JOIN OUR TEAM
You’d be surprised at the range of skills required to run an aviation museum. And just as our museum appeals to visitors of all age groups and backgrounds, so it is with our volunteers. For that reason, the team stretches from teenagers seeking work experience or 20-somethings looking to bolster their CV, to retirees who can’t quite bring themselves to retire, and everyone else in between.
The best way to get in touch initially is via our email address: Volunteer@aviationmuseum.net
Volunteers work in several teams
Stewards
Or docents as our American friends refer to them. The members of this team engage our visitors, answer questions, conduct cockpit and aircraft tours and generally put the flesh on the bones of our exhibits. Some of this team also assist on school/Scout visit days. If you enjoy talking to people, know a bit about our exhibits (or are prepared to learn) then this team, with several vacancies, could be for you.Hands On / Education
Otherwise known as the Link team. This team build and restore items which visitors can climb into, try out and generally have fun with. They also look after our radio displays. During school visits this is the team that give rides in our two working Link Trainers and two Microsoft Flight Simulators. Knowing one end of a screwdriver from the other is useful, but not essential. We currently have a couple of vacancies within this team.Groundforce
This team carries out the essential work of keeping the outside areas well maintained. Tasks include grass cutting, fence mending, tree/bush trimming, upkeep of the Adair Walk and the memorial garden, path clearing/repairs, etc. Their work is weather dependent, so they tend to be flexible on which days they attend. There are currently vacancies within this team.Carpenters
Our ‘chippies’ make items to order, including display cabinets, visitor seating and outdoor furniture. They also produce various items for sale (e.g. bird/bug boxes). Our carpenters also do the maintenance of buildings and infrastructure around the site. Currently we have space for one person in this team.Engineers
The engineers are the ones who restore our major artefacts. Previous experience in a workshop environment is necessary. Due to the relatively small amount of work in this area we currently have no vacancies in this team.Electricians
As the title suggests this team look after our electrics. If someone has the relevant qualifications we could use another member in this team.Cleaning
With so much space, most of it within hangars, everything gets dusty. Spiders are so much better at building cobwebs than humans are at removing them. We currently have several vacancies within this team.Painters
This team’s main task is the repainting of the aircraft in the collection. For this there is a need for a certain amount of agility as some of the work is quite high. The team also paint buildings, cabinets, floors, or to put it another way just about everything. If you're good with a brush then we have a couple of vacancies within this team.Archive/Interpretation
This team is responsible for ensuring that every artefact within the museum (around 30,000 of them) is catalogued and recorded. The artefacts also need interpretation and labelling and, with so many artefacts, we constantly need to update old labels. The team also carries out research on our exhibits and assists in answering the many and varied questions we receive from members of the public. We have several vacancies within this team.Retail
This is the team that look after the shop, the bric-a-brac stall and NAAFI (cafe). This team tends to work in small groups to ensure that all three outlets are staffed whenever the museum is open. We have several vacancies within this team.Events
Our special events require different types of people; car parking to arranging the days in the first place; catering to organising flypasts; hands-on, to washing up. This team works Sundays when we have special events (refer web-site for details). This would ideally suit people who still work, but also want to get involved. We have several vacancies.