Interning at the Oberlin Heritage Center
Currently Accepting Applications
Education and Research Internship (Summer Position for College Student or a Graduating High School Senior)
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Immediately (applications accepted on a rolling basis until position is filled)
Position Summary:
The Education and Research Intern would be responsible for helping staff and volunteers lead tours, prepare and implement public educational programs, and maintain historical and administrative records. We are invested in helping interns meet personal interests and professional goals as far as is feasible.
Position Responsibilities:
Assigned duties may include the following:
• Giving tours of the Heritage Center's three buildings
• Assisting with special events and youth programs
• Assisting with research projects and information requests
• Greeting the public, answering phones, and other administrative duties
• Other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
• Be actively enrolled in a college or university OR a graduating high school senior (Spring 2024 graduation)
• Work well independently and with other staff, interns, volunteers, and the public
• Have a strong attention to detail and demonstrate organizational skills
• Be flexible and productive despite interruptions
• Have a professional appearance
• Climb stairs frequently due to the layout of our historic buildings
• Work some weekend hours
• Communicate effectively in writing and orally
• General office, non-profit organization, or work experience with the public and volunteers preferred but not required.
• Interest, training and experience in museums, preservation, history, architecture, or education preferred.
Job Duration: June 4 – August 9, 2024 (some flexibility available)
Compensation: $12.50/hr; 40 hrs/week for 10 weeks (400 hours total)
To Apply:
Application materials may only be emailed to [