Attendant's View Blog and Cartoons

National Trust looking for Assistant Curators - It's fantastic

22/3/2018

The National Trust are launching a 3 year fixed term programme to develop a new team of Assistant Curators, currently recruiting for 8 roles across all regions of the National Trust.

As pointed out by @kathleenlawther on Twitter, this is a Very Good Opportunity:

"@nationaltrust is recruiting Assistant Curators at £27K, giving on the job training and development, recognising skills gained outside the sector and not insisting on academic qualifications for applicants"

When you look into it, oh yes, this is a very open offer, apparently aimed at getting a more diverse Curatorial team, and understanding that those coming into the role will require training and development along the way.

"We are particularly interested in considering applications from people from a wide range of diverse backgrounds who may or may not hold formal qualifications in the heritage or museum sector, but who can offer evidence of relevant experience and personal capabilities."

It's a shame that this seems so good, as one would hope that what they are offering would be industry standard for a position like this. It's not though, as so often the expectation is that you've got a "piece of paper to prove you are clever" rather than relevant hands on experience, and that you're willing to work for almost tuppence because it's such as hotly fought for position.

So if you're after a change, or just after a job at all, have a look.

careers.nationaltrust.org.uk/OA_HTML/a/#/vacancy-detail/63207

Analytics, an insight into the breadth and depth of Attendant's View

7/10/2014

Well, goggle analytics has once again shown me where some of you readers come from, and has once again shown the er, range, of topics I light upon here.

National Trust wallpaper, Cornwall, and, because it is the internet after all, penis images.

I've shared some of the search terms used to reach Attendants' View before here, and am a little sad that nothing now reaches the bizarrity levels of those previous results.

Must try harder!

Doggy Bag

30/9/2014

Thanks to the new follower who submitted this tale of someone playing fast and loose with interpreting the rules for visiting their property. The lady with the dog was quite cheerful, and unaware of the issues behind the rules. Her friend was the one to argue the case, threatening to "write to your head office and ask for my membership to be refunded" if the staff "persisted in being petty and demanding."

The issue was resolved when the lady with the dog suggested he may get restless anyway, so if they put him in the car they'd be able to enjoy the house without him wiggling around.

Easter - do we make best use of it?

15/4/2014

I've seen a lot of museums, galleries, heritage sites and stately homes holding Easter egg hunts, find the bunny/chick/egg trails etc. This makes sense over a period when the kids are off school, you want to entertain those visiting you, and want to attract new visitors looking at a range of options - you tap into the reason for that holiday break.

This is the first year though when I've stopped and thought, but is this relevant, and in the long term, beneficial to those sites?

Attendant's View vs. the National Trust - Final Chapter!

23/7/2012

“All this happened, more or less.” Wait, no, this is a slightly different story, it involves poor copywriting, the National Trust and the centenary of the Titanic.

In February I spotted an advert promoting forthcoming events in the National Trust magazine which veered from “ill fated liner” to “enjoy afternoon tea” in one paragraph. This juxtaposition I had to query, and so I requested more details about the activities. Dress up activities for the kiddies and nautical knot tying all flummoxed me a bit. Thus began a voyage that held conflicting personal details and letters being sent saying that letters would be sent. It’s taken some flipping time but I have now had a full and very sensible answer.

How long does it take to pass a letter on?

16/5/2012

I got a bee in my bonnet about the National Trust's Titanic events at Springhill and wrote them a letter asking for some clarity on their thoughts. That was mid February. End of February they asked me to confirm my name, as since getting married I'd not updated my name on their system, so it didn't tally with the membership number I'd provided.

Then, nothing.

I wrote again mid April, asking if they had progressed any further, and querying the wait. They rang to check my postcode, saying that a letter had been sent to me, but the postcode on their system didn't match the one on my letter. Being dumb, yes, that was my error. I've now had a letter, which says:

Something for nothing!

18/4/2012

I feel like I've mentioned the National Trust a fair bit of late, well they own a lot of things, do a sterling job raising awareness about many issues and put on quite a few good activities. (and some slightly odd ones)

On the 21st and 22nd of April they're offering free entry to over 200 properties, with a voucher to download and print that can get up to 2 adults and 2 kids in totally free. That can be quite a saving if you're hard up for cash and want a good day out.

See where you could get to, and get your voucher here:http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/get-involved/competitions-and-offers/offers/free-weekend/

Go on, give it a go with some mates or meet up with family, and you may find somewhere you love.

Lanhydrock - The National Trust's "Big Posh House" done really well

10/4/2012

All houses would have had pest problems!

!Sooooooo tempting to make rude words

We've all been dragged around some big posh house, in a big area of green, perhaps with deer in it. I say dragged, because well, even though you do often enjoy it, there can come a point where it's yet another big posh house while trying to entertain the kids/visiting family/fill a holiday. Lanhydrock In Bodmin manages to hit all the nails on the head though, and many similar sites could learn a lot from it.

"Can you confirm your details?..."

29/2/2012

If you recall the Titanic posts then there's an interesting development. I've been contacted by a nice lady from the National Trust asking me to call them back and confirm my membership details, so once they have that all correct they can get back in touch with me.

It was the customer service message about "valuing feedback" and thanking me "for raising your concerns with us" so I'll see what reply I get in full now that I've called and ensured my details are all up to date. I'm not sure why a difference in the name on my letter and the name on my account should effect their replying to me. I keep envisioning some massive Bertha like machine breaking down when my letter is fed into it, because it doesn't compute...

Their response so far has not been swift, but hopefully that's a sign of making sure the issue is dealt with correctly rather than playing pass the buck. I have a strong fondness for NT, and would hate an indifference to customer concerns to spoil it in any way.

"Dear National Trust..."

16/2/2012

So, you may have seen the post about the National Trust's Titanic events at Springhill, and their strange choice of descriptive words and activities. Something about this struck such a chord that I needed to know more. So I contacted them for more details, recieved them, and ended up writing a letter asking the National Trust to clarify some of their choices.