Volunteer with Us

Our Volunteering Roles

At Sir John Soane’s Museum we recruit sporadically through each year with a variety of opportunities to Volunteer with us.

Volunteers at the Soane support Visitor Experience, helping us to inspire visitors, and interpreting our unique and fascinating spaces. We also have volunteers helping in different ways, such as supporting our learning team, research library, exhibitions and facilities teams.  

We welcome applicants from all sections of the community and nurture a diverse and widely-skilled team. We encourage applications regardless of class, race, ethnicity, age or gender, and no particular education is necessary prior to volunteering. Our training gives you confidence, comfort, and a big welcome to the team, and you will learn more with every volunteering session at the Museum. You definitely don't need to learn everything before you start, and at the heart of volunteering with us is simply enjoying the amazing spaces and objects here.     

For volunteering related general enquiries please email volunteer@soane.org.uk.

Please note - Volunteers must be over 18 years. Please see below for details of our Youth Panel. 

Work Experience/Placements and Internships 

We are not able to accept work experience requests currently.

We offer other ways for young people to get involved with the work at Sir John Soane’s Museum, including our Youth Panel.

Current opportunities

Development Volunteer

Sir John Soane’s Museum is the home of the great Regency architect Sir John Soane (1753 – 1837), and it displays his collection of antiquities, furniture, models, and paintings arranged as they were at the time of his death. In addition, it preserves his collection of over 30,000 architectural drawings and a fine library of over 7,000 volumes. It has been described as the ‘supreme example of the house-museum in the world’ and remains an iconic inspiration for architects, artists, and designers.

Who we are

Key to the Museum’s success is the small but high-performing and welcoming Development Team, led by the Director of Development and two Development Managers (one is responsible for the Museum’s patrons; and the other for the team’s relations with major donors, trusts and foundations). The team manages an income target of just under £1.5m across its major strands.

What you will do

You will provide short-term administrative support to the Patrons Manager with respect to assembling an up to date and accurate list of friends and low-level donors.

Your role will specifically involve data input (and the cleaning of individual records) and contributing to the development and planning of a group email / newsletter and a strategy for future events for this target group.

This is a discreet task, with a clear beginning and end which will help us create a stronger sense of community and excitement amongst our friends and low-level donors (in line with similar organisations of our size and structure).

Where it is

The role is based at Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. We hope that you’ll be able to join us for about a day each week for a period of 3-4 months, although these hours can be spread across several days. This day should ideally be worked in the Development Office. We are otherwise happy to discuss individual flexibility and work around commitments for all other projects.

How to apply

Download the role profile here.

If you are interested in applying for this role please send your CV and a brief covering letter in Word format to Victoria Witty, Volunteer Manager, volunteer@soane.org.uk no later than 5pm on the 1st November. We will redact your name and other identifying information from your CV and covering letter.

Informal chats are scheduled for 20th and 22nd November.

For more information about volunteering and available roles, click below to enter our Volunteer Portal.