Claire Adler
What would you say are the benefits of working in a museum consultancy rather than in a museum?
Over the 18 years I have been a consultant I have built up an incredibly varied CV, including working with the National Maritime Museum, the Dundee Science Centre, Newport Transporter Bridge, Kent Mining Museum, Highgate Cemetery and Cambridgeshire Headway.
I have had the opportunity to work with all sizes and styles of organisations, helping heritage to get involved in their communities and communities involved in their heritage. I would never have had such a broad expanse of opportunities if I had worked in a museum. Instead, I usually have 10-15 projects on my books at any one time, and although it does include a lot of juggling it means I can bring a variety of experiences within the museum, heritage and community development fields together.
It also suits me as a person, I get bored quite easily and need new challenges. Being a consultant means that I have new opportunities every few weeks or months. No day is ever the same! I can also work around my children and my husband’s shift work, which would be impossible in a 9-5 job.
How has the impact of the pandemic influenced freelancing in the sector?
I cannot answer how it has impacted freelancing widely, but I do know for myself that during the pandemic organisations were not able to undertake long-term planning and as most of my work is about developing projects, a lot of my work shrank into smaller research projects. However, as we are currently coming out of the pandemic it feels like my work is returning to a similar style to before the pandemic, with projects lasting 12 months rather than six weeks.
What skills do you think are the most important for freelancing or consultancy work?
Enjoy meeting new people, visiting new places and being able to adapt quickly to new situations.
Being able to cope with financial instability – whether it is through the meticulous management of your own finances or having a partner who can pay the mortgage when the income is limited or organisations are late in paying.
How do you find out about opportunities for freelancing?
My opportunities come through a mixture of responding to Intention to Tenders (ITTs), personal recommendations and approaches and seeing pieces of work advertised on Museum Development websites, GEM, University of Leicester job pages and the Museum Freelance LinkedIn page.
What advice would you give to someone who is not currently working as a freelancer or in a consultancy?
Only become a freelancer or consultant if you can cope with uncertainty, are self-motivated and are happy to spend a lot of time on your own. Also find other consultants/freelancers to work with, as it is very useful to have people to share ideas and issues with.
What else do you need to take into consideration when working in a museum consultancy rather than in a museum?
Being able to articulate exactly what you can do with an elevator pitch is really important.
What should museums be doing to support the wellbeing of freelancers in the sector?
The key one is paying swiftly – the impact of financial insecurity can be significant on consultants.
Also say ‘thank you’ swiftly for a piece of work. We are human! And would like recognition for the work that we do. We understand you may not have time to read the report immediately, but just acknowledging that you have received it can be a relief for the person who has spent weeks, months or even years writing it.
What do you enjoy most about being a consultant?
The variety of projects and people I get to work with. Today I am going to watch Singing in the Rain at Harwich Electric Picture House who I have worked with as an NLHF mentor; Friday I will be doing an on-site survey in Brighton Royal Pavilion Garden to work out who visits; and tomorrow I am working with Sweet Patootee on the development of their project and also popping to the dentist to get a broken tooth fixed. This flexibility and variety makes being a consultant challenging and also fun!