Internship- Historic Interpreter, Flynn Mansion
JOB SUMMARY:
The historic interpreter intern assists Living History Farms in achieving its mission: to educate, entertain, and connect people of all ages to Midwestern rural life experiences.
This person will interact with the museum’s guests, explaining through demonstrations, the history and culture of Iowa’s immigrant farming community, using the Flynn Family and their farm workers as examples. This person will be working both inside of the Flynn Mansion, a historic home built in 1870, and outdoors on the farm grounds, while wearing clothing issued by Living History Farms that reflects the clothing of the time period.
Upon successful completion of the internship requirements, the student may earn up to 6 hours of college credit through Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa. Non-Graceland students may transfer credits to their home university, and are responsible for any fees associated with this.
Position Hours
- 13 weeks, May – August, 2022, averaging 35 hours per week. Start and end dates might be negotiable, depending on situation.
- Work schedule will be Tuesday – Saturday, 8:45am – 4:15pm.
QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Consistent attendance is an essential function of the position. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Specific Duties:
· Greet and interact with museum guests in an open, friendly manner.
· Interpret historic events and facts for museum guests of all ages.
· Engagingly demonstrates and interprets daily historic activities (may include food preparation and food preservation, gardening with hand tools, crafts or sewing, use of period machinery etc.) for school tours, day camp groups, adult tour groups and the general visitor.
· Actively encourage general visitors, especially children, to participate in interactive activities, including scheduled hands-on activities, as appropriate.
· Perform appropriate work, indoors and outdoors, in a variety of conditions consistent with the historical time period and the interpretive activity, and within the variations of Iowa’s climate. (The Flynn Barn, for example, is not climate controlled.)
· Read assigned materials, complete assigned papers and projects, and attend academic seminars, in order to successfully complete all requirements for earning academic credit.
· Maintain a professional demeanor at all times, especially when interacting with the public, but also including during training sessions and with other staff.
· Complete required number of interpretation hours (360 hours). Any time missed will need to be made up in order to successfully complete the program.
EDUCATION and SKILLS:
- Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university
- Enjoys working with the general public, and people of all ages, especially children
- Possesses excellent communication (verbal and written) skills
- Displays a willingness to learn, and a “can do” mentality
- Approaches situations with creative, analytical and problem-solving skills
- Demonstrates exceptional customer service skills
- Enjoys working in a dynamic, fast-paced, team-oriented workplace
- Demonstrates an ability to work independently, following through on tasks to completion
- Is comfortable working outdoors, sometimes in adverse conditions such as heat, rain, etc.
- Able to perform physical tasks (lift 50 lbs.) with physical mobility
- Has experience with computer programs, such as the Microsoft Office package