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People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
The Barber is home to the principal art gallery, collection and original concert hall for the University of Birmingham. Our mission is directed by the vision of our founder, Lady Barber, who established a museum for “the study and encouragement of art and music” with an art collection that was to be “of that standard of quality required by the National Gallery or the Wallace Collection”.
Today, its internationally significant collection – cared for in a Grade-1 listed Art Deco building – includes masterpieces by Sandro Botticelli, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, Gwen John, Käthe Kollwitz, René Magritte, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, JMW Turner, Vincent van Gogh and Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun – among others. Our programme centres on world-class, research-focused temporary loan exhibitions and ground breaking Learning and Engagement activities and projects.
Our vision is for the Barber to be a welcoming and responsive museum, whose collections and innovative art and music programmes inspire creativity and curiosity. The Barber also strives to manifest Lady Barber’s vision of a hub for the social life of the University – a space that can connect people – and our mission today extends beyond the campus to local, national and international communities.
Our Gallery Internships
Every year, the Barber offers gallery internships in three areas of museum work: Collections; Learning and Engagement; and Communications and Marketing. The internships offer invaluable, early-career, hands-on work experience – ideally for those wishing to pursue a career in galleries, museums and the arts – while also providing support to our teams.
Previous interns have found jobs at Birmingham Museums, Ikon Gallery, Tate Liverpool, Turner Contemporary, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy and Woburn Abbey – and many other top regional and national arts institutions. Candidates are expected to demonstrate a passion for the arts and a commitment to pursuing a career in them in their application and interview.
We are currently offering one 17-week internship in each field, provisionally running from w/c Monday 8 April until w/c 29 th July 2024, in each case working three days per week.
About the role
We are looking for a confident, creative and enthusiastic individual to join our team. The role of Learning and Engagement Intern sits within the Learning and Engagement (L&E) team (see chart below).
The Learning & Engagement (L&E) intern supports the Barber’s innovative and developing L&E programme. The role, located at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, will give insight and experience into a gallery environment and how the L&E Team work and develop our educational and public programmes. The Learning and Engagement Internship is designed for candidates wishing to pursue a career in Learning/Engagement within a gallery, museum or heritage context. This role will experience all areas of the programme, before working with the team to support research and developments within certain areas.
Our programme aims to engage with our audiences, providing opportunities to connect, inspire and create meaningful interactions with our collection. This role, supervised by the Head of Learning & Engagement, with support from the Learning & Engagement Team, supports those who wish to pursue a career in Learning/Engagement within a gallery, museum or heritage context. Past interns have gone on to work within learning roles in galleries such as Museum of the Home, Ikon Gallery and The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.
They provide operational and administrative support and are key to underpinning and progressing the Learning and Engagement team’s ambitious and forward thinking work.
About the team
Learning & Engagement is at the heart of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, delivering on the Barber Institute’s mission to engage people with the arts and music.
The Learning & Engagement (L&E) team designs, organises and delivers the L&E programme for the Barber’s audiences and implements policies that support engagement with our collections and exhibitions. Through our L&E programmes the Barber aims to enhance learning, facilitate the big conversations and change lives.
The programme continues to grow and evolve – for example, in 2019 the team launched Barber Lates, a programme of cross-disciplinary, experimental evening events designed to attract new audiences to the Barber. In response to the Covid lockdown and closure of the Barber’s physical building the team launched the innovative digital programme Barber Home in April 2020.
Since then the team have built an experimental and creative programme that responds to the experiences of the past few years, developing its audience engagement to include a supportive programme for UoB students and further programmes that embody arts, health and wellbeing. Over the past two years the team have developed the innovative Barber Health project. Working closely with the Barber’s L&E team, community and artist partners have shaped the design of creative and innovative Barber Health activities, events and resources that utilise and share the Barber’s collection.
Our post covid journey has centred the development of programmes that specifically support children and young people, offering free and creative activities and resources that support accessing culture, inspiring opportunities and connection with other people. This has led to reframing our schools work with Barber Schools and Barber Family work which has resulted recently in the Barber Family Festival August 2023, engaging nearly 1,500 people with a dynamic programme of artist led events.
Being part of the University of Birmingham (UoB) offers a wealth of exciting possibilities for the Barber, and the L&E team in particular. A strategic priority is to strengthen, grow and explore our relationships with the University community through academic, extracurricular or staff engagement. Our University engagement sits holistically alongside our public engagement, with the two informing each other to facilitate unique interpretations and conversations.
Main duties
- To assist with the preparation, design and delivery of Learning & Engagement events and workshops for families, schools, students or adults, in negotiation with the Head of Learning and Engagement and Coordinator.
- Assist in the research and development of supporting resources and interpretation, researching the collection and assisting to order/prepare materials and equipment for onsite and online sessions.
- To be an advocate for the Barber, building and maintaining positive relationships with the Barber’s audiences, creative practitioners and external partners.
- To assist the Learning & Engagement Administrator in enquiries and correspondents, including a range of administrative tasks to include data entry, record keeping, image storage and Risk Assessing in line with the GDPR compliant procedures.
- To adhere to the Barber’s safeguarding policies and how we work with and support our audience experience.
- To research current learning practice in gallery/museum settings, as agreed with the Head of Learning and Engagement.
- To perform any other duties as reasonably required by the Head Learning and Engagement.
Required knowledge, skills, qualifications & experience
Essential
- Literacy/numeracy – GCSE English and Maths or equivalent
- Demonstrable knowledge of, and interest in, art history and art making
- Demonstrable interest in, and enthusiasm for, museums and galleries practice
- Demonstrable interest in teaching and working with children and learners of all ages
- Excellent communication skills
- Good public speaking and presentation skills
- Excellent organisational and administrative skills with attention to detail
- Ability to generate and realise imaginative ideas
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Ability to use initiative
- Ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure
- Willingness to work some weekends and evenings as overtime, as agreed with the department manager
- The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check and to provide proof of their right to work in the UK
Desirable
- Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a practical arts discipline, History of Art or Museums/Heritage Studies
- PGCE or work experience in teaching/gallery Learning & Engagement
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office packages (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and social media channels
DBS required
The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.
How to apply
Please apply for this role through the University of Birmingham’s online portal and application process, Oracle. Please note that applications and CV’s sent direct to the team will not be considered.
Interviews are planning to take place w/c 26 th February 2024. Please note that interviews will be held if possible in person at the Barber Institute. This will be confirmed on invite to interview.
Due to the high number of candidate submissions we receive, please note that we’re sorry that we cannot respond to each one individually. If you have not heard from the team directly by the end of February 2024, please take this as not having been successful in shortlisting for interview.
Applicants must be able to provide evidence of their right to work in the UK.
Additional information
The Learning & Engagement Team requires all staff to obtain a Government Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check, in accordance with the Barber’s Safeguarding Policies. You will be required to provide the necessary documentation for the DBS check to be carried out, which will be processed and paid for by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations.
We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.
