Museum Interpreters

Job title:              Museum Interpreter

Reports to:        Site Administrator

Status:                 Seasonal Part-Time, Non-Exempt, $17.00 per hour

Museum Interpreters at Connecticut Landmarks lead interactive visitor tours, programs, events, and hands-on activities at the various historic sites owned and operated by Connecticut Landmarks. Activities may include school field trips, adult and senior tours, scout programs, and virtual tours. Museum interpreters are advocates for the sites and the organization. As such, Museum Interpreters are expected to foster an open, welcoming, and enthusiastic environment for all visitors while always maintaining a high level of professionalism. Museum interpreters also promote and sell CTL admission tickets, memberships, and merchandise using Altru, CTL’s ticketing and membership POS software. They assist with program set-up, clean-up, and preparing education materials. This part-time position is seasonal and runs mainly between May through October, with some additional shifts available in April, November, and December. The number of hours varies depending upon each site’s scheduling needs but will be approximately 10-12 hours per week. Weekend availability is required.

The historic house museums seeking Museum Interpreters for the 2026 operating season include:

• The Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, Bethlehem, was the summer home of Caroline Ferriday, a philanthropist whose work took her around the globe to aid victims of Ravensbrück concentration camp and support the civil rights movement in the United States.
• The Nathan Hale Homestead, Coventry, explores the way the Hale family supported the American Revolutionary War, from Nathan Hale’s service as America’s first spy, to other family members’ military service, to their provisioning, homesteading, and community-building at home. Please note: This site hosts field trips in the spring beginning on weekdays in April; weekday availability in April, May, and June strongly preferred.
• North Central Region:
  • From the Butler-McCook House & Garden—Hartford’s oldest remaining house—four generations of the McCook family shepherded local congregations, conducted social research, served in the military, traveled for missionary work, and expanded Trinity College. Please note: In addition to open tour days, this site hosts a monthly concert series on the second Thursday of each month from June-September. Availability for these events is strongly desired.
  • The Isham-Terry House, Hartford, was a family residence and medical office in a city being rapidly reshaped by expanding industries, shifting gender roles, newly arriving immigrant groups and Urban Renewal in the 20^th
  • The Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden, Suffield, explores the ways that the upheaval of wartime can change fortunes, examines how architecture reflects and shapes culture, considers Indigenous land rights, and interrogates decision-making in historic preservation.
• Southeast Region:
  • The Hempsted Houses provides a window into urban life in Colonial New London. In his 18^th-century diary, Joshua Hempsted recorded family and civic life and documented the life and labor of Adam Jackson, a man of African descent who Hempsted enslaved for decades.
  • Through East Haddam’s Palmer-Warner House’s collections of letters and diaries, photographs, historic furnishings, and decorative arts that Frederic Palmer and Howard Metzger assembled together, visitors can understand the wider arc of 20th-century LGBTQ+ history.

Museum Interpreters are assigned to one property or region, though they may be able to cross-train at other sites or be asked to support special event programming throughout the state. Please indicate in your application materials which properties you are interested in.

Responsibilities:

• Facilitate the visitor experience for people of diverse ages and backgrounds. This may include leading school field trips, directing adult and senior tours, and helping to execute events including lectures, concerts, weddings, and other on-site programs;
• Effectively engage site visitors using interpretive strategies guided by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience;
• Sell admission tickets for CTL tours and programs using Altru, CTL’s ticketing and membership software program;
• Promote and sell CTL memberships to visitors;
• Follow established museum best practices and procedures concerning collections care, help secure the property, and monitor the safety and well-being of visitors;
• Help to promote other CTL sites and tourism throughout the state. Provide additional information as necessary regarding attractions and amenities, especially in the communities near CTL sites;
• Answer visitors’ questions honestly and follow up promptly when additional information is required;
• Provide assistance to site management with cleaning procedures and grounds upkeep and help with opening and closing procedures for the site each operating day;
• When appropriate, dress in period costumes to promote and enhance site events;
• Perform other tasks as needed to ensure the smooth running of the site

Desired Qualifications & Attributes

• Good to superior storytelling abilities; strong public speaking skills;
• Sound technical skills; familiarity with Microsoft Office program and a willingness to learn and use Altru, a cloud-based membership software platform that enables users to sell admission tickets, memberships, and merchandise
• Enthusiastic, friendly, flexible, courteous disposition;
• Demonstrate interest in history; an additional interest in architecture, gardening, cooking, arts/crafts, landscape history, historic houses, domestic spaces or a related topics is a plus;
• Interest in working with audiences of all ages; ability to listen to the visitor, learn about their interests and respond accordingly;
• Must be open to new ideas and able to work independently as well as with others and take direction;
• Sense of responsibility and appreciation for a historic site. Appreciation for local history and the community;
• Professional and punctual; solid time-management skills. Able to work weekends and to commit at least a minimum number of hours to the site;
• Previous museum or historic sites experience a plus.

Application Instructions:

Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter indicating which property/ies they are interested in to Shaelyn Amaio, CTL’s Deputy Director, at [email protected]. Positions are being filled on a rolling basis as soon as possible. Training will take place in late March/early April. Visit https://ctlandmarks.org/opportunities/

Physical Qualifications:

The position entails walking up and down stairs, standing for extended periods of time (up to several hours), working in an environment that is not air-conditioned, helping to move chairs and other objects, stooping and bending to help with cleaning and other tasks.