use it as an opportunity to try out a career.
Use volunteering to broaden your network
Benefit from training opportunities and a range of transferable skills to include in your C.V.
Volunteering provides an opportunity to consider the pros and cons of potential career paths.
Tips on volunteering It is unwise to limit your search to national and large regional museums and galleries. It is quite possible that they may be inundated with requests for voluntary work. Consider applying to smaller local museums and galleries. This will enable you to get a broader range of experience. Yellow pages on-line (www.yell.com ) can provide an extensive list of local galleries and museums. Treat your work experience request as seriously as if you are applying for a full or part time job. Conduct your research in advance regarding the museums and galleries that you are interested in. If they are within reasonable travelling distance pay them a visit. This will provide extra evidence for you to explain why you want to volunteer for them. Be realistic about how much time you have available to work. You may have to balance this work with part time paid employment as well as your academic studies. Opportunities could be easier to find if you are available for the same amount of time each week. Remember that it's not the amount of experience you gain through volunteering but what you make of it that will count in your favour when looking to progress your career in museums or galleries.
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Career Insight: History of Art
Options with your degree Some typical career options include:
Museum/gallery curator: As a curator you will be responsible for developing and displaying works of art, installations or collections of artefacts usually to be viewed by members of the public. In addition to the creative aspects of putting together exhibitions, the role may also involve fundraising, public relations, marketing activities and managing and facilitating education programmes. Experience within the arts is crucial for entry into this profession. Many people gain experience through internships. Although not compulsory many museums and galleries prefer people to have postgraduate qualifications in the area you wish to specialise in.
The following skills are also required:
Excellent written and verbal communication skills A passion for/an interest in the relevant subject area Excellent research and IT skills, including web design skills Accuracy and attention to detail Ability to organise, present and communicate messages effectively through design Creativity Excellent project management, administrative and organisational skills Knowledge of fundraising for cultural projects Knowledge of working with museum databases and IT issues Knowledge of structure and practices of heritage councils/local authorities Good team-working skills and the ability to develop and maintain professional relationships
Museum Education Officer: Working in museums, galleries, cultural setting and heritage setting, museum education officers develop and deliver learning programmes through formal and informal education sessions and via marketing and publicity. The role may involve working with groups of visitors from a variety of backgrounds, such as schools, older people, or families, encouraging them to engage with collections and begin to understand what they are about.
team working skills good organisational skills communication skills and interpersonal skills the ability work with different people; adults, young people, special needs groups the ability to plan and deliver educational sessions creativity to design and develop resources and activities
Other jobs include:
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Librarian/ Visual Resources Creator Museums Communications Office Curator National Museums Curator
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Local Authority Museum Curator Country House Curator Decorative Arts Curator Exhibitions Commercial Gallerist
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Career Insight: History of Art
Educator: National Museums Educator: Local Museums Events Manager Museum Registrar Museum Auctioneer Archivist
Picture Researcher Historic Buildings Inspector Gallery Manager Heritage Manager Picture Researcher
Some destinations of LJMU students
Visitor Services Assistant Imperial War Museum director / Manager Of Art Gallery The Side Door Museum Worker Liverpool Life Museum Curator
Keri Hand Gallery Information Assistant The Bluecoat Education Demonstrator National Museums In Liverpool Curatorial & Records Assistant Public Records Office For Ni
Postgraduate opportunities
MA RENAISSANCE AND EARLY MODERN STUDIES MSc ART AND DESIGN PGCE SECONDARY ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN MA/DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE IN ARCHIVES AND RECORDS MANAGEMENT MA IN MUSEUM STUDIES MA IN HERITAGE MANAGEMENT
Main employers You are likely to find work within: Museums: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ http://www.britishmuseum.org/ http://www.museumsassociation.org/home Galleries: http://www.tate.org.uk/ http://www.london-galleries.co.uk/ http://www.britainsfinest.co.uk/museums/ http://www.artinliverpool.com/?cat=705 Universities: www.jobs.ac.uk Local authorities: http://www.ngdp.org.uk/ http://www.lgjobs.com/ Heritage organisations: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
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Career Insight: History of Art
Archaeological units: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/info/contract.asp National Trust: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ The National Archives: www.archon.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archon
RICS: http://www.rics.org/uk/
Useful links/websites LJMU Vacancy System - MyJobsandPlacements - Register for regular notifications of voluntary, internships placement and graduate opportunities. http://ljmu2.prospects.ac.uk/ Prospects – Careers information and graduate jobs – www.prospects.ac.uk Targetjobs - Careers information and graduate jobs – www.targetjobs.co.uk Creative Choices – information about careers in design http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/careers/design# Arts Jobs Finder http://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/jobs Global Museum http://www.globalmuseum.org/ Arts Hub http://uk.artshub.com/uk/ Milkround – graduate jobs, placements & internships http://www.milkround.com/ The Archives & Record Association http://www.archives.org.uk/ Museums Association http://www.museumsassociation.org/home Association of Art Historians http://www.aah.org.uk/ Art in Liverpool http://www.artinliverpool.com/ School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester UK wide museum jobs search http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/museumstudies/JobsDesk -internships also advertised here.
