Ten things I wish I'd been told before working in a museum.

I was recently involved in a discussion about "Things no one told you before you started working in a museum”.
​It made me wonder: What would I tell myself if I could go back?
 
I wouldn't want to put the younger me off working in museums, galleries or heritage sites, but perhaps guide them a bit in what to expect. The ten points here may not be the most vital and key things to know, but they are things I wish I'd been prepared for!

1. ​Qualifications vs. Experience: both may be held against you.
   I was once told by a fellow front of house staffer in reference to my degree: "You're alright for someone with a piece of paper". I have been in a few venues were staff employed for their experiences, and staff employed for their qualifications, had some negative opinions about each other. Experienced staff were deemed good with their hands, but not intelligent. Qualified staff were deemed intelligent, but useless for anything practical. It was a strange balance for anyone to prove themselves to the other group, and earn their respect.
2. You will encounter bodily fluids.
   Bogies on glass cabinets. Kids who lick stuff. Peeing toddlers. Poo missing the loo. Vomiting foreign tourists. Peeing drunks. Spitting in corridors. Nappies being left in dark corners. Poo missing the loo (on purpose). Vomiting school children. People having covert sex in public places. It’s grim out there.
3. Do everything you can to organise teachers.
   Teachers have a lot to manage, so make their job easier and before a visit provide simple do’s and don’ts to follow, suggestions such as "divide the class in two before arriving" etc. Because nothing makes a day painful like 30 excited kids and a teacher without a plan...
4. Carry a lump of Blu-tac.
   The uses for a lump of Blu-tac range from emergency fixing of loose display panels, to being stuck onto a pole and picking up things dropped behind cabinets, to forming small comedy creatures and sticking them where other museum staff will find them.
5. You have increased romantic chances....
   Museums and art galleries can be great places to meet people. Like minds, topics of conversation to hand, it's natural to start chatting. I've known a few staff form lasting relationships with visitors or contractors, and it's sweet.
6. ...and increased chances of being stalked.
   The problem with being paid to be nice to the public is that some folks read too much into it. Also, you're trapped in a building at their mercy, to visit at will. A male colleague regularly hid in a storeroom when warned of a specific impending female visitor, and one visitor extrapolated my work email address from my ID tag, and contacted me directly by email.
7. Never be too proud to clean a loo.
   Delegation is a tool of effective management, but sometimes, if something just needs doing, it's smarter to just do it yourself. It also means that staff gain extra respect for their managers, knowing they will get stuck in. This advice works for any job, but with museums increasingly facing cuts and reduced staff, roles need to be more flexible and mangers need to get their hands dirty.
8. @#%**€#! French students.
   I've experienced it, heard it from other heritage workers, seen it in other venues as a visitor. The top scorers for harassing staff, playing football in galleries, smoking, sitting on statues, casual vandalism, being ignorant of other people using the venue = groups of French students. Other nationalities do have their issues, and some French groups are fantastic, but by and large, they require three times the management of any other visiting group.
9. You need a Bat Belt.
   A set of keys, a walkie talkie, a work mobile phone, ID keycard, tissues, Blu-tac... Useful to have a pen to hand as well... I never knew how much stuff I'd carry on a daily basis. And that doesn’t cover exhibition set up, when a Leatherman multi-tool is a constant companion!
10. Small things make your day.
    ​Finishing a project or getting recognition from peers is rewarding, but real job satisfaction comes from being told that a young adult enthusing in an education session is autistic, and doesn't normally interact with strangers. Kids asking “How soon can we visit again!?” to the amazement of their parents. All of the stressful planning, debating with management, handling rude visitors, suddenly pale away and for the rest of your career, you treasure those small things.

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What do you think? 
If you could go back and tell younger you something about working in museums, galleries and heritage venues, what would it be? If we get some good comments here, on facebook and on Tumblr, there may be a follow up blog with your contributions!