Hello Listers,

Thank you for this thread.  I am interested in the summer staffing dilemma
topic, however, I am interested from the opposite point of view.  I am
seeking a part time job in a museum, but for the wages you (and MANY others)
are offering, I would be paying to work.  I am getting discouraged and
disgusted (again, see below).

As an undergraduate student, I was self-supporting and often worked multiple
part-time jobs to compensate for the low wage I earned at my gallery job I
needed to gain experience.  After college, I left the field completely
because I couldn't find a job that would pay the rent even though it was
full -time employment.  I am now returning to grad school this August after
9 years to pursue my MA in History with a Graduate Certificate in Museum
Studies.  I have a fellowship that covers most of tuition and I am married
with a child, but  I need a part time job to offset the cost of child care
and communing and other miscellaneous expenses.  I need $9 / hour just to
break even for child care, taxes, gas, etc.  I can easily make that at
Starbucks, but I am consistently offered $5-$6 / hour at museums, even
though I have run my own business for the last 6 years.  Obviously, I am
over-qualified and a mature, dedicated worker, who is willing to take a pay
cut, but the $6 / hour wages are ridiculous.  I couldn't even afford to work
for that 10 years ago.

When is the museum community going to realize they can't continue to depend
on people who don't really need to support themselves (independently wealthy
/ bored housewives / retirees) for their employee base.  More and more
college students are self-supporting and if we are truly trying to be
community oriented and introduce the museum world to non-traditional
audiences, then we need to be prepared for when those new museum visitors
(and their children) want to pursue careers in museums.  We need to have
something besides "it's a cool place to work" to offer.  The internet
companies offer that AND  high wages and you don't need a masters or PhD.  I
love art and history and want to spend the rest of my life working in the
museum field, but if things don't change soon, you'll find me in a green
apron relishing my free coffee, health benefits and stock options (all
offered to those working at lease 20 hours a wk).  My family does come first
and I will not sacrifice my daughter's needs because my job doesn't pay the
bills.

Lori Allen
Graduate Student,
University of Missouri - St. Louis

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