Work Experience That Inspires: Opening Doors to Museum Careers with the V&A

Making Museum Careers Accessible

The V&A is a world-renowned family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity with a 5,000-year-old story, making it an unforgettable setting for hands-on work experience. In May 2026, young people took part in a 5-day work experience offering a behind-the-scenes journey into the heart of museum life and the many career opportunities available. 

“[We offer work experience] To open up our sector to young people that otherwise wouldn’t have considered a career within it… Work experience can inspire and shape young people from the very beginning of the career. There’s that old saying ‘you can’t be it if you can’t see it’ and at the V&A and the creative/cultural sector more broadly there are so many hidden roles that many students wouldn’t know about unless exposed to it through a work experience opportunity like this.”

Lily Towers, Talent and Skills, Early Careers Advisor

Inside the Work Experience 

The work experience marked the V&A’s first multi-site programme. Students spent 4 days at the V&A’s South Kensington site, and 1 day at V&A East where they explored both the Storehouse, and the new Museum – a purpose-built public space of co-created galleries celebrating east London’s heritage and the art and voices shaping modern culture.

“One of my highlights was visiting V&A East… I saw one of the best exhibitions I’ve ever been to: The Music Is Black - it was incredibly immersive, combining music, fashion, photography, instruments and artwork.”

Student

Attendees engaged in a full programme of talks, gallery tours and practical activities led by industry professionals across departments – curatorial, technical services, conservation, marketing, interpretation, internal communications, technology and more. This format provided the young people with an immersive introduction to museum careers and an opportunity to develop the creative, communication and collaborative skills valued across a range of roles. 

Through real-world insights and first-hand experience in collections care, installation and engagement, students were able to explore and refine their interests in different aspects of museum work.

“Some of the young people got to work with our Technical Services team which are responsible for moving and installing objects across all of our museums. They’re often a team that are overlooked when young people are considering museum careers. Technical Services are one of the most hands-on teams, with the students learning how to professionally frame artwork, receiving a tour of the studios and learning about how to mount objects, many came away with Technical Services being one of their favourite rotations of all.”

Lily Towers, Talent and Skills, Early Careers Advisor

Participants even contributed to plans for a new exhibition – and took part in a CV writing workshop to support their first steps into work in the museum and cultural sector. 

The Impact of Work Experience

Student feedback showed that the work experience broadened understanding of museum roles and presented them as viable career options – helping to dispel the common misconceptions that careers are only for curators and for people with connections in the sector. 

“[One unexpected thing I learnt is] how the various number of different departments work so closely together and how accessible a museum career can be.”

“I’ve seen that there is not just one pathway into the sector. There are so many people from so many backgrounds and every day in the job is different.”

“I know now there are more jobs than I thought.”

“Throughout the week I explored lots of different departments and got a real insight into how much work happens behind the scenes in museums… A huge thank you to everyone at the V&A for being so welcoming and for sharing their knowledge throughout the week. I’ve learnt so much, and this experience has really strengthened my interest in pursuing opportunities within the creative and cultural sector in the future.”

“A key highlight for me was listening to the countless different ways members of staff ended up at the V&A – it really made a future in the creative sector feel much more attainable.”

Advice for the Next Generation

“Our industry has endless possibilities… Showcase your passion for the industry within your application. There are lots of opportunities in the UK to engage with free museums, so where you can visit those, and reflect on what you liked/didn’t like and what you’d like to see in future museums.”

Lily Towers, Talent and Skills, Early Careers Advisor

Employer Insights

“Young People will always provide you with honest feedback and perspectives that you perhaps hadn’t considered before. It’s also such an inspiring week, where you get to gain a new perspective on your industry and see it through a young person’s eyes.”

Lily Towers, Talent and Skills, Early Careers Advisor

Reflections were also shared on programming to benefit both young people and employers.

“Our work experience opportunity is designed to be inspiring and fun for both the students and hosts alike. With only asking for 2-3 hours of our team’s time, it was low impact on staff whilst offering maximum impact for our students… Encourage employees at all levels (i.e. not just managers/senior managers) to get involved in hosting. Ask the teams to volunteer their time, you’d be surprised how many people would like to willingly get involved.”

Lily Towers, Talent and Skills, Early Careers Advisor

Discover Work Experience for Yourself 

Whether you’re keen to apply for work experience or provide some for young people, head to our Work Experience Finder to get started. 

Our Talks Library is also available as a resource of insights into different sectors.