Dear Lisa,

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you, searching for a museum education
job (though only for the past 6 months).  A note about AVISO: it's on-line,
you don't have to subscribe w/ AAM to get the postings.  The web site for
the American Association of Museums is a great starting place for job
searching: AVISO lists positions nationally, and there are links to the
regional museum associations, many of which also list job opportunities.  If
there are particular regions or cities you'd like to work in, investigate
the web sites for museums in those areas. Each state and even few
metropolitan areas, such as Philadelphia, have their own museum associations
and/or listings of museum positions.  Some state museum associations also
list jobs.  I have found that many museums list job opportunities somewhere
on their sites (I've been looking mostly at science museums, but hopefully
this trend holds true for art museums as well).

As for getting another degree: I also struggled with this concept.  The
person's comment about it quickly over-qualifying you reflects what I have
heard from other museum professionals.  When you're doing the interview
process, your interviewer will try to assess how much background knowledge
you have in a subject.  I believe that deep down, they would love to get a
content expert to teach, but those extra degrees mean they have to pay you
more and that's just not possible in most cases.  So, from my conversations
with practicing museum educators, I'd recommend holding off on the further
degree.  That's the path I have chosen, though with what success remains to
be seen.

The advice on working weekends sounds good as well.  The people I've
interviewed with emphasize experience heavily.  Experience can weigh more
heavily than the degrees you hold. As one person commented, many museums are
looking for people who can work with kids.  I imagine that college-level
teaching experience would help little unless you're applying for a museum
education position that does college-level programming (I imagine there are
a few of those out there, though I haven't run across them yet).  Summer is
often a good time to get experience as many museums have summer classes for
kids and will hire teachers in the short-term. I actually had a great time
teaching for a day camp at a natural history museum one year and it's
fabulous experience for working with grade school kids and for working as a
team with other educators.

Resume & cover letter advice: I'll second the advice on proof-reading.
Something else I was told about applying for jobs is that you should
customize your resume and cover letter for each position for which you
apply.  I've applied to postings for School & Youth Programming, Floor
Manager, Environmental Educator, and a host of other positions, each of
which differs slightly in the kinds of skills they're looking for.  When
applying to the School & Youth Programs things, I'll emphasize the things
I've done with grade school and high school kids; to Environmental Educator,
I'll talk about my background in biology and teaching biology.  Pay
attention to the key phrases in the job description and speak to them in
your cover letter.  Be sure to name the big accomplishments you did in
pertinent job experiences.  If possible, find the mission statement for the
place you're applying to.  Mission statements tell you what is important to
the institution and may help you determine some of the language you should
use in your cover letter and resume (and interview).  Whenever possible,
send your resume and letter directly to the person doing the job search. Of
course, don't do anything unethical, but make an effort to follow-up your
cover letter as often as possible.   The people I have talked to directly
are often impressed with my interest in the position.  At the very least,
contacting them will provide closure if you find out that they don't want to
interview you.

You've probably heard it a million times already, but hang in there and be
persistent!  The thirtieth rejected application was a little depressing for
me, but there are some great jobs out there, my recommenders are very
encouraging and tell me how lucky whoever hires me will be, and I know that
a suitable match will come along eventually.  Keep looking for job openings
and apply for whatever sounds like it would be fun and you MIGHT be
qualified for it.  It never hurts to be a little optimistic and apply for a
position that is on the perifery of your skill level. Don't be afraid to
enlist the help of family & friends in your job searching efforts.  My
friends know I've been looking for museum jobs and often forward interesting
posts to me.  I've had a few people try to arrange lunch meetings between
myself and museum professionals to help me broaden my networking base.  I
hadn't realized how tough a field this was to get into, but I really think
it will be worth the effort to begin a career that is something I really
enjoy.

Good luck in your continuing efforts!

Sandy Saluke
Project Assistant
Association of Science-Technology Centers Inc.

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Lisa Troy
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 2:03 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Museum Education?


Dear List Members,

For the past two years I have been trying to land a job in a museum
education department.  I completed my MA in Art History in 1999 and
currently work as an art cataloger in a university slide collection.  My
question, for any and all interested, is how do I break into the field?
Because I work full-time I cannot intern at a local museum, although in the
past I have interned at museums and galleries.  To keep my educational
experience growing I work as an adjunct professor at a local community
college in the evenings.  I thought this experience would help my quest, but
it seems to have done the opposite!  I apply for entry-level work as an
educator and my resumes receive no replies.  I apply for mid-level work to
the same end.  Does anyone have any insight?  Do I need another degree?  How
do I gain the experience required?  Thanks in advance.  Please reply to me
off list.

Sincerely,
LT

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).