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Why volunteer with us?
Volunteering with Museums Victoria provides a number of benefits.
As a volunteer, you will:
- Develop new skills and knowledge
- Be part of a supportive team
- Give something back to the community
- Contribute to visitor engagement
- Gain experience in a relevant field
- Help preserve and promote Victoria's cultural heritage
Who can volunteer?
Whilst you need to be 18 years or over our volunteers are of all ages and bring to us a broad range of professional and life experience.
See our FAQ for more info.
What do volunteers do?
Museums Victoria has a rich history of engaging volunteers to help our organisation achieve its goals. Whether interacting directly with museum visitors or assisting with research and the collections, volunteers work alongside paid staff to enhance our visitors' enjoyment and provide unique experiences across Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks and Immigration Museum.
Public Programs
Engaging with visitors in our museums, you will be working alongside our Museum staff to provide unique interactions. Whether helping visitors further understand and interpret our galleries, assisting families with themed activities, supporting special events or providing tactile interactions via our touch trolleys, our volunteers strive to enrich the visitor experience.
Some roles require a 6 month period in family activities to familiarise yourself with our Museums before you can undertake further training.
Collections & Administration
Our Collections & Administration or ‘Behind the Scenes’ roles include assisting in basic administration tasks, such as cataloguing and data entry. Other roles are available assisting our staff in collection or curatorial areas and include research, restoration, cataloguing collection objects, object re-housing, transcribing data and digitisation projects.
These positions generally require experience in a relevant field, are limited and first made available to our existing pool of volunteers.
How do I become a volunteer?
When volunteer recruitment is open, we will ask prospective volunteers to apply via an online expression of interest form. Your details are then added to our database and if suitable you may be invited to attend a volunteer information session.
The information session comprises an overview of the volunteer program and will include a short interview with a member of the volunteer program staff.
Successful applicants must attend an induction day and complete the requirements below in order to pass the appraisal process.
To become a volunteer you must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Agree to a National Police Check
- Obtain a Victorian Working with Children Check
- Commit to a minimum of one day per month
- Sign an Agreement Form to commit to the values and policies of Museums Victoria
Volunteer recruitment
Museums Victoria Volunteer Program is currently at capacity. We will only advertise for volunteers when we have vacant positions available.
Please check back regularly for updates.
Volunteers login
View your schedule, apply for shifts and update your volunteer profile online.
Tertiary student placements
Find opportunities for internships and higher degree research programs.
Got a question?
See our frequently asked questions for more information or contact us through Ask Us.
Volunteering Australia describes volunteering as 'time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain’. At Museums Victoria, a volunteer is someone who freely contributes their time and skills to a not-for-profit organisation in order to help us further our goals.
Yes, Museums Victoria requires all volunteers to hold and maintain a valid Working with Children Check as a condition of engagement, regardless of whether the role is classified as Child-related work under legislation. Before commencing their volunteer role, all successful applicants must obtain a Working with Children Check. Or if they already hold a valid Working with Children Check, update their organisation details to include Museums Victoria.
Museums Victoria is lucky enough to have many people interested in volunteering with us. We will only recruit volunteers when the need arises so that you are guaranteed an active position. Our induction also makes sure that new volunteers have been given all the information they need to effectively and safely carry out their volunteer role.
At Museums Victoria the role of volunteers is to augment and enhance the role of paid staff. There are no voluntary positions that involve the handling of money (e.g. ticketing, retail, IMAX or working in the finance department), or which involve a duty of care for visitor or collection safety.
It depends upon the voluntary role you take up. Most visitor facing or 'Front of House' roles are available 7 days a week all year except Christmas Day and Good Friday, between 10am-5pm. Behind the Scenes or 'Back of House' roles are only available on weekdays. There are no regular evening voluntary positions, though some special events may occur in the evening needing volunteer assistants.
Once established, volunteers commit to a weekly or fortnightly rostered position between 2-8 hours long, dependent on the role.
While we encourage new volunteers to start with one voluntary role, we hope that once established, volunteers will expand their voluntary commitments to suit their interests and lifestyle.
Yes, we have an extensive training and development program that volunteers can take advantage of. It is part of the volunteer Agreement with Museums Victoria that further training will be provided on an ongoing basis to support volunteer roles.
Our program is flexible enough to accommodate those needs, providing that the minimum number of hours is met.
While we appreciate the offer of help, we are looking for volunteers who feel they can make an ongoing commitment to being part of the Museums Victoria team.
Any voluntary experience is a great boost to your resume, but Museum volunteers are not eligible to apply for positions that are advertised internally to paid staff. However, volunteers are welcome to apply for externally advertised Museums Victoria positions.
No, it does not. We ask you to carefully consider the financial impact that regular attendance at the museum will have on your personal circumstances.
Volunteers must have an active email address. Regular newsletters are sent containing Museum news, opportunities and reminders about coming dates and events. It is a vital part of keeping in touch between shifts and the preferred method of contact.
Yes. Please read our policy statement on maintaining child safe standards.
