I’ve been thinking about career choices recently. It’s almost exactly twenty years since I left my job as European and Overseas Co-ordinator at the National Trust to run a ski lodge in the French Alps.
Widening your Perspective: Advice to a Prospective Trustee from a Trustee
Dear Prospective Volunteer Trustee, You told me that after a number years in your museum job you want widen your experience to help you prepare for a different or more senior role in the future. Have you considered becoming a trustee of an independent museum …
Advice From a (Formerly Sleep-Deprived) Team Leader in Consultancy
Dear New Parent, Remember when you used to get up early, nothing else to think about except yourself, maybe a packed lunch and off to work you went? Remember days and hours focussed on your career and not also thinking washing and caring and sleeping? Remember …
At a Crossroads: Advice for Taking the Next Step in Your Career
Dear Advice-seeker, I have been where you are, and I hope that the below can be of some help. Taking the next step can mean many things to many people; for me, taking the next step means that leap to take your career to the …
Making (Your) Life Better By Water: Conservation at the Canal & River Trust
Dear Colleague, Conservation is of course all about the management of change, so considering a change of direction is entirely appropriate in this sector. It can also be one of the single most rewarding and stimulating things you can do in your career, whether that’s …
Planning and Moving Forward: Advice From an Academic and Former Heritage Professional
Dear Early Career Heritage Professional, It feels a bit strange giving advice, especially as someone who now works with the sector more than in it, but as a relative outsider I hope I can give some perspective and some practical advice. Firstly, it might seem …
Generalists Have a Wealth of Powerful Transferable Skills: A Message to Anyone Who Wants to Work in the Heritage Sector
Dear Colleague, In our careers, we often find ourselves at crossroads. Whether you’re a mid-career professional seeking opportunities for advancement or someone considering a change in direction, it’s crucial to explore how to navigate these transitions successfully. Allow me to share my own journey, which …
Following Your Passion: Advice from Fleur Gordon, Head of Skills and Crafts, National Trust
Dear Colleague, After nearly 30 years working in built heritage I am still challenged, curious and amazed by old buildings and the stories they tell. Every day is still a learning day, and I am so grateful that I found a subject early in my …
Why You Should Consider Becoming a Trustee: Advice to a Prospective Trustee From an Experienced Trustee
Dear Colleague, How often do you see a trustee role advertised and think I’d like to do this, but I don’t have enough experience or it’s not the right time in my career or… There are lots of excuses to not be a trustee, but …
Heritage Roadmap: Lessons from Early Career Explorers
Dear Colleague, The Heritage Trust Network Youth Forum is a group comprised of people aged 18-30, and those in the early stages of their career who want their voice heard in the heritage sector. We meet online once a month to discuss issues that matter …
Navigating Our Sector: Advice from a Field Archaeologist to a Future Heritage Employee
Dear Person at a Crossroad in Their Career, I am sure that you are looking into the heritage sector and realizing how chaotic it is. There are multiple groups, organisations, professional bodies, and networks which can both hinder and contribute greatly to our world of …
In the Initial Stages of Your Career in the Heritage Sector? Advice from a Practitioner Who is Still Learning!
Dear Colleague, In my experience as a leader, and before that as a follower, the greatest single success factor in any organisation is good-humoured empathy between the people who work there. When people see each other as part of the solution, the resulting teamwork creates …