LTM Guide to Volunteering LTM Guide to Volunteering Contents Volunteering At London Transport Museum 03 What is London Transport Museum? 04 Why do people volunteer? 05 Why does the Museum involve volunteers? 05 Our Volunteer Charter 06 What do volunteers do at the Museum? 07 Volunteer role descriptions 08 I’m interested! How can I become a volunteer? 09 I’m not sure how much time I can give... 10 Can everybody volunteer? 11 What happens when I start volunteering? 12 Will you give me any other training? 13 Will I get any other support? 14 Can I be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses? 15 What if I can’t attend a session? 15 Recognising your contribution 16 Keeping in touch 16 Where might volunteering take me next? 17 2 LTM Guide to Volunteering Volunteering at London Transport Museum Volunteers are a recognised and The purpose of this guide is to give highly valued part of London you a broad outline of the work of Transport Museum (LTM). Working LTM and the role of the volunteer alongside other volunteers and within it. It should help answer staff, our aim is to create a most of your questions and professional and friendly give you an insight to what environment for our many visitors. volunteering entails and the support provided by the Museum. Volunteers give their time freely to Should you have any further support LTM and are not paid. We questions you can contact us at recognise that we benefit [email protected]. enormously from this and, in return for your time, abilities and enthusiasm, we hope to give you an opportunity to develop your skills and interests and to make new friends. 3 LTM Guide to Volunteering What is London Transport Museum? London Transport Museum explores Our main departments are: Marketing and Development the story of London and its which looks at ways to raise money transport system over the last 200 Visitor Services which works for the Museum so we can continue years, highlighting the powerful link to make the Museum a great our work. We want to increase the between transport and the growth experience for all of the visitors number of people who know about of modern London, culture and from all over the world, looking the Museum and who want to be society since 1800. We care for over after their needs and their access to involved with it, including other 450,000 items - preserving, the Museum, its shop and facilities. businesses. researching and acquiring objects to use in our galleries, exhibitions and Learning which encourages children, Support Services which makes other activities. We started adults, families, schools and sure everything at the Museum is collecting rare road and rail vehicles, communities to enjoy and learn working well and safely, including rolling stock, posters, signs, about transport from the past and the building and its facilities, our uniforms, photos, maps and future through our tours, computers and systems. drawings about London’s transport publications, events, lectures, history in the 1920’s and these are resources and activities. displayed and preserved in two locations; the Museum in the Curatorial and Collections historic Flower Market building in which looks after all the objects Covent Garden in Central London, in the Museum, restoring and and in our Depot at Acton in preserving them, researching them, West London. collecting new objects and exploring ways to share our knowledge about LTM is a registered charity and the collections with the public. welcomes over 350,000 visitors every year. We have approximately Business and Performance 120 staff and 250 volunteers, who which manages the finances of the look after the Museumand Depot, Museum, our business activities its collection and its visitors. and supports all of our staff. 4 LTM Guide to Volunteering What exactly is a “volunteer”? Our definition of a volunteer is Why do people volunteer? • Some volunteers have an anyone who supports the Museum’s academic interest, wanting to People volunteer for us for a huge charitable objectives by offering work in a museum as part of a number of different reasons, and their time, commitment, skills and course, aiming to work as a often for more than one; energy for free. curator, in education, research • Many volunteers want to gain or in tourism in the future. LTM involves volunteers from aged work experience, update or learn So volunteers might be young or 14 upwards with no upper age limit. new skills. This could come from retired, already highly skilled or just This includes: a general interest in working in starting to learn, nervous about • Museum Trustees arts and heritage, or from wanting coming back to work or excited to • Individuals engaged in long term or to get your confidence back in an be back in a work environment. short term roles and projects office or customer service role. Everyone has different skills and • Work placements –time defined It could also be because you want experience to bring, and we very placements for individuals via an to get back into a routine again, to much hope to welcome you all! employability scheme such as TfL’s meet people, to get references, or Step into Work Scheme to feel ready for paid work in the • HE and graduate students on future. Some volunteers may have Why does the Museum structured time limited placements been focusing on bringing up a involve volunteers? of up to 3 months, relevant to their family, are thinking about changing As you can see from the number degree/career– Internships career, or haven’t got any experience of visitors and many, many items in School students on work • working in the UK. our collection, we need lots of experience placements Or you might not have any work support! Volunteers support the experience yet because you are staff to do their jobs. They also bring We hope that you will enjoy your just starting out. a huge range of different skills and time with us, add to your experiences to LTM. Being a charity experience, learn new skills and we have to make the most of share the ones you have. It’s an • Some people have a passionate everything we have, and your equal relationship – and we are very interest in the areas the Museum contribution of time and energy grateful for your contribution. focuses on, whether a lifelong affection for a specific type of helps us to use our resources to vehicle, an interest in design or an the maximum. appreciation of technology. You may have worked in the transport field, or want to, or just love finding out more about transport and London’s history as a hobby. 5 LTM Guide to Volunteering Volunteer Expectations We are proud of the contribution • The chance to gain skills and • Respect everyone at the Museum volunteers make to the Museum, experience, learning from whether staff, volunteers or and we strive to provide all museum professionals who are visitors volunteers with a positive passionate about their work. experience. To allow us to do this • Keep us informed if you have any effectively we set expectations as • Recognition and appreciation for problems during your time with part of our volunteer agreement, your contribution. us. We encourage you to ask outlining what you can expect from questions if you are unsure of any the Museum and what we expect • To work alongside people who tasks, and to let us know if things from you as a volunteer. share and support your interests are not what you expected. • The chance to work in an historic As a volunteer We have many different kinds of building in central London, and/or we hope you will: people working in and visiting the our exciting Depot in Acton, in a museum. We expect all staff and lively, educational and creative • Enjoy your role and carry out your volunteers to treat each other environment with our unique tasks to the best of your ability. and all Museum visitors fairly and collections. with respect. • Be committed, do your best to • A rewarding volunteering come in as arranged and let us opportunity that contributes to know in good time if you can’t the museum’s charitable aims and come in as planned. objectives. • Enjoy working in a professional • Access to many of the Museum’s environment and support our facilities, and reimbursement of policies and procedures. agreed out of pocket expenses incurred whilst volunteering • Work in support of our staff and with us. on your own initiative where necessary. • Induction and relevant training so that you can do your tasks safely • Be flexible. Resources and staff and confidently. We will make time can sometimes be limited in sure we have covered everything such a busy environment, so you you need to know and we need may need to adapt to different to do for you. working areas. 6 LTM Guide to Volunteering What do volunteers do at London Transport Museum? Volunteers undertake many Learning Volunteer different roles at LTM. You might like Supporting our Learning team in working with our visitors, explaining delivering activities to families and our exhibits, helping to run activities schools groups. and events. Or you might prefer to work in our offices, or out in the Community Programme Volunteer community. Supporting the community team to inspire learning, creativity and skills Some examples of the development with audiences who volunteer roles we have are: would not usually visit or work with the Museum. Welcome Host Volunteer Working alongside our Customer Administration Volunteer Services team at the Museum Helping behind the scenes in our to assist visitors and supervise offices to make sure the Museum our collection.