Volunteering and Work Placements
There are a range of ways to get involved with or support the work of York Archaeology. From taking part in our community outreach events, volunteering and work placements.
Our volunteer roles offer a range of flexible ways to support our work. By volunteering with us you will gain new skills and experiences as well as sharing your love of the past with the public.
For those seeking heritage and archaeological work experience we also offer placements. They have proven useful for those who are studying or who want to take their career in that particular direction. Explore all the different ways you can get involved with our volunteering and work placements below.
Volunteering with York Archaeology
Volunteers are involved at every level of our work doing a range of tasks. From our public facing roles in our attractions and events to roles within our collections and archives and fieldwork teams. Volunteers are an important part of what we do, helping us to engage visitors with over 2000 years of history. They support our work to care for and create access to the collections and archaeology in our care.
You don’t need previous archaeological or heritage experience to volunteer. We welcome applications from anyone wanting to help us preserve and inspire access to the archaeology and heritage in our care.
We welcome volunteers aged 18 and above from all backgrounds, and you don’t need previous archaeological or heritage experience to join us. If you are under 18 and want to get involved, you can find more information about our school placement opportunities in our placement section.
Volunteering at our Attractions and Events
Help us engage visitors with York’s history by volunteering at our attractions. Check our attractions websites for available roles.
Volunteering with our Learning Team
Support our educational work with families and schools. Gain new skills, experiences, and share your love of archaeology and heritage.
Volunteering with our Community Engagement Team
Join our Community Engagement teams in York and Nottingham and participate in the Training Digs scheme.
Volunteering in Collections and Archives
Help catalogue and care for artifacts and records in our York archives.
Volunteer with our Fieldwork Team
Assist in the post-excavation process with our Fieldwork department.
Placements and Work Experience with York Archaeology
Our placements offer a great opportunity for anyone wanting to gain a focused period of work experience in a heritage or archaeological setting, whether you are a student or are thinking about a change in career.
Our placements are designed to offer experience for around 10 days spread over two to three weeks. If you are on a university course requiring a longer-term commitment please check with your course leader or supervisor to see if they have any pre-existing arrangements with us. If you need a more flexible experience over a longer period of time, you may also want to consider our volunteer roles which offer a range of ways to gain experience. You can find out more about these here.
Our placements are open to anyone aged 18 or above. If you are under 18 and seeking school work experience we are pleased to work with North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership (NYBEP) to offer a York based work experience placement in our attractions. You can find out more about these by visiting our attractions placement page.
We regret we are currently unable to offer York based work experience or placements to those under 18 years of age outside of the attractions. Further information on the work experience opportunities available to those aged under 18 in Sheffield and Nottingham will be shared here shortly.
Placements at our Attractions and Events
Gain experience in a heritage environment, perfect for students or those considering a career change.
Placements with our Learning Team
Based in York, these placements are ideal for teacher training courses or those interested in heritage education roles.
Placements with our Community Engagement Team
Gain fieldwork or community engagement experience with our training dig excavations.
Placements in Collections and Archives
Help catalog and care for artifacts and records in our York archives.