How to become an archivist, conservator or curator
Official title: Archivists, conservators and curators
Also called: Curator, Archivist, Conservator, Museum keeper, Museum officer, Museum educator, Museums officer, Education officer, Collection officer, Collections manager, Curatorial assistant, Arts education officer
Archivists, conservators and curators collect, appraise and preserve collections of recorded and other material of historical interest.
Main tasks
- Examines, appraises and advises on the acquisition of exhibits, historic records, government papers and other material
- Classifies material and arranges for its safe keeping and preservation
- Maintains indexes, bibliographies and descriptive details of archive material and arranges for reproductions of items where necessary
- Examines objects to identify any damage and carries out necessary restoration whilst preserving original characteristics
- Makes sure that storage and display conditions protect objects from deterioration and damage
- Allows access to original material or material not on display for researchers
- Develops and promotes ideas for exhibitions and displays
- Negotiates loans of material for specialist displays
How to become one
Entrants require a good first degree in order to gain entry to a relevant postgraduate course. Many postgraduate courses also require applicants to have gained relevant practical experience prior to entry. Training is typically received on-the-job.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Cultural heritage conservator (degree) (level 7). England. Typically 54 months. Skills England standard ST0628.
- Apprenticeship (England): Curator (level 7). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0782.
- Apprenticeship (England): Registrar (creative and cultural) (level 6). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0590.
- University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £34,237 a year The middle half earn £30,988 to null.
- About 16,500 people work in this job now, and about 18,500 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become an archivist, conservator or curator?
Entrants require a good first degree in order to gain entry to a relevant postgraduate course. Many postgraduate courses also require applicants to have gained relevant practical experience prior to entry. Training is typically received on-the-job.
How much does an archivist, conservator or curator earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £34,237 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is an archivist, conservator or curator a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 16,500 to about 18,500 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become an archivist, conservator or curator?
Usually. 100% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.