Work Placements
Work placements are not just for students: they are open to everyone looking to get some real world experience in a prestigious organisation. You don’t have to want a career in museums; there are plenty of transferable skills you can improve with London Transport Museum.
- When? When you are free for up to 4 weeks in a row. We need to identify a project you can work on that suits your interests and helps the Museum at the same time.
- How long for? Usually 2, 3 or 4 working weeks (no longer than 4 weeks).
- Who for? Anyone with a real commitment to improving their CV and their career prospects. Work placements can help you decide if museums might be the place for you in future, or just give some strong examples to add to your next application form.
Case Studies
Jay Bansal, Steps into Work Placement
"In September 2011 I started on a BTEC Work and Office skills course called Steps into Work, which was run by Barnet College with all the placements based in TfL offices. As part of this I was offered a role as a Database Administrator in the Operations and Resourcing Department at London Transport Museum. My main job was to go through the Museum’s huge database of thousands of schools, updating their details on a programme called The Patron Edge. Their details included e-mail addresses, main websites, telephone numbers and fax numbers. If any details were missing, like one school doesn’t show a website on Google, I would write it down in my Steps into Work notebook. It was a continuous and interesting job and it gave me the experience of what office work is like.
I also really enjoyed making new friends with the staff of the Museum, and meeting the volunteers of the Museum. I enjoyed observing the object handling table during the holiday period, and it was really interesting to find out what bus tickets were like in the 1890s and the 1950s. I really enjoyed working at the Museum and enjoyed my placement so much that I am considering a job within TFL after this course, or in the future, possibly in the Museum itself."
Abigail Carr, Business and Performance Work Placement
“After my undergraduate degree I chose to follow my passion for museums and complete a Masters degree in Heritage Management with the Ironbridge Institute at the University of Birmingham.
I contacted London Transport Museum, was interviewed and awarded a work placement with the Museum’s Business and Performance team.
I was made to feel welcome and was assigned new, innovative projects to complete, which meant I worked with many different colleagues. All staff members were friendly and approachable and allowed me to ask questions, in particular involving my dissertation.
London Transport Museum is the type of organisation that is highly recognised on CVs and this placement gave me a chance to learn more about the heritage sector and gain practical experience.“
Find out more
If you are interested in any of the types of volunteering listed on this page, call 020 7565 7298, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or write to: London Transport Museum, Operations & Resourcing, 39 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7BB