Job Description
Emily Dickinson Museum Guide (Casual Position) Amherst Campus
Part Time
JR5577
Amherst has taken a leadership role among highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities in successfully diversifying the racial, socio-economic, and geographic profile of its student body. The College is similarly committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration and staff.
Job Description: Amherst College invites applications for the Emily Dickinson Museum Guide(s) position. The Emily Dickinson Museum Guide(s) is a part-time, casual position with no benefits, starting at $17.42/hr. Given Amherst's distinction as one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country, the successful candidate will demonstrate the ways in which they bring value to and will work towards supporting a broadly diverse community.
Guides are responsible for facilitating the Museum's primary public program, providing rich and engaging tours of the historic Dickinson homes. Guides welcome diverse visitors to the Museum and provide essential visitor services as greeters and tour monitors. Guides complete a training course of several hours per week for up to eight weeks. Training includes completion of at-home reading assignments, attendance at weekly training sessions, and observation of guided and audio tours. Participates in enrichment and training activities throughout the year, including monthly guide meetings. Guides work a minimum of eight hours per week. Guide shift lengths vary from 3 to 8 hours. Typical shifts include giving 3 guided tours and supporting the tour program in ways such as monitoring tours, greeting visitors, selling tickets and merchandise, and assisting with miscellaneous museum needs when not giving tours. The number of shifts worked per week may increase or decrease seasonally based on Museum needs. Additional shifts for group tours and other programs are added to regular weekly shifts, per guide availability.
Summary of Responsibilities: Tours
- Prepare and deliver an individualized guided tour using Museum guidelines and resources
- Maintain an interest in Dickinson studies and scholarship
- Guide for group tours and special programs
- Attend monthly all staff meetings and any additional professional development or content trainings offered by the Museum, such as inclusivity trainings and an annual field trip
Visitor Services
- As a Greeter in the tour center, orient visitors to the Museum and its programs, contribute to an inclusive and welcoming environment
- As a Monitor, support guides by helping to keep tours moving through the tour route in a timely fashion
- Assist visitors who wish to join or leave their group or those who have special needs
- Alert the Tour Center Coordinator in the event of an emergency situation
- Open and close historic rooms at the start and end of the day
- Contribute to the preservation of historic houses and collections by promoting safe visitor behaviors and inventorying collections objects on display at open and close
- Operate the point-of-sale system in the tour center to sell tour tickets and merchandise as needed when the Tour Center Coordinator is on a break
- Assist with upkeep of shop inventory, presentation of public spaces, miscellaneous housekeeping or clerical tasks as needed
Qualifications: Required
- High School Diploma or equivalent
- Interest in Emily Dickinson, literature and/or history
- Demonstrated customer service, public speaking, verbal communication, and interpersonal skills
- Schedule flexibility and adaptability to meet operational needs, including the ability to work weekends
- Commitment to creating successful visitor experiences for all of the Museum's diverse visitors
Preferred
- Experience or interest in working in historic house museums
Amherst College offers many opportunities for professional growth and development, continued learning, and career advancement.
Interested candidates are asked to submit a resume, cover letter, and the names of three professional references online at .
Please be sure to upload all requested documents prior to clicking Submit. Applications cannot be revised once submitted. (Current employees and students should apply by clicking on the Jobs Hub icon from their Workday home screen) Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
To apply, visit
Job Tags
Part time, Casual work, Immediate start, Shift work, Weekend work,