Porters and museum staff at the Royal College of Surgeons of England carrying a large whale bone on their shoulders down the front steps of the College in the 1930s, when the collection of whale specimens was being transferred to the Natural History Museum.
Volunteer
Visitor engagement and shop volunteers
There are a range of duties volunteers undertake including;
- Welcoming visitors to the Museum
- Supporting shop sales using a cashless system
- Maintaining shop displays and restocking
- Make regular ‘walk throughs’ of the Hunterian to engage with visitors, answering visitor enquiries about the exhibition and displays and pointing out highlights of the collections
- Getting out objects from the handling collection to engage with visitors
- Conducting building artwork tours (with support) to small groups
- Gallery invigilation during temporary exhibitions
Museum volunteers are requested to volunteer when then Hunterian Museum is open to the public. Tuesday-Saturday, most volunteer shifts are 11am to 4pm including a break, but shifts can be adapted to suit individual volunteers availability. A minimum commitment, normally of two days a month depending on role is requested - weekdays and/or weekends.
If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions please contact [email protected]
Call for Learning volunteers
The Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England is currently recruiting a team of Learning Volunteers to support the delivery of the schools’ programme.
The schools programme includes workshops to cover a range of National Curriculum subjects. The workshops are aimed at 14-18 year old secondary school and Further Education students.
As a Learning Volunteer, you will be supporting the delivery of the schools’ programme including welcoming classes to the Museum, leading introductions to the collections, supporting workshop facilitators, giving talks to students, answering their questions, leading object handling sessions and supporting surgical skills demonstrations. This is an exciting opportunity to support young people studying: healthcare, the history of medicine, biology and English literature and to develop personal and professional experience working with young people in a world-class museum.
Previous volunteers have been able to use their experience to progress in museum and heritage education studies as well as early careers in teaching.
Learning Volunteers are requested to work between 10am and 4pm Mondays, Tuesdays and/or Thursdays during term time. As part of the Hunterian public engagement programme, the Museum also offers activities for families during school holidays and Learning Volunteers are welcome to support other public engagement programming.
If you are interested in becoming a Learning Volunteer please contact the Senior Museum Learning Co-ordinator, Anouk Sallansonnet, for further information : [email protected]
Volunteering at the Hunterian Museum
Volunteers make a vital contribution to the museums work at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England). Volunteers greatly enhance what the museums at RCS England can offer and provide a personal connection that is highly valued by all visitors.
Whether you are looking to gain experience in working in a museum, work part time or are retired and want to be part of a stimulating and interesting environment, the Hunterian Museum is a fascinating place and there are many ways to get involved as a volunteer.
The volunteer roles vary. The tasks volunteers include welcoming visitors (including the public, healthcare professionals, and student and community groups), selling items in the shop, leading object-handling sessions, giving tours of artworks, supporting exam candidates' study, assisting with facilitating learning groups and holiday family activities, and reviewing and updating collections information for on-site and online use.
Read what current volunteers have to say about volunteering in the RCS England Bulletin
Volunteers will receive:
- Full support and training
- Invites volunteers-only events, lectures, and social activities
- Discounts in the café
- Expenses up to £35 for travel and £10 subsistence per day of volunteering
Commitments:
- Volunteers must be aged 18 or over
- A minimum commitment, normally of two days a month depending on role - weekdays and/or weekends
If you are interested in volunteering or have any general queries please contact [email protected]