Museum curator
Museum and art gallery curators manage collections of objects of artistic, scientific, historical and general interest.
Typical Salary
£18,000 – £40,000
per year
Working Hours
38–40
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
In your day-to-day duties you may:
- select, buy or borrow items
- research, identify and catalogue collections
- make sure exhibits are safe, stored securely and in the right conditions
- arrange conservation and restoration
- help visitors to interpret and enjoy exhibits and collections
- organise publicity and fundraising
- give talks
- train or supervise gallery or museum volunteers or paid staff
- negotiate funding and the loan of exhibits
Skills needed
- knowledge of the fine arts
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- an interest and knowledge of history
- business management skills
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- leadership skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- the ability to work well with others
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
Career progression
You could work in small independent museums and galleries to large public sector and national institutions like the Tate or British Museum.
There are lots of different opportunities to move on in the sector from business management to public engagement and education roles. You will need to plan your continuous professional development and take advantage of the training available in the sector to advance your career.