Work experience with Sandwell Museums

Work experience or a placement with Sandwell Museums is a great insight into the world of work. It gives students valuable experience of museums, the cultural sector, local tourism and formal and informal learning experiences.

The variety of buildings we look after, users we serve and skills our staff need means that many aspects of workplace activity are covered during a student's week with us.

A student may expect to experience:

  • A school visit to the museum
  • Front of House duties
  • Learn about collection management
  • Assist in putting up an exhibition
  • Take part in cleaning duties
  • Assist during a wedding
  • Help with one of our community group users
  • Attend a meeting
  • Create a poster, leaflet or family guide
  • Experience working at an event
  • Writing display information
  • Clerical duties
  • Dealing with customers and users
  • Taking telephone calls and phone bookings
  • Undertake research
  • etc depending what is going on in the museum service at that time.

Types of work experience with Sandwell Museums

School work experience

This is normally undertaken in year ten, but may be at other times.

  • We are able to take students for one week.
  • Students would be expected to be able to visit all our 4 main sites during their week with us.
  • Students must apply online as part of the council's work experience procedures.
  • Students will then be asked for interview and receive a work experience booklet with general information about work experience with us.
  • Students will get a detailed timetable of exactly where they will need to be each day about a week before your placement begins.

You can apply online and learn more about work experience with Sandwell Council.

Placements

This is normally undertaken through further education or outside of a school environment although we have undertaken placements with school pupils too. A placement often extends over a number of weeks or may be one day per week. We will consider each candidate separately depending on their requirements and the capacity of the service at that time.

Placements with Sandwell Museums may be ideal for:

  • Trainee teachers requiring a placement in an educational environment which is not a school.
  • Travel and tourism students.
  • Marketing students

Apply or find out more about work experience with Sandwell Council

One off experiences

From time to time we are able to offer work experience or placements which are 'one offs' attached to a project or programme. For example in 2012 we offered work experience to a student on a community archaeological dig we undertook at The Manor House Museum.