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Museum Curator

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Primary Secondary Post-16

Imagine a superhero for old things and amazing art. That is a Museum Curator! Their job is to look after all the cool objects you see in museums, like ancient toys, sparkly jewels, or even dinosaur bones. They help decide what new things the museum should get, make sure everything is looked after properly so it does not get broken, and even choose what goes into the special exhibitions you might visit. They also do lots of research to learn all about the items, like where they came from and what stories they tell. Being a Museum Curator means you get to be a detective, a storyteller, and a protector all at once! They share their knowledge with visitors by writing descriptions for the displays and sometimes even giving talks. They help us all understand our past and the wonderful world around us, making museums exciting places to learn and explore. It is a job for someone who loves history, art, science, and wants to share those passions with others.

Museum Curator

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📊 Statistics

Starting Salary

A new Museum Curator in the UK might start earning around 20,000 to 25,000 pounds a year.

Experienced Salary

With more experience, a Museum Curator in the UK could earn between 30,000 and 50,000 pounds a year, and sometimes even more for very senior roles.

Number of Jobs

It is quite a special job, so there might be around 2,000 to 3,000 Museum Curators and related professionals working in the UK.

🚀 Careers in this path

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Exhibit Designer

Imagine you get to decide how all the cool things in a museum are shown to people. You choose where to put them, how the lights shine on them, and what little signs tell their story. You make the museum look exciting!

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Museum Educator

Do you love telling stories and helping others learn new things? A Museum Educator gets to teach children and grown-ups all about the amazing objects in the museum. You might lead fun tours, do exciting workshops, or even help people make their own crafts.

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Collections Manager

This is like being the super careful guardian of all the special things in the museum. You make sure everything is safe, clean, and stored properly. You know where every single old pot, dinosaur bone, or sparkly jewel is, and you keep a very organised record of them all.

Learning and Exploring

Visit Museums

Go to lots of different museums with your family or school! Look closely at the exhibits and think about what makes them interesting.

When you visit museums, pay attention to how the objects are displayed and the stories they tell. Think about what your favourite exhibits are and why. You could even draw some of the things you see or write down your favourite facts. This helps you understand what makes a museum special.

Read History Books

Read exciting books about ancient times, famous people, or different cultures. Curators need to know lots of history!

There are so many wonderful books that can transport you to different times and places. You could read about Egyptian mummies, Viking explorers, or even how cars were invented. The more you learn about the past, the more you'll understand the types of things a curator works with every day.

Collect Your Own Treasures

Start your own collection of things that interest you, like cool stones, stamps, or even toy cars. Learn about them and keep them safe.

Having your own collection helps you practise being a curator! You can learn how to organise your items, research where they come from, and even create little labels for them. This helps you understand the responsibility of looking after important objects.

Growing Your Knowledge

Do Well at School

Work hard in subjects like history, art, and English. These subjects will help you learn about the past and explain things clearly.

Doing well in school subjects like history will give you a great foundation for understanding different eras and civilisations. English is important because curators need to write descriptions for exhibits and tell stories about the objects. Art can help you appreciate different styles and periods of art and design.

Join History Clubs

See if your school or local community has clubs about history, archaeology, or even art. It's a fun way to learn more!

Joining clubs can introduce you to new friends who share your interests and give you opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. You might get to go on special trips, do fun projects, or listen to interesting speakers. This extra learning will be really helpful for becoming a curator.

Visit University Open Days

When you're older, you might visit universities to see what courses they offer in history, archaeology, or art history. Curators often go to university.

Many curators study at university for several years to become experts in a particular area, like ancient Egypt or medieval art. Visiting open days can help you see what university life is like and what fascinating subjects you could study. It's a big step towards a specialist career like a curator.

Becoming a Curator

Get a University Degree

You'll usually need to go to university and study a subject like history, archaeology, or art history to become a curator.

Most museums look for curators who have a university degree, sometimes even a special advanced degree. This ensures you have deep knowledge about the objects you'll be looking after and the historical context they come from. It's how you become an expert in your chosen field.

Volunteer at a Museum

Offer to help out at a local museum. You could help greet visitors, tidy up, or learn about the exhibits. This is a great way to gain experience!

Volunteering is really important because it shows you what it's like to work in a museum every day. You might help with setting up new displays, guiding visitors, or even doing some research. It's a fantastic way to meet people who already work in museums and learn from them.

Apply for Curator Jobs

Once you have your qualifications and experience, you can apply for jobs as a curator in museums that interest you.

When you apply for a curator job, you'll need to show all the amazing things you've learned and done. You'll explain why you're passionate about history or art and how you can help bring the museum's collections to life for visitors. It's the exciting final step to becoming a real-life museum curator!

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🎯 View Apprenticeships

Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in Museum Curator. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.

🎓 View Apprenticeships

Career Progressions

This page showcases various career options and the pathways to reach them. Each career listed here shares transferable skills and knowledge, making it easier for individuals to transition between them.

Your current career is highlighted to help you see how it fits into the broader landscape of potential career choices. By clicking on any career, you can learn more about it, including the training and education required to pursue it.

Remember, progressing in your career often involves further learning and training. This page provides insights into future career options as well as those that can lead up to your current one.

These career progression decisions are informed by comparing the skills and knowledge needed for different occupations, along with data on how people move between them. Explore the possibilities and discover the exciting journey ahead in your career!

Sample Qualifications

The user's input 'Museum Curator' directly matches an official job title in the provided list. Both terms refer to the same profession responsible for managing collections, conducting research, and designing exhibitions within a museum.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

University

You can start by doing a degree in a subject like:

  • fine art or art history
  • museum or heritage studies
  • archaeology or ancient history
  • classics
  • natural sciences
  • anthropology
  • education

You can also study for a postgraduate qualification in museum and gallery studies, or in a particular style or period of art or history. This may give you an advantage when applying for jobs.

Some universities will require a relevant first degree to apply for a postgraduate course. Others may accept most subjects but expect you to have a lot of work experience to back up your application.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

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Apprenticeship

You may be able to apply for a Curator Level 7 Apprenticeship with a cultural or heritage organisation.

This can take around 3 years to complete and combines on-the-job training with off-site learning.

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

More Information

Work

You may be able to work as a collections assistant, education officer or conservator, before becoming a museum or gallery curator through training and promotion.

Volunteering

Paid or unpaid work experience in a museum, gallery or heritage property is usually essential to apply for courses and jobs.

More Information

Career tips

Digital skills are becoming increasingly important in this career, for example for cataloguing and archival purposes, and producing online and interactive content for wider public engagement. Any skills you can develop through work or volunteering will be helpful.

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Museums Association for professional development and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can learn more about how to become a museum or gallery curator from the Museums Association.

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