Follow relevant companies/websites through Twitter: @LJMUCareers
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@artsjobs
@artinliverpool
@MuseumLiverpool
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Career Insight: History of Art
Sources of work experience Download our mini-guide on “Making yourself employable whilst at University” from http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm for an overview of the different types of work experience available and some general suggestions about finding work experience opportunities. During your second year you will complete an internship, which is an excellent opportunity to develop your skills, gain relevant experience and make contacts in the industry. You will find internships advertised both in the UK and internationally in organisations such as the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice. In addition to this you should try to gain further experience. Most work experience in this field is secured through a more creative approach, e.g. using your personal network or contacting relevant organisations directly. Attending networking events and making contacts on social media may enable you to secure work experience. If you have undertaken work experience in relevant roles before, always ensure that you keep in touch with staff there as you might want to contact them in the future for further work experience or graduate opportunities and for advice on job-hunting. You should find the School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester UK wide museum jobs search page http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/museumstudies/JobsDesk useful as national jobs and internships are advertised here. Make sure you research the organisation beforehand and find out the best person to get in touch with. It is important to demonstrate that you are interested in the company and have spent some time finding out what they do. Even when applying to secure work experience for the first time in this industry, show the employer what you have to offer. Briefly outline any relevant knowledge and skills you gained on your course. If you have completed relevant coursework, this would also be worth mentioning. Look at the skills outlined above and try to outline these in your CV, drawing on examples from your course and other work experience or extra-curricular activities to demonstrate how you developed them. To illustrate your motivation, you could also discuss any relevant interests, reading relevant publications, exhibitions or events you have attended.
Recruitment schedules The museum and gallery sectors usually recruit ‘as required’, so you can contact relevant organisations to enquire about work experience or graduate opportunities at any time. Keep an eye on relevant vacancy websites throughout your course for work experience opportunities and start looking out for graduate roles during your final year. Most national galleries and museums use an application form as part of their recruitment process. Within this form you have to fully address the person specification to be shortlisted for the post. Independent galleries may use their own application form but many applications will be by CV and covering letter. These positions will be advertised on organisations’ websites, relevant recruitment websites and national and local newspapers. The ‘creative’ approach to job hunting, outlined above, is also important when looking for graduate roles. Making contacts and approaching organisations speculatively to look for work is a common route into employment. If you are interested in moving away from the arts, there are graduate training schemes with large companies, which will train you in areas such as human resources or marketing. Students from any discipline can usually apply to these schemes. If you are interested in these roles you will need to be aware of the graduate recruitment cycle. Many recruiters begin the graduate recruitment process during the autumn term for final year students. Most closing dates are in November and December but some are earlier so it is important to start researching companies that you want to apply to early
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Career Insight: History of Art
on. The application process for graduate training schemes usually involves completing an online application form, which may require you to answer competency based questions. This may be followed by psychometric tests, a telephone interview and an assessment centre. You may also need to submit your CV. You can download useful employability booklets on CVs/covering letters and the hidden jobs market from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm For advice about the recruitment process, you can arrange a one-to-one appointment with a Careers or Employability Adviser at your nearest Careers Zone or you can attend workshops or webinars run by the Careers Team.
Key events and networking
Liverpool Careers Fair: usually held in the autumn and spring of each year, see fairs website http://www.liverpoolfairs.org.uk/ for additional events
Manchester Careers Fairs: open to students and graduates from any university; check for details http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/events/
Careers and Employability events at LJMU: Keep an eye on our events pages at https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk for details of upcoming employability workshops, networking sessions and employer talks.
LiverpoolSU Clubs and Societies: http://ljmu.unioncloud.org/groups#club-society
LinkedIn: You could also consider setting up a LinkedIn account (http://www.linkedin.com/) to network online with professionals and organisations in your chosen industry
Other information Centre for Entrepreneurship - support for LJMU students and graduates interested in starting up their own business https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/startup/.
Careers Zones Campus-based Careers Zones provide easy access to careers support in convenient locations at Byrom Street, Aldham Robarts Library and at IM Marsh, staffed by the Careers Team. Support available includes CV and application form reviews, Careers Adviser appointments, drop-in quick queries, practice interviews and access to careers resources and information. The Zones also host regular employer visits during term time where you can meet and network with employers and discuss job and placement opportunities. For the latest updates and details of locations and opening times, try our Twitter and Facebook pages.
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