Help us diversify our audiences and leave a lasting legacy of inclusive engagement at the Coffin Works Museum.
We are very excited to announce that we are the very grateful recipients of a Student Opportunities grant from Art Fund! This grant will fully cover the salary for 2 full-time university students to undertake Heritage Engagement Internships with us over the course of 2025.
Why are we offering these internships?
We know firsthand how rare it is to find any paid pathways into heritage. Time and time again we have wonderful student volunteers who we’d love to be able to support further, but, as a charity, there just isn’t the budget to do so. That’s why we’re thrilled to be able to give 2 people this paid opportunity to launch their career in heritage with Art Fund support. Not only will they be paid for around 400 hours each, they will also receive in-depth training in all the baseline practicalities of running a small heritage site; from public-facing roles, to cashing up, and analysing visitor data to help diversify our audiences.
Young people are the future of heritage, so our aim is to deliver practical experience to equip them with competitive knowledge and skills for their CV in the key fundamentals of any heritage role. Meanwhile, embracing their expertise and creativity to broaden our museum’s audiences and leave a legacy of inclusive engagement.
What will the internships involve?
Covering both operations and engagement, these internships will give a broad foundation of training and knowledge for any heritage career. We’ll give these students the time they need to really develop and hone their skills in the sector; to learn the roles and realities of heritage work; and to enable them to take ownership on making active, long-lasting change in the museum. Collectively, this will strengthen their ability to excel in the heritage world going forward.
These internships will also have an exciting individual focus to help them stand out to future employers: Marketing and Audience Engagement. We’re really excited for these students to help us broaden our visitor base with new events, marketing strategies and other forms of engagement. We’ll encourage them to be as creative as they like and bring lots of new ideas to the team!
Why apply for these internships?
Our Heritage Engagement Internships will give an in-depth introduction to the sector, build confidences in the world of work and equip the students with the skills to succeed, without the financial burden of volunteering. By broadening the inclusivity of our visitors, and thus strengthening the long-term sustainability of the museum, the interns will feel empowered by the difference they will make.
We are a very small team of 4 staff here, which means every day is different, so you’ll be gaining very varied experience in a unique location. We also have around 80 completely fabulous volunteers! We are all extremely passionate about the Coffin Works: the building, the history, and the stories of the people that worked here. All our staff are Mental Health First Aid trained and we strive to keep wellbeing at the forefront of our organization. We pride ourselves on a welcoming and supportive environment and we are very passionate about everyone feeling free and safe to be themselves. So, if you want to become part of a truly fantastic team, then just apply!
What’s the nitty gritty of the roles?
Joint roles and responsibilities:
Both students will support the Volunteer and Operations Coordinators with:
• Administrative tasks, including answering visitor enquiries
• Operational tasks, including setting up/down the museum and cashing up
• Stepping in for public-facing roles, such as Front of House and Room Enabler
• Dealing professionally and effectively with visitors
• Using quiet times productively to develop individual projects
• Ensuring equal opportunities and a welcoming environment for all
Audience Engagement Project responsibilities:
• Focus on learning who our audiences are and where we need to grow
• Gathering and analysing audience data through a range of methods, including ticketing reports and surveys
• Assess where our target areas should be and what barriers there might be
• Create innovative ideas for expanding our audiences, such as new events
Marketing Project responsibilities:
• Create and deliver promotional content via a range of methods, including social media, press and print
• Analyse current marketing trends to discover gaps and target areas
• Develop ideas to reach more diverse audiences, especially young people
• Create a social media plan for marketing long-term
The students will work closely together to gather and analyse data, understand current
audiences and marketing trends, discover gaps, and coordinate a long-term ‘Engagement
Activity Plan’ for audience expansion and marketing.
Professional Development:
They will be line managed by the Volunteer and Operations Coordinators, who will train them
in the following:
• Setting up and closing down the museum
• Carrying out public-facing roles: Front of House, Room Enabler, Café Assistant, Tour Guide
• Operating the Victorian machinery for public demonstrations
• Using Social Media, Canva, InDesign and WordPress to promote live and future events
• Health and Safety and Fire Evacuations
• Project specific training, such as understanding the Audience Spectrum
• Giving access to external training on Food Hygiene, Google Analytics 4, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Continuous ‘on the job’ training with adaptations to suit individual needs and desires
The Practical Bits
Commitment: The internship will consist of 400 hours per student to be completed over the course of 38 weeks between January and December 2025.
Work schedule: Ideally 10 hours a week, split across two shifts between Wednesday-Sunday. Weekend shifts will be expected as these are the museums’ busiest times.
Flexibility: The internship start date and working rota can be accommodated to your schedule, for example January exam dates and overall weekly working hours.
Pay: £11.44 per hour
Location: The Coffin Works, 13-15 Fleet St, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, B3 1JP.
How can I apply?
Apply on the Student Art Pass website here: Apply to work at The Coffin Works
Application deadline: 17th November 2024, 11.59pm.
The application consists of 4 questions and uploading your CV.
If successful, you’ll be contacted by Wednesday 27 November regarding interviews.
Interviews will take place week commencing 2nd December.
The successful interns will be told before Christmas and asked for availability to start in the New Year (dependent on exams).
Please note, as per the grant conditions, you must be a full-time university student to apply. We are committed to equal opportunities and encourage anyone to apply.
We’d like to thank Art Fund again for their support and their funding, without which these internships just wouldn’t be possible.
