Trainee

Tullie Trainees

Tullie Trainees is…. A programme of fixed-term, part-time, entry-level roles that may be suitable for young people (18+), students or recent graduates interested in roles within the arts, culture or creative sectors. It is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and we’ll be working with our friends at #SeeItToBeItCumbria to make sure word is spread far and wide! What we’re offering… Over the next five years, we will offer 10 paid traineeships with host departments across the organisation to raise aspirations, skills and knowledge, as well as providing genuine input into governance and decision-making processes at Tullie.

**Find out more below, or download the application pack.**

The 2025 Traineeships are…

Collections

Ever wondered exactly how many objects are in Tullie’s collection? Have you got a soft spot for stuffed animals? Do you love a spreadsheet? As part of this role you will: - Help the Collections Access Coordinator look after the collection to museum standards, and learn what these are. - Help keep track objects in the collection as we move our museum stores. - Make sure we have good information available on each object. - Help photograph objects. - Help clean and look after objects. - Other duties to help, as needed for the role.

Buildings

Wanted: a practical hard-worker who’s looking for experience of buildings management / maintenance (and loves old buildings). As part of this role you will: - Help the team with set up rooms for events, corporate hires and meetings. - Assist the team to work with external contractors, escorting them to ‘back-of-house’ areas of the building and to report back on progress. - Help staff and visitors with maintenance or technical issues. - Learn about some aspects of security, including fire alarms and fob systems. - Help as needed with the museum galleries, exhibitions, events programme, visitor operations and commercial activities. - Be trained to use lifting and shifting equipment and tech to move objects from galleries and back in as needed. - Assist to keep the gardens and outside spaces well maintained. - Learn technical knowledge about audio and visual systems in the galleries. - Help check museum areas for maintenance issues, security and pest control. - Attend site briefings/meetings to find out more about how Tullie operates and work as part of the team. - Other duties to help, as needed for the role.

I want to know more!

Give me the specifics...

Each role is for 7.5 hours a week for 6 months, starting in September or October 2025 (depending on candidate availability) and finishing end of March 2026. The hourly rate is £12.33. We are happy for you to fit your hours around existing work or study commitments, Monday – Friday. There may also be the opportunity for additional hours. For the Buildings role, availability on a Monday or Friday would be ideal but it’s not a deal breaker!

Why are Tullie doing this?

- We are committed to getting more young people involved in Tullie – as visitors, volunteers, staff and participants! For more details about all our work with YPs visit: https://tullie.org.uk/get-involved/young-people/ - These Traineeships are part of Project Tullie – a rolling programme of work to transform Tullie over the next 10-15 years. Our vision is to create an innovative, welcoming and sustainable cultural hub that represents local communities and connects Carlisle and Cumbria to the world.

Find out more about our vision and work at https://tullie.org.uk/project-tullie/

What else is in it for me?

- A friendly, supportive environment to work and learn in. - Great practical experience of maintenance and facilities work OR museum collections. - Transferable skills for future jobs. - Advice and support on a career in buildings and maintenance / heritage / museums.

Who would I work with?

James – Buildings Trainee Manager

Get to Know Me: Hello! I’m James, currently working as the Buildings and Technical Manager at Tullie. I’ve been part of the team since 2024, and my role focuses on making sure the building operates smoothly, safely, and in a way that supports everything else the museum sets out to do. What I Do: My role covers a bit of everything — from overseeing maintenance and technical systems to working closely with teams across the museum to support exhibitions, events, and day-to-day operations. If something’s not working, leaking, or blinking when it shouldn’t be — I’m usually involved somewhere along the line. My Background: My first proper job was actually in a book packing warehouse when I was at school. It taught me early on how valuable practical skills are — and how much you can learn by just getting stuck in and asking questions. Since then, I’ve worked in many different fields of work, some you would be surprised by, but more recently in the Environmental sector for 8 years. In a multitude of different environments, shipping, warehouses, motorways and transport depots to name but a few. I’ve always enjoyed understanding how things work and making sure the environment around them works just as well. Why I’m Involved in the Trainee Programme: I think there’s real value in sharing what we know — especially in environments like this, where behind-the-scenes work is just as vital as what the public sees. This programme is a great opportunity to build skills, ask questions, and explore where your strengths might lie. I’m here to support that journey however I can. Let’s Talk: If you’re ever curious about how things run, want to learn a bit more about technical roles, or just need help finding your way around, just give me a shout. No question is too small.

Stephanie – Collections Trainee Manager

Hi! I’m Stephanie and I started at Tullie in June as the Collections Access Coordinator. My role is to help with the collections management side of the new Active Gallery development. Originally from Sydney, I have been in the UK for about two years now working on the museums stores move in Cambridge before moving up to Carlisle. My first museum job (after working in a cafe through uni) was in visitor services for the Lego exhibition at the Museum of Sydney, since then I’ve worked for a few different museums – including a number of short term projects and collections moves. I love working with objects and learning more about history, collections like the one at Tullie are really fun to work with as there’s so much variety. It feels like a really exciting time to be working here

Lins – Trainee Support/ Mentor

Lindsey’s job involves working with the community to create opportunities for young, emerging and under-represented audiences to get involved with and enjoy what Tullie has to offer. It’s all about working with others to invent new ideas that make a difference to people’s lives. She has a Contemporary Applied Arts degree and before working at Tullie she worked as a team leader for Carlisle Mencap who support people with learning disabilities. She loves her job as she gets to be creative and problem solve, and use her experience to identify access barriers. Lindsey has supported a number of different work experience placements, and she’ll be supporting people to ensure they get the most from their placement and to make sure it’s a positive experience.

Caitlin – Buildings & Technical Assistant

Hear why Caitlin enjoys working in the Buildings Team and what happens on a normal day.

How and where do I apply?

There are two parts to the application: 1. Send in your CV to [contact hidden] with either ‘Collections Trainee’ or ‘Buildings Trainee’ in the subject line 2. Fill out a short application form here:https://forms.office.com/e/uJ00Bwnqjj The questions you’ll be asked to answer are: 1. Why do you want to work for Tullie? 2. How would this placement be valuable to you? 3. Please have a look at the specification for the job and tell us how you meet this. 4. Can you work the hours advertised? The Job Description & Person Specification for the roles are here (Collections) and here (Buildings). We’re not looking for essays and don’t worry if you don’t have experience in either area – enthusiasm, excitement and energy are what we’re looking for. Earlier in the month we held a drop-in session for CV Writing and Application Tips – if you weren’t able to attend, here’s some of the info we shared – CV Writing and Application Tips The closing date for applications is 5pm on Monday 25th August – any applications received after this time will not be considered, we’re sorry!

What happens next?

We will be shortlisting applications on 26th August. We will email you on 27th August to let you know if we would like to invite you for an interview or not. Unfortunately if you aren’t successful at this point we will not be able to provide you with specific feedback on your application, but we will signpost you to other opportunities to get involved with Tullie. Interviews for the Collections Trainee will take place on 8th September and for the Buildings Trainee on 5th September. The interview will consist of 4-5 questions and a short practical task – we’ll send you details of these a week in advance.

Anything else?

We’ll be running a Drop-in Info & CV Writing Session on 6 August 4-6.30pm at Tullie if you need any help or advice OR if you have any specific questions about the roles please email [contact hidden] and we’ll be happy to help

This role is made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.

A home for the eternally curious.

Museum, art gallery, community hub, generally great place. Forward-thinking programme of special exhibitions and events. With an almost 1 million-strong collection, just saying.

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