Volunteer Role Description: Museum of the History of Science Tour Guide
About Highlight and History Tours
Free, introductory tours of the Museum are offered every Thursday at 2.30 and 3.15
pm and every Saturday at 11.15 am and 12 noon. (Volunteers will need to arrive early
to ensure that they are ready to start on time.)
 Volunteers are trained to deliver tours focussing on the history of the building
and on some of the many interesting objects currently on display, e.g.
Elizabeth I’s astrolabe, John Russell’s moon pastel, and Einstein’s blackboard.
 Tours last approximately 25 minutes and are run on a drop-in basis.
 Tours are advertised on the Museum’s website, in its quarterly programme,
and on display boards on the day.
 Tours are aimed at the adult general public, with a recommended maximum
of 15 people per tour.
 Volunteers may work alone or in pairs to deliver tours.
 The team and rota are administered by the Joint Museums Volunteer and
Outreach Officer.
Commitment
Volunteers are recruited and trained for this role periodically. Once they have joined
the team, they can expect to deliver tours, on average, once a month – although
the rota is flexible.
Guides are occasionally invited to deliver additional tours by prior arrangement.
About Museum of the History of Science Tour Guides
 Enthusiasm for the collections is more important than expertise.
 You will enjoy and be confident in presenting to a diverse audience and in
managing groups of people in a potentially busy museum setting. We will
support you in this as you get started.
 This role requires moving through the Museum, which has numerous stairs and
some uneven flooring. Please bear this in mind if you have any concerns
regarding your fitness.
 Because this role is not directly supervised, it is not open to young volunteers
(aged 16 and 17).
Training
Prior to joining the team, volunteers attend a training course: currently 2.30 - 4.30 pm,
Thursday afternoons, for six weeks. The course is designed to build knowledge and
confidence step by step. By the end of the course, volunteers will have delivered a
full tour to their peers. They will become active guides by mutual agreement with staff
following this training.
The Volunteer and Outreach Officer organises occasional, additional training sessions
throughout the year (usually 3.30 - 5 pm Thursday afternoons). These cover a wide
range of topics and often include curator-led tours of current exhibitions. Although
attendance is not required, it is encouraged.
Why you might enjoy this role
The opportunity to:
 join a friendly, enthusiastic, supportive, and award-winning team of volunteers
 interact with the general public and inspire visitors
 share your passion for history, science, or the Museums’ collections generally
 contribute to the Museum’s public education and accessibility remit
 improve your knowledge of the collections
 develop and improve presentation and communication skills