Volunteer

We are currently looking for volunteers that are able to come into the Museum on Tuesday mornings and all day Saturday and Sunday. We are looking for individuals to take part in voluntary work in the Museum as room stewards and as front of house staff. Their duties will include greeting visitors and talking to them about the Foundling Hospital, working behind the front desk selling tickets and shop stock and answering any questions asked by the visitors.

Roles include Front of House Assistants, Gallery Stewards, Family Fun Helpers and School Session Helpers. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone wishing to develop skills in working with the public or within a museum and gallery environment. Volunteering at the Foundling Museum is an opportunity to meet new people, learn new skills, learn about eighteenth century London, enthuse to others about the history of the Foundling Hospital and support a small, independent Museum.

Front of House Assistance at the Foundling Museum

Assisting at front of house is an active role at the museum. You will be welcoming visitors to the Museum, inputting admission, selling items from the small shop, answering general queries, selling event tickets, manning the main reception telephone, manning the cloakroom and handing out child-friendly activities.

                 

Gallery Stewarding at the Foundling Museum

The voluntary position of gallery steward at the Foundling Museum is an extremely important role within the Museum. The gallery steward will be assigned rooms / galleries to look after for an hour at a time, ensuring each visitor gets a welcome – either through eye contact or spoken word.

The gallery steward should look out for the safety of the Collection – ensuring visitors do not take photographs of the Collection, do not lean on tables or get too close to the artwork or artefacts. This should be done in a polite, light-hearted way, making the visitor feel welcome in the Museum.

The gallery steward is also available to answer questions from visitors, if the steward does not know the answer to a question then they can enquire in the gallery next door or at the front reception desk. We do not require gallery stewards to know the answers to direct questions concerning the Collection or historical period but visitors do appreciate it when the gallery stewards take time to learn from the guidebook and from the information provided in the galleries. 

Volunteers are a huge part of the Foundling Museum, having being instrumental in establishing the Museum prior to its opening in 2004 and continuing to contribute to its success today. We pride ourselves on welcoming a diverse range of individuals who choose to share their time for a variety of reasons. We often say that the Museum could not function without volunteers and it is very true! The team was recognized by the MLA & Renaissance London in the “London Volunteers in Museums Awards 2009”, as Runners Up Volunteer Team, with Shelley Mullane being Highly Commended in Supporting, Managing & Encouraging Volunteers.

We are currently looking for volunteers that are able to come into the Museum on Tuesday mornings and all day Saturday and Sunday. If you are interested in becoming a voluntary member of our team on one of these days please contact Nick Castell.