An ICP graduate on how her placement gave her a direct path into museum work

Hi I’m Jane and I graduated from the AGMS MA programme last

Jane at work on exhibition opening night (3rd from right)

September. For my work placement I went to Gallery Oldham and carried out a review of the social history collection. This was a great placement – it allowed me to learn crucial collections management skills that are essential for anyone looking to start a museum career.

When my placement ended in June I carried on going every week. I really enjoyed my time there and wanted to see the review reach some sort of conclusion. This meant that when the opportunity for paid work came up I was the obvious choice – I knew the museum well and had proved I was committed. Initially, I was employed to work on an exhibition about local democracy in Oldham. As well as being loads of fun, this freelance curatorial work looks great on my C.V. More recently I have been employed to work with the Social History Curator to critically review the collection.

As a result of all the excellent experience I have been able to gain at Oldham (both paid and unpaid) I have just been offered a part time Collections Assistant role at Staffordshire County Council. This is a perfect fit for me at the moment as it allows me to keep up with my freelance work at Oldham (which means I can keep adding to my C.V!).

I am so grateful to all the staff at Gallery Oldham for all the support and advice that they have given me and to the Institute for Cultural Practises for arranging such a brilliant placement. With cultural jobs being so scarce at the moment it is important to take full advantage of every opportunity, which is just what I intend to do!