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Volunteering at London Transport Museum

Volunteering at London Transport Museum is a great way to develop skills, meet new and like-minded people and get involved with our fantastic urban transport collection. We have had volunteers supporting us for over 30 years, so we know that whether you’re looking to keep active, learn new skills or apply your knowledge, London Transport Museum is a great place to volunteer.

Our volunteering offer is backed by Investing in Volunteers which enables us to provide a high quality experience for all. We make sure that volunteering is open to everyone - our goal is to be a museum that celebrates diversity and is inclusive in its culture. A museum where everyone is welcome, and which grows and evolves as the city around us does. We are committed to making sure our museum, like our city, is open to all.

Our volunteers collectively contribute over 15,000 hours a year to the museum: offering their time and experience to supporting vehicle maintenance and restoration, supporting our schools and families offers and providing guided tours of our Depot collection to thousands of visitors each year - and everything in between!

All our latest volunteering opportunities are made available right here, so to find out what we have on offer see the section below. If you don’t see anything you are looking for right now, we post new roles regularly so keep a look out or get in touch via our contact form with any questions you have.

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Volunteering opportunities

Our volunteers provide fantastic support in a wide range of areas to help us keep the wheels turning at London Transport Museum! Find out more about our current volunteering roles below.

    Current opportunities

    Rationalisation Volunteer (Acton Access Phase 1)

    Location: Museum Depot, Acton

    Closing date: Saturday 30 March

    Do you enjoy investigating museum collections, learning new skills and working as part of a team?

    We are looking for volunteers with commitment, enthusiasm and interest in transport and engineering history, and museum collections management.

    You’ll be working with our Curatorial team to widen the accessibility of a specified area of the stored collections at the Museum Depot, Acton. From signals to vehicle parts, this is an exciting opportunity to help make a vast array of objects accessible to the public for the first time.

    Commitment:

    We ask that you can offer at least 1 day a week, Mondays to Fridays. We are happy to discuss this further during the group interview.

    • Informal group interviews will be held in the week commencing Monday 8 April
    • You are required to be available for an induction and training in the week commencing Monday 15 April 
    • This role is suitable for those aged 18 and over
    • Rationalisation Volunteer role description

      Summary:

      We are looking for new members to join the Acton Access Phase 1 Project. Working to improve the accessibility of a specified area of the stored collections at the Museum Depot, this project marks the beginning of a 10 year vision that will develop the Depot into a cultural hub and resource.

      When: Tuesdays – Fridays

      Where: Museum Depot, Acton

      Department: Collections

      Reporting to:Becky Luffman – Project Curator

      Minimum age for the role: 18

      What the role entails:

      As a volunteer supporting the Curatorial team, you will be:

      • Helping improve the documentation of stored objects from across different areas of the collection, including Signalling, Signs and Vehicle Parts
      • Recording and researching the significance of these objects
      • Working with Curators to improve the interpretation and accessibility of the specified area of the collection

      What training and support we offer:

      We will provide training on the collection types and skills that are needed, including manual handling, hazard awareness and collections care.

      Who we are looking for:

      We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers, anyone who has an interest in London Transport Engineering history, or is looking for experience of heritage collections management.

       

      What you get in return:

      • New skills and greater confidence
      • Help with your future career prospects
      • Being part of a great volunteer team
      • Reimbursed travel and meal expenses up to set daily amounts as stated in the Volunteer Expenses Policy
      • A monthly London Transport Museum volunteer newsletter

      At London Transport Museum, we believe that the welfare of children and vulnerable adults is paramount. We will ensure that all children and vulnerable adults who engage with our services are safe and protected. Our commitment to safeguarding excellence can been seen through how we train and support all our staff and volunteers, and how any concerns about the safety of children and vulnerable adults are managed.

    Event Steward Volunteer

    Location: Museum Depot, Acton
    Closing date: Monday 8 April

    Do you enjoy engaging with people and working in a busy, dynamic environment as part of a friendly and supportive team? We are looking for volunteers with commitment, enthusiasm and an interest in engaging with museum collections to support us in delivering our popular Depot Open Days events to the public at our Museum Depot site in Acton.  

