Placement Opportunities Available

The Victoria and Albert Museum wishes to appoint a doctoral placement student to support research into contemporary and historical creative learning practices for V&A Academy, the V&A’s lifelong learning department.

Project outline

V&A Academy is on a mission to become the UK’s school of creativity. To do that we want to invest in creative learning – learning by doing.  This project will explore the history and current practice of creative learning in the UK and internationally, with a particular focus on adult learners. Specifically, we are interested in exploring the teaching of art and design history through practical and creative methods, but we are open to interdisciplinary approaches that are relevant to this broad theme. In collaboration with V&A Academy programmers, teachers and learners, the project will then build on the review of practice to select the most salient creative learning formats or scenarios for the V&A and conduct in-depth case studies designed to challenge our current teaching practice and inspire pedagogical innovation.

About V&A Academy: V&A Academy is the V&A’s lifelong learning department. Across art history courses, practical workshops, professional development and design forums, we aim to activate the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance to inspire creative life.

Start & end date of placement: This placement can be undertaken on a full-time basis over a three-month period (or a part-time basis over a longer period) at any point between August 2022 and mid-January 2023. Irrespective of the form the placement takes, outputs will need to be completed by mid-January 2023.

Hours of work: This placement can be taken on a part-time or full-time basis. The working week will be hybrid. While most activities will be undertaken remotely, there will be some in-person work and the student will be allocated a desk at the V&A. The ratio of remote to in-person working will be established in dialogue with the student and placement supervisors at the beginning of the placement.

Essential criteria: This placement is well-suited to a PhD student who can demonstrate: research interest in creative learning, lifelong learning, heritage learning or other relevant disciplines/practices. Excellent written and oral communication skills.

In addition, applicants may also have an: an understanding of the UK lifelong learning context in the cultural and heritage sectors and / or wider Higher Education landscape. Previous experience in working collaboratively with a range of people.

The student will produce: 

• A review of creative learning practice in adult learning in the UK and internationally, in the form of a literature review or annotated bibliography.
• A survey of different models for creative learning.
• Workshop/stakeholder interviews with Academy stakeholders to identify most       relevant modes of practice in current Academy programme.
• 3–4 in-depth case studies on certain modes of practice in the field, including, e.g., interviews with practitioners.
• Recommendations for further experimentation and application as part of Academy’s strategic plan.

By the end of the placement you will have:

• Conducted a literature review/annotated bibliography, stakeholder interviews in a commercial environment.
• Developed an understanding of current pedagogical practice in lifelong learning at a leading national museum.
• Compiled case studies for commercial application in a cultural and heritage sector context.

Interested students are warmly invited to e-mail Dr Elaine Tierney (e.tierney@vam.ac.uk) with a short cover letter (1 page max.), outlining their interest in the project and their relevant skills and knowledge, along with a short C.V. (2 pages max.). Please include the following details in your C.V.: PhD funder; HEI you are registered at; year of study; and confirmation you have not undertaken a previous internship paid for through your DTP (Doctoral Training Partnership) funder. Elaine is also happy to answer any questions you might have while putting together your application.

Deadline: 5pm on Friday 24th June 2022

As the archive of Crown and State government, The National Archives (TNA) holds a vast range of records on life in the British Isles and beyond over the past 1000 years. TNA is pleased to invite LAHP students on placement for periods from four to twelve weeks, full or part time, depending on student requirements. We currently have placement opportunities in our Collections Expertise and Engagement department, our Archive Sector Development department, and our Research and Academic Engagement department. Placement work will focus on activities that enhance information about the contents of our document collections, improve access to records, broaden engagement to users beyond established academic and research communities, and support our role as archive sector lead. For the length of the placement, we will ensure that students are embedded in a small team, working closely with experienced specialists, but they will also work across TNA departments to gain a broad understanding of the varied work and wide responsibilities of this government organization. Depending on the department and the interests of the individual student, placement work might involve analyzing and reporting on survey data to support policy planning, contributing to cataloguing projects, or supporting digital humanities research.

Start & end date of placement: Ad hoc placements to be agreed with the student, please contact research@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Hours of work: To be agreed with the student

Essential criteria:  Student placements at The National Archives will suit students with an interest in cultural heritage or the GLAM sector and who would like to build their skills, knowledge and expertise across a range of areas. There are no minimum skills requirements, but we expect successful placement students will demonstrate a keen interest in the work of The National Archives and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Expected project outcomes: Project outcomes vary from project to project but student work may contribute to cataloguing projects, and therefore to our catalogue Discovery, to ongoing research projects, or support policy planning. Students may also have the opportunity to contribute to blog posts for The National Archives’ website and to public engagement events.

Deadline: No specific deadline, placements are available throughout the academic year

To apply, please complete the expression of interest and return it to lahp.partners@london.ac.uk 

For further details, please contact either lahp.partners@london.ac.uk or research@nationalarchives.gov.uk

As the archive of Crown and State government, The National Archives (TNA) holds a vast range of records on life in the British Isles and beyond over the past 1000 years. TNA is pleased to invite LAHP students on a placement for six to twelve weeks, full or part time, depending on student requirements.

We currently have a placement opportunity in Collections Expertise and Engagement department, working with a small, discrete collection from the diverse records of the High Court of Admiralty. The placement will focus on letters, papers and legal records relating to early modern piracy, prize-taking, colonialism and overseas trade, 1551-1870 (the bulk pre-1770). The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting an initial survey of this small collection and subsequent work enhancing our information about its contents, with the aim of improving access to these materials. For the length of the placement, the candidate will be embedded in a small team of experienced specialists who work on the High Court of Admiralty’s records. The placement will also be tailored to the candidate’s interests and future career aims, with the potential to work on related projects with other departments at TNA, such as public engagement and exhibitions, with the intention of broadening engagement with these records beyond established academic and research communities, in support of our role as archive sector lead.

Start & end date of placement: early 2022, with precise dates to be agreed with the student, please contact research@nationalarchives.gov.uk 

Hours of work: To be agreed with the student. The placement will involve working with original documents onsite, but with the potential for some work to be conducted at home.

Essential criteria: the placement will suit students with an interest in academic and public history, collaborative research, cultural heritage or the GLAM sector. There are no minimum skills requirements, but a successful placement student will be able to demonstrate a keen interest in the history of international trade, colonialism, law, piracy or the age of sail. As this placement is focussed on original documents written in 16th and 17th century handwriting, it would desirable for the placement student to have some experience of reading handwriting from this period already. If not, the successful candidate will need to be willing and able to learn how to do so quickly, with support from the placement supervisor and team. Experience of archival research is also desirable.

Expected project outcomes: the results of the student’s findings will be primarily be used to enhance our online cataloguing for the specified collection. They will also be expected to utilise some of the records for publication, initially in the form of blogs for public and academic engagement. Other expected outcomes will depend on the student’s interests and any resulting work that they undertake with other departments at TNA.

Deadline: No specific deadline, placements are available throughout the academic year

To apply, please complete the expression of interest and return it to lahp.partners@london.ac.uk

For further details, please contact either lahp.partners@london.ac.uk or research@nationalarchives.gov.uk