How to Become a Museum Docent
The word docent comes from a Latin word that means to teach, and that is what docents do at museums around the country. Docents are specially trained volunteers who share their knowledge with a wide range of museum visitors on a regular basis. Read on to learn how to become a docent and give back to your community by learning and sharing your knowledge.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Find a museum where you want to volunteer. Make sure the museum's content interests you because you'll be putting a lot of time into the program.
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2
Fill out any forms to apply for the program. Filling out a form doesn't guarantee you will get in. Sometimes there are more applicants than openings. Make sure your application makes it apparent that you love the museum's content. Museum employees might like to see that you incorporate the museum's subject into your free time. Make your personality shine through as much as possible. They are looking for sociable, dynamic people.
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3
Attend the training courses and be ready to study. How often you meet will vary from museum to museum, but don't be surprised if you meet more than once a week, and for more than six months. You will probably attend a lot of lectures to learn about the museum's exhibits. Your instructors will also talk about how to lead tours and how to change your tour for different groups of visitors. For example, think about how you would change your presentation about a certain piece if you showed it to a 9-year-old and then a 79-year-old, or how would you keep people from touching the exhibits. In the end, you might also lead sample tours, consisting of your classmates and museum employees.
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4
Schedule time to volunteer at your museum. Museums have invested time and money into your training, so they will most likely expect you to commit to a certain number of hours per week. Your responsibilities could include leading tours, giving demonstrations, helping visitors with hands-on activities, or even community outreach programs that could take you to local schools.
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Continue your education with any required docent readings or training. Because exhibits are constantly changing, some museums have weekly classes for their current docents.
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Commit for the long haul. Some docent programs will ask you to commit to volunteering for several years.
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Tips & Warnings
Docents aren't just for art museums. Check out science museums, history museums and even zoos.
As a docent, you will most likely have favorite exhibits and areas you excel in. But the museum will still expect you to talk about everything else.
Most docents are volunteers, but there are a few museum programs that offer paid docent positions.
It is possible to have a full-time job and still find time to become a docent. Some museums offer weekend training programs and can work with you to find a suitable time to volunteer.
