On Thu, 4 Nov 1999, Haleema Mini wrote:

> Dear Prof. Boylan,
>
> Do you know if France still uses the annual competition to recruit museum
> professionals?  From what you wrote, it seems that competition is even
> tougher in France than in the US.

===================================

Haleema:

Yes, for career curatorial posts in government-supported museums, entry is
nowadays almost exclusively via 18 months an initial "staff college" type
of postgraduate course in the Ecole National du Patrimoine.  The number of
places on offer in a particular year is matched to the forecast number of
vacancies due to retirement (or expansion) 2 years later, and in recent
years has never been higher than 10 places, and has been as low as two
places in the worst years.

There is a two stage competition with perhaps as many as 600 taking a
week-long batch of written examinations (held once a year), from which
possible as many as 200 would later be interviewed before an official jury
appointed through a legal & parliamentary process.  From this perhaps two
dozen people would finally be put forward for approval as future state
curators (Conservateurs du Patrimoine - a term and profession that covers
archive, heritage architecture, archaeology and other heritage
professions, as well as museums). Recruitment is normally limited to
applications aged 28 or under, though some allowance is given for time
spent in military service (or breaks for birth etc. of children in the
case of women applicants).

Currently almost all those selected already have at least the equivalent
of a Master's degree, and the aim it to move quickly  towards a PhD
equivalent level of entry to the national completion. Also, since those
selected will become statutory government officials within the civil
service who could be called on to serve on official government committees
and other bodies or to advise Ministers, only French citizens are normally
eligible to apply, (though the Ecole National du Patrimoine course may
accept similar government-sponsored candidates from overseas).

Museums are in principle allowed to recruit additional staff over an above
the official curators - if they can afford the, of course, but only to
work on temporary contracts or consultancies (e.g. researchers,
conservation and restoration, or exhibition or project staff) and not as
curators in the professional and legal sense. Under these categories those
over the age limit for entry and some foreign nationals are occasionally
able to get jobs in professional and technical areas.  However, it seems
that those who do not enter through the approved route would rarely if
ever be able to gain full recognition, (though in very exceptional cases
it would certainly be possible, at least in theory - for the relevant
Minister, e.g. Culture, to initiate what would amount to a one-off legal
exception for an named individual through the relevant legislative
process).


Patrick Boylan

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