    Commitment:

    • Available to volunteer at the Depot Open Days event for a minimum of 1 day between Friday 26 - Sunday 28 April
    • Informal group interviews will be held on Monday 15 April at 11:00 and 14:00 lasting approximately one hour
    • You will need to be available for an induction and site orientation on Friday 19 April from 10:00-16:00
    • This role is suitable for those aged 16 years and over
    • Event Steward Volunteer role description

      Summary:

      Do you enjoy engaging with people and working in a busy, dynamic environment as part of a friendly and supportive team?

      We are looking for volunteers with commitment, enthusiasm and an interest in engaging with museum collections to support us in delivering our popular Depot Open Days events to the public at our Museum Depot site in Acton.  

      When: Various weekday/weekend dates throughout the year

      Where: London Transport Museum Depot (Acton)

      Department: Customers & Resourcing

      Reporting to: Volunteer Resource Manager

      Minimum age for the role: 16 and over

      What the role entails:

      As a volunteer event steward with London Transport Museum you will be:

      • Working directly with the public, Museum staff and volunteers to deliver professional and friendly customer service
      • Supervising the bus and/or rail collection and other features on site
      • Interpreting the buses to enthusiastic visitors
      • Working with a team of volunteers and staff to manage the visitor flow through the site
      • Welcoming visitors to the event and providing information on site activities

      Who we are looking for:

      • Good communication skills
      • Friendly, enthusiastic and approachable
      • Some experience or a strong interest in working with families and children
      • Ability to interact with people from different ages and backgrounds
      • A willingness to get involved in a range of activities at an event

      What you get in return:

      • Training and continual professional development
      • New skills and greater confidence
      • Experience in working with different audience groups in a museum setting
      • Help with your future career prospects
      • Being part of a great volunteer team improving the experience for our visitors
      • Reimbursed travel and meal expenses up to set daily amounts as stated in the Expenses policy
      • A weekly volunteer e-update with LTM Life bulletin
      • There will be opportunities to continue volunteering in the future and to get involved with other aspects of Museum life

      At London Transport Museum, we believe that the welfare of children and vulnerable adults is paramount. We will ensure that all children and vulnerable adults who engage with our services are safe and protected. Our commitment to safeguarding excellence can been seen through how we train and support all our staff and volunteers, and how any concerns about the safety of children and vulnerable adults are managed.

    What do our volunteers do?

    Volunteers support us in a wide variety of ways including:

    • Stewarding at events, whether it be our Depot Open events, heritage bus events or even as part of heritage train events on the London Underground network
    • Supporting with administrative tasks, from research to planning events  and creating handy guides for other volunteers to use 
    • We receive regular donations to our collection from bus maps to timetables and tickets, so our collections care volunteers help us to accession and archive items into our ephemera library 
    • One of the amazing ways for audiences to see our collection close up is through guided tours. Our experienced and knowledgeable volunteers lead these tours throughout the year at our Depot in Acton across a variety of themes
    A volunteer leading some school children around the Depot
    A female volunteer high-fiving a young visitor in the Museum

    We are always striving to provide new opportunities and ways to volunteer, so we can be as accessible as possible:

    • We offer on-site volunteering at our Museum or Depot sites
    • We provide opportunities to volunteer remotely, so there is something for those who live further afield or aren’t able to visit our sites
    • Digital volunteering is a great way to provide input on our digital content and apply your knowledge
    • We have skilled roles which are suitable for those with specialist skills or industry experience, to support our restoration work
    • We have one-off, light touch roles for those who just want to give volunteering a go or have a small amount of time to give

    To find out more about what it’s like to volunteer with us and what you can expect, check out our volunteering guide.

    Our values

    You could be joining an environment that is:

    For everyone

    Everyone feels the Museum’s collections and experiences are for them.

    Entrepreneurial and playful

    Everything we do is creative, dynamic and resourceful.

    Relevant and authentic

    We are a window on the past, present and future of how transport keeps London working and growing.

    Dedicated and personal

    We go the extra mile to deliver.

    Sustainable and green

    We strive to be environmentally aware and make the right choices.

    At London Transport Museum, we believe that the welfare of children and vulnerable adults is paramount. We will ensure that all children and vulnerable adults who engage with our services are safe and protected. Our commitment to safeguarding excellence can been seen through how we train and support all our staff and volunteers, and how any concerns about the safety of children and vulnerable adults are managed.

    Other ways to get involved

    Join the London Transport Museum team, and discover what jobs are available to help us use the story of transport to encourage, enrich and inspire.

    A facilitator inside a nursery school with school children

    Find out more about the opportunities available and our Young People's programme.

    Young people writing on a flipchart