Work Experience Opportunities 2025

What would I gain from completing Work Experience at Museum in the Park?

Taking part in a Work Experience Opportunity at Museum in the Park will offer you the opportunity to develop your understanding about an area of work within the heritage sector.

Spending time with our team and learning about the jobs that people do at the Museum in the Park is a great way to build your understanding about the work that museums do to care for the collections they look after, provide excellent visitor experiences and help visitors learn by engaging with objects in the collection.

You will find out about daily working life, develop skills and explore your interests as you consider your possible future career options.

What have previous students said about their Work Experience at the museum?

At the end of each week, students taking part in Work Experience during 2024 completed feedback forms to share their experiences and reflections. Students were asked to describe their week with us in 3 words. These are some of their words.

We also asked the students to write about what they found most surprising during their time with us. Their answers included:

• ‘how much work goes into make the museum accessible for everyone.’

• ‘how many objects the museum actually has in store compared to on display.’

• ‘how much work goes into making the catalogues and how you deal with old handwriting.’

• ‘the amount of work that happens in the stores.’

Students were also asked to describe the difference that taking part in Work Experience at the museum has made to them. These are some of their answers:

‘I feel it has made me more confident in my ability to work on a task and stay concentrated.’

It has allowed me to think more about how much you manage a museum and how you are constantly at work.’

‘It made me think of a career in history.’

‘It has allowed me to think more about how much work goes on behind the scenes.’

Which weeks are you offering Work Experience Opportunities?

Applications are open for Work Experience Opportunities during the following weeks.

Week 1 : Monday 23rd June - Friday 27th June 2025 for a Collections and Documentation Work Experience Opportunity.

Week 2 : Monday 14th July - Friday 18th July 2025 for either a Front of House and Visitor Services Work Experience Opportunity OR a Learning and Access Work Experience Opportunity.

Please make sure we have your application by Tuesday 31st December 2024. If the deadline for telling your school is before this date, please tell us when you apply.

Please note that we are currently unable to offer Work Experience outside of these dates. 

What will I be doing during my Work Experience?

We want the time you spend with us to benefit you. By completing Work Experience with us, you will gain an overview of what it is like to work in the heritage sector. We also want you to be able to explore your own interests and develop your own skills, so we have created different opportunities focusing on different areas of our work.

Read the information below to find out about the different Work Experience Opportunities we are offering and and the 2 weeks during June and July 2025 that we are offering Work Experience.

During Week 1 : Monday 23rd June - Friday 27th June 2025 we are offering a Collections and Documentation Work Experience Opportunity. Museum in the Park cares for around 57,000 objects. Most objects are strongly connected with the Stroud District and help paint a picture of life here in the past. Our Collections Team also run a busy enquiry service, work with people in the community to create displays in our community display area and ensure the safety of the objects in the collection.

A Collections and Documentation Work Experience Opportunity will mean you learn about the work our team does to care for the collection and will give you the opportunity to:

• develop active listening skills and develop verbal communication skill to help you cooperate with the museum team as you explore the documentation and collection care work done in museums.

• learn how to monitor the environment the objects are kept in and monitor pests that have the potential to harm the collection if they are not dealt with appropriately.

• find out how records are created about the objects in the collection.

• work to create a record of an object yourself, allowing you to develop written communication skills and ability to follow a process.

• develop an understanding of how to work with museum objects in safe ways by developing good object handling skills appropriate for museum work.

• visit a store to see objects not currently on display - a great ‘behind the scenes’ experience.

• Please make sure we have your application by Tuesday 31st December 2024. If the deadline for telling your school is before this date, please tell us when you apply.

During Week 2: Monday 14th July - Friday 18th July 2025 applicants can choose between either a Front of House and Visitor Services Work Experience Opportunity OR a Learning and Access Work Experience Opportunity.

During Week 2: Monday 14th July - Friday 18th July 2025 we are offering a Front of House and Visitor Services Work Experience Opportunity. Museum in the Park welcomed 42,056 visitors and according to Visit Britain was the most visited free-to-enter museum in the South West in 2022. As well as the museum collection that is displayed in the mansion, the museum also has a gift shop, refreshments area, purpose-built art gallery and Walled Garden.

Choosing a Front of House and Visitor Services Work Experience Opportunity will mean you learn more about the work our Front of House team does to provide excellent standards of customer service and will give you the opportunity to:

• develop the verbal communication skills and visitor service skills need to support visitors in getting the best out of their visit as you explore how our team greets visitors and maintains high levels of presentation.

• learn how to work in safe ways as you work as part of a team to complete necessary Front of House tasks.

• find out about the work museums do to create a strong retail offer.

• work to plan a shop display that our visitors would be interested in, allowing you to develop creative and planning skills.

• develop and understanding of how to work with visitors by learning about the ways we support and serve our visitors.

• visit a store to see objects not currently on display - a great ‘behind the scenes’ experience.

