The Museum of Watford exists to reflect and celebrate the history and culture of Watford’s local community. Our goal is to make the museum accessible to all, promoting a deeper understanding and ...
Learning & Engagement Volunteer
Practical details
Volunteering • Short term role
Contact person
Shaima Bohari
Provided
#120880
Scan me or visit www.govolherts.org.uk/o/Museum-of-Watford/opportunities/Learning--Engagement-Volunteer/120880 to join
Are you interested in helping the team at Museum of Watford deliver engaging programmes?
About the Project
The Museum of Watford is undergoing a major transformation following a successful grant of £2.4 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund toward our Re-imagine Watford Museum project.
Re-imagine Watford Museum will create an exciting new Museum and Heritage Service for Watford, relocating Watford Museum to Watford Town Hall, creating a new home to tell the town’s story, bringing together local history from over the centuries. The re-visioned Museum of Watford will also include a dedicated Museum shop and a café.
This project is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players.
About the Museum
The Museum of Watford exists to reflect and celebrate the history and culture of Watford’s local community. Our goal is to make the museum accessible to all, promoting a deeper understanding and appreciation of Watford’s cultural heritage while enriching the lives of both residents and visitors.
We achieve this by collecting, conserving, and exhibiting artefacts that represent Watford’s history from prehistory to the present day. Our collections include Social and Industrial ephemera, Archaeology, Fine Art, and Photography — all of which together tell the evolving story of the town and its people.
The Collections
The Museum of Watford’s collections tell the story of Watford from prehistory to the present day. The collections comprise of Social and Industrial ephemera, Archaeology, Fine Art, and Photography.
What will I be doing?
As Learning & Engagement Volunteer, you will be helping the Learning & Engagement Officers to do the following:
- Deliver engaging programmes to various groups within the community, as part of the Museum on Tour programme to bring the Museum to the public. These could include Pride events, community celebrations, local festivals, partnered events, family and school programmes, and many more.
- Administering the programme by helping to set up and pack away and during events helping to welcome participants and collect monitoring information (e.g. sign in sheets and evaluation/feedback surveys)
- Preparing materials for the programmes
- Researching object histories and developing engagement ideas for the various programmes that the museum is developing.
Full training will be given and there will be information sheets for you to refer to.
Where will I be based?
You will be mainly based at the Museum for all preparatory activity and the delivery of programmes, we will be in public spaces or external venues within, or local to, Watford. Travel expenses to activities in different locations will be re-imbursed.
Accessibility:
The Museum areas being used for this programme are step free and we are committed to removing participation barriers where possible.
If you have a specific access requirement or accommodation that would support your participation, please email contact us to discuss.
There is an accessibility ramp at the rear entrance of the museum.
Volunteer Schedule and Time Commitment
We are looking for people who are able to volunteer on Fridays and weekends.
Ideally, we would love it if you could commit to few hours twice a month, on Fridays. This could be morning (10-1), or a full day (10-4) with an hour break for lunch.
For the delivery of programmes, the days will be dynamic, and most are on the weekend. We will always ask you your availability at least 1 week in advance for this.
Ideally you will be available for an initial period of 3 months, and we will review the voluntary role at 3 monthly intervals after that.
What skills, qualities and experience do I need?
No qualifications are necessary, and we hope you will enjoy gaining new skills.
This voluntary role would suit people who:
- Are above 18 years of age
- Enjoy being part of a team, supporting staff and other volunteers
- Have experience (work or life) leading and creating activities for children
- Are warm, inclusive, and confident talking to people of all ages and backgrounds
- Are enthusiastic and willing to learn about the museum
- Are reliable
- Are able to undertake tasks with and without supervision
- Are willing to undertake training and follow guidelines
- Are happy to undertake tasks alone or as part of a close-knit team
- Are methodical, with an attention to detail
- Are happy using a laptop (e.g. for data entry and research)
- Can follow the museum’s guidelines, policies and procedures
Additional skills like experience with a camera/photography, public speaking, research, or arts and crafts, and computing skills are all desirable and very welcome.
What support and training will I receive?
We will provide you with training to enable you to help develop programmes and deliver to the wider public. Full training will be given in how to engage the public, as well as organising and setting-up for public programmes. You may also get training in how to work on developing museum programmes.
There will be ongoing opportunities to review your volunteering, to check that it is meeting your expectations and we are both happy in the volunteering relationship. This will enable us to offer ongoing support and further training if required.
What will the Museum expect from me?
- To be reliable in attendance and dependable
- To maintain good relationships with other volunteers and Museum staff
- To undertake appropriate training
- To observe the Museum’s policies and procedures
- To support the Museum's vision and values
What can I expect from the museum?
- An enjoyable experience with our friendly and dedicated team
- An opportunity to get close to interesting and unique objects
- A secure space to put your belongings and leave your lunch/snacks (fridge)
- Free coffee, tea and biscuits
- Free parking at the Museum and travel expenses to offsite activities or training
- The opportunity to learn and develop new skills and experience
- To be treated fairly and with respect
- Appreciation for your contribution
- Satisfaction of giving back to the community and promoting the work of the Museum
How do I apply?
To apply for this opportunity (and if you have any questions) please send the following:
(To download the form and for more information, please visit the Museum of Watford website)
- A CV (please do highlight any previous volunteer or paid work you may have done, especially those in a similar capacity to this role)
- A 2–3-minute video of you telling us:
a) about yourself,
b) why this volunteer position is a good fit for you,
c) and any specific areas/programs you would like to work on.
(Please send us the video via either GoogleDocs or Dropbox if file size is too large to attach to an email)
A completed Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form (this will not be used to select volunteers but helps us to ensure we are creating opportunities with a wide appeal and advertising broadly enough).
Please include the following information in the Subject line:
- “Learning and Engagement Volunteer”
- If you are able to attend both the Interview Day (July 17) and the Induction Day (July 24)
- Date of Birth to confirm you are above 18 years of age
Closing date
The last date to send applications is by midnight of 5th July 2026. We will endeavour to respond to all applications.
Related to
About Museum of Watford
The Museum of Watford exists to reflect and celebrate the history and culture of Watford’s local community. Our goal is to make the museum accessible to all, promoting a deeper understanding and appreciation of Watford’s cultural heritage while enriching the lives of both residents and visitors.
We achieve this by collecting, conserving, and exhibiting artefacts that represent Watford’s history from prehistory to the present day. Our collections include Social and Industrial ephemera, Archaeology, Fine Art, and Photography — all of which together tell the evolving story of the town and its people.
Find out more here: https://www.watfordmuseum.org.uk/collections
Applications closing in 24 days.