Educator

The Tenement Museum is currently hiring Part-Time Educators to join our Education Department team. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds to submit their application for our review.

About The Museum

Founded in 1988, the Tenement Museum welcomes visitors into the homes of immigrant, migrant, and refugee families to inspire connections between past and present and to promote an inclusive, expansive, and pluralistic American identity. We tell the stories of working-class tenement residents who moved to New York City from other countries and other parts of the country to live on the Lower East Side. Their work helped build the city and nation, and their stories help us understand our history.

We interpret the stories of European immigrants of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the stories of more recent immigrants from China and migrants from Puerto Rico, and we share African American and Black history and experiences in Lower Manhattan. The museum is housed in two historic buildings located on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Guided by an Educator, visitors can hear the stories of the former tenants of Orchard Street and surrounding area, explore the neighborhood through walking tours, or visit from afar on our virtual programs.

The Museum seeks dynamic storytellers from all backgrounds and abilities to join our part-time educator community. Because the museum is accessible via guided tour only, Educators are a primary face of the museum and interact with thousands of visitors from across generations and around the globe.

Position Description

As a part-time Educator you will lead on-site, walking, and virtual tours for public and school-based visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities in 97 and 103 Orchard Street, the Museum’s historic tenement buildings, nearby satellite locations, as well as neighborhood walking tours. Our tours focus on narrative history, storytelling, and visitor engagement. You are an enthusiastic and engaging storyteller who is inspired by the connections that can be made between history, migration, and related contemporary issues. You are a welcoming host and inclusive conversationalist who can be flexible and creative when working with diverse groups with varying perspectives and have an interest in working with children and teens. You are looking for a position that is permanent, part-time work.

The starting pay rate for Part-time Educators is $22.00 per hour. Benefits include paid training and professional development, pre-tax transit passes, and matched contributions to the Museum’s pension plan. This is a unionized, non-exempt position.

As An Educator You Will

• Provide an inclusive museum experience for all visitors and exhibit a genuine desire to work in a front-facing education role
• Engage with visitors of all backgrounds, perspectives, and ages from New York City, the US, and around the world by providing interactive tour experiences
• Serve as an occasional on-site monitor of tours to support the needs of educators and visitors
• Support the opening and closing procedures of exhibit spaces at the museum
• Utilize study shifts to study and/or re-learn tour materials in preparation for paid training sessions and tours
• Commit to being trained to provide a minimum of four (4) programs within the first twelve months of employment
• Maintain open, prompt, and professional communication with managers and stay current on department communication and weekly updates
• Be a strong collaborator and creative problem solver
• Be able to give and receive constructive feedback
• Attend mandatory staff meetings and trainings, including a monthly educator meeting (generally the evening of the third Tuesday each month)
• Be a positive contributor to the inclusive culture of the Tenement staff community and uphold the museum’s code of conduct
  
  

Qualifications

• Candidates must be available to work a part-time schedule that includes weekdays and a weekend day
• Be punctual and have strong time management skills
• Candidates must be available to work shifts during holiday hours throughout the year (the museum is closed only on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day)
• Applicants fluent in English and one or more of the following languages are strongly encouraged to apply: Cantonese, Fujianese, Mandarin, and Spanish. (Spanish speakers preferred)
• Be comfortable with using educational technology and equipment such as smart boards, walkie-talkies, and assisted listening devices.
• Individuals with experience teaching in museum or K-12 education contexts, working with people with physical or cognitive disabilities, or with ELL teaching experience, are encouraged to apply and will be given preference
• Experience teaching virtually is a plus
• Applicants with at least a high school diploma, a GED, or relevant experience are preferred.
• Proof of full vaccination and booster is required
  
  

Physical Considerations

• Applicants must feel confident ascending/descending multiple flights of stairs daily and feel comfortable standing for extended periods of time.
• As some of our historic spaces have minimal climate control, and our walking tours go into the neighborhood daily, applicants must be prepared to work in all weather conditions.
• Applicants must feel comfortable working within historic buildings and settings that require ongoing maintenance and preservation
  
  

How To Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter via our career portal. In your cover letter tell us why you want to work as an Educator at the museum, how your experience is relevant, and why you feel connected to the work we do here. Applications without a cover letter will not be reviewed.