Jobs

JOB PURPOSE
The Bute Preventive Conservation Internship, supported by the Trust’s Bute Memorial Fund, is an exceptional opportunity for an emerging conservation professional. The Trust is Scotland’s leading conservation charity, with an extensive portfolio of built heritage sites, from castles and country houses to cottages, working historic environments to modern museum facilities. Material culture collections are on open display at more than 50 of these properties, and their care is the responsibility of the Trust’s Collections Conservation and Management and Curatorial Teams. Our emphasis is on a collaborative approach rooted in strategy, preventive conservation principles and practice.
Since 2008, the NTS has supported twelve interns, ten of whom were funded through the Bute Memorial Fund. Through their time at NTS, they have all been given an outstanding opportunity to develop their conservation skills, building on the theory and experience of prior formal training.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
The Bute Preventive Conservation Intern will develop their knowledge, skills and experience under the guidance of the Conservator North East and other Trust staff.
The internship is for a fixed term of 18 months and will follow a work and learning plan mutually agreed between the intern and intern supervisor to include the following opportunities.
• Work closely with the NE Conservator to provide conservation advice, guidance and training to collection care staff to ensure a good level of collection care throughout the region.
• Contribute to all aspects of preventive conservation in an historic house setting, including environmental monitoring and control, condition assessing, integrated pest management, collection management, emergency planning and collection care and cleaning.
• Build on knowledge and skills learnt during formal conservation qualification, expanding real life experience of conservation issues and solutions.
• Experience the process of recognising the need for, and commissioning remedial conservation of collections.
• Attend training and development opportunities internally and externally where offered to develop knowledge, skills and experience in preventive conservation and develop a network of contacts across the sector.
• Contribute to public engagement activities, sharing conservation stories within the Trust and externally to promote both conservation practices and the Bute internship.
• Contribute to regional and national projects including the Fyvie Masterplan Project and the Environmental Monitoring Replacement Project.
• Manage small conservation projects with the support of the Conservator North East to develop project and time management skills.
12 months of the internship will focus on developing skills and experience. The last 6 months of the internship will involve more independent working on agreed projects.

Application Deadline: Monday 21/09/2026