• Please make sure we have your application by Tuesday 31st December 2024. If the deadline for telling your school is before this date, please tell us when you apply.

During Week 2: Monday 14th July - Friday 18th July 2025 we are offering a Learning and Access Work Experience Opportunity. Museum in the Park aims to provide a museum service that encourages everyone who lives, works or visits the Stroud District to be proud of its past, present and future by providing opportunities for visitors to forge connections and keep learning. As well as offering a range of themed visits for school groups, providing resources for remote learning and welcoming visits from Home Educator families, the museum provide trails, workshops and events for visitors of all ages to learn and be inspired.

Choosing a Learning and Access Work Experience Opportunity will mean you find out how we enable visitors of all ages to learn and will give you the opportunity to:

• develop verbal communication skills to help you cooperate with the museum team as you explore the work the museum does to support learning.

• learn how to work to achieve the delivery of an aspect of our learning programme.

• find out about the opportunities the museum provides to help visitors engage with and learn using the objects in the collection

• create a resource to support family learning, allowing you to develop your creative skills and written communication skills.

• develop an understanding of how our team provides learning opportunities for schools.

• visit a store to see objects not currently on display - a great ‘behind the scenes’ experience.

• Please make sure we have your application by Tuesday 31st December 2024. If the deadline for telling your school is before this date, please tell us when you apply.

Who can apply?

We are currently inviting applications from students in Year 10 only. If you are over 18, you can also consider enquiring about Volunteering with us.

We anticipate that we will receive more applications than places available. If this is the case, we will consider the information within your application and make offers to those who we feel will benefit most from the experience.

How do I apply? (choose one option)

• fill out the online application form

• send us an email* to museum@stroud.gov.uk or send us a letter* to Museum in the Park, Stratford Park, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4AF
  *If you choose to send a letter or email, please make sure you include the following information:

  • The week are you applying for. Either:

    Week 1: Monday 23rd – Friday 27th June 2025 or Week 2: Monday 14th – Friday 18th July 2025

  • Your name and age

  • Your email address (a school/college email address if you have one)

  • The name of a Parent/Guardian and their contact details (telephone number and email)

  • The name and address of the School/College you attend

  • Name of Work Experience Co-ordinator and their contact details (email)

  • If you are applying for Week 2: Monday 14th – Friday 18th July 2025, please tell us the area of work you are interested in: Front of House and Visitor Services or Learning and Access. You can also tell us if you are interested in both of them or if you still don’t know which area you would like to focus on.

  • Why are you interested in completing Work Experience in the heritage sector? (You might like to tell us what subjects you are studying, or a related interest you have. You might like to tell us about a skill you want to develop or what career or job you would like to aim for.)

  • Do you have any additional needs you would like to tell us about to enable us to support you if you are successful in your application to complete your work experience at Museum in the Park?

• If you would like us to post you a paper copy, screen reader friendly or large print copy of the application form, please contact us by telephone on 01453 763394 or emailing museum@stroud.gov.uk to request it.

• If you prefer to apply in person, please contact us by telephone on 01453 763394 or email museum@stroud.gov.uk to arrange an appointment for a short, informal meeting during which we will support you in your application and record the information you tell us.

• Please make sure we have your application by Tuesday 31st December 2024. If the deadline for telling your school is before this date, please tell us when you apply.

What happens next?

After the deadline we will read all the applications we have received. We will consider the reasons that you have given for applying to complete Work Experience at Museum in the Park and our ability to support you.

We will contact you within 10 working days of the deadline to tell you whether we are able to offer you a placement. We will invite you and your parent/guardian to pop into the museum for a short chat to help us consider your expectations and any additional needs you may have told us about, to help us provide the support you would need if we are able to offer you a placement. If we offer you a placement, we will ask you if would like to take up the offer.

We aim to allocate and confirm all 2025 Work Experience placements by Thursday 31st January 2025. If the deadline for telling your school is before this date, please tell us when you apply.

What can I expect if I accept an offer of completing a Work Experience week at Museum in the Park?

• before you start your Work Experience week we will ask you to provide some more information about yourself, including Parental Consent and Emergency Contact Details and an Equalities Monitoring Form

• before you start your Work Experience week we will provide you with a timetable for your week with us. Sometimes the timetable changes at short notice owing to changes in the work patterns or responsibilities of our staff, but we tell you about any changes at the earliest opportunity.

• at the start of the week, we will provide you with an induction including fire evacuation procedures, the layout of site and safe working practices.

• during the week we will provide clear information and instructions about any tasks we ask you to do and continue to support you throughout the week.

• we will treat you as a member of our team. Members of our team will be expected to participate fully in a range of tasks and duties throughout the week.

• enable you to spend time talking to our team about your ideas about future career paths.

• as your placement comes to an end we will ask you to feedback to us about your Work Experience at Museum in the Park and provide you with feedback as well.

We look forward to receiving your application.