Training Normally graduate, HND or postgraduate training. There is no recognised structure to training with most graduate courses aiming to provide a similar product to undergraduate courses. No uniform career structure with an increasing move to short-term contracts. Promotion to higher grades may only be possible in larger laboratories. Pay scales vary.
Work is laboratory based with occasional fieldwork.
In museums and galleries, supervision of storage and display areas is normal. Communication with clients and professionals is necessary. Jobs are quite widely available The highest concentration of large employers is in London with national museums and galleries. This is a small profession in which it is not hard to make a mark. Personalities vary from conformist to creative.