Case studies: Community learning assistant: Vivienne

Vivienne graduated in 2004 with a degree in art history. She now works as a learning assistant on the community and schools programmes team at a museum in London.

I am involved (in a one-person team!) in designing, managing and delivering free, flexible programmes for community groups. These include older people, youth groups, ESOL learners (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and adults and young people from community organisations and those with learning difficulties. Our programmes are designed based on the needs of the community group and then delivered by members of the team alongside freelance staff. We also design and deliver training for community groups.

I chose this career because I have a background in art history and wanted to apply this in the real world, working with a range of people. Also, I had an interest in community cohesion.

Alongside my degree and after graduation I gained experience in a variety of community work settings including youth work, play work and working in the film industry. I also volunteered for a period of time, which helped me to gain this position. 

I work mainly during office hours and half of the role involves delivery and the other half is administrative. The outreach work can be delivered at the museum but for some community groups, e.g. the elderly programmes, we visit residential homes or care homes.

The most useful skills and experiences I gained from my art history degree were the subject knowledge, how to really look at and investigate visual sources, the academic process of thinking and developing ideas, and written and verbal communication skills. 

It's important not to give up if you want to get into this sector and the more experience you gain the better, as often this counts more than qualifications. You'll need to look for internships and volunteer on projects which are delivering creative programmes to community groups in order to gain this experience. It's really important that you are proactive and keen in seeking and undertaking these opportunities.

I enjoy working in this role because of the diversity of the work, the fact that it's hands on and a chance to apply my experience and knowledge in the real world. I enjoy the opportunity to learn the stories and backgrounds of the different community groups and communities I work with and love working in a creative and friendly team. 

There are no aspects of the work that I don't enjoy, but in terms of career progression, money is an issue in this type of work. I'm not sure how I want to progress but I would like a role in which I could work more directly with communities in the future.