Volunteer Opportunities – Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace underwent an exciting and innovative transformation in 2012 and has continued to attract a much wider audience. Join our established and skilled team as a volunteer and help us deliver a 5 star experience to thousands of visitors from across the UK and around the world.

We have two roles for volunteers:

Visitor Support Volunteer
You’ll be supporting the explainer team by being an enthusiastic, warm and friendly face to all customers, visitors, clients and guests. Your natural warmth, enthusiasm and flair for delighting the customer will be crucial as you help visitors to explore Kensington and find their way to the palace’s exciting new narrative routes. Your knowledge of the palace, its layout and facilities will enable you to provide a friendly and individual experience for our diverse audience of visitors.  A love of history and a passion for working with people is essential! Language skills are desirable.

Welcome Volunteer
Your role will be essential in creating an excellent first impression of Kensington and starting each visitor’s palace journey. You will give a bespoke welcome by providing key information about the palace, its facilities and the local area. You will help to manage visitor expectations and deal with a diverse range of enquiries, from introducing our exciting new ‘Victoria Revealed’ exhibition to directing visitors to a fresh cup of coffee and a delicious slice of cake at the Kensington café!  Your friendly personality and enthusiasm for the palace will create the perfect start to a splendid day out!  In addition, you will provide a warm welcome for pre-arranged groups by preparing packs of information about the exhibition and organising group arrival and entry so that it is as seamless as possible. You will offer a tailored welcome to each group by liaising with the tour leader. You will work closely with the front of house team to ensure that each visit is as enjoyable and special as possible.

How to find out more

If you are interested in applying for either of these roles, please complete a volunteer registration form and return it to Sarah Levine, Apartment 45, Hampton Court Palace, KT8 9AU or email Sarah.Levine@hrp.org.uk.  Forms available to download from our website – www.hrp.org.uk or http://www.hrp.org.uk/aboutus/workingforus/ourvolunteers

Anticipated time contribution / Next steps

Volunteers will need to be able to offer a regular duty of once a week or once a fortnight. 

Group interviews for these roles will take place at Kensington Palace on Thursday, 27 June 2012 or Saturday, 29 June at 2 pm on both days.  The Group interview on Saturday, 29 June will be preceded by an Open Day, so why not join us to discover more about the role - you would then be welcome to stay for the interview should you choose to do so.

Following the interviews, successful candidates will be expected to attend a Volunteer Training afternoon on either Thursday, 4 July at 2 pm or Saturday, 6 July at 10 am.

Historic Royal Palaces is an equal opportunities employer and truly values a diverse workforce.  Volunteer applications are welcome from candidates regardless of their background. 

Tower of London Visitor Evaluation Survey
Volunteer Role Recruitment

Volunteers help us to offer the best experience to our visitors possible by supporting staff in welcoming and assisting visitors in a number of different roles at the Tower of London. These established roles are varied but they all offer vital support to the Tower’s daily programme and special events. This new role will help the Visitor Services department in collecting vital data regarding our visitor profile and experience.

What the role involves...

We pride ourselves on providing a great visit for everyone one of the 2.5 million who enter each year. This role entails being a data collector and approaching visitors, asking questions and recording the answers and then submitting completed forms back to Visitor Services to be inputted and analysed. The evaluation form has been created by the Visitor Services department and you will have blank copies with a clip board and pen at the start of every shift! You will be expected to appropriately communicate with visitors thereby successfully approaching them and asking them the pre-ordained questions and diligently recording the answers.  Induction will be offered as you buddy up with existing volunteers to see how to execute this role and we will also give you guidance on general customer service and site orientation.  The role can be demanding and does involve standing and walking around, however it is very rewarding as you are engaging with our visitors, our greatest supporters (without them we could not open), and encouraging them to feed back on their experiences at one of the UK’s top paid attractions. It’s all also a great way of meeting the worldwide audience the Tower attracts, gaining experience and we are looking for enthusiastic and committed people to help us collect vital information.

Anticipated time contribution/ Next Steps

Volunteers will need to be able to offer regular availability, at least 4 hours a week, more would be welcome! This role will be on-going throughout 2013 and successful applicants will buddy up with existing volunteers to learn the role during July and August 2013.

Open afternoon/Group Interview at the Tower of London on Wednesday, 10 July at 2 pm.  Please call to book a space 020 3166 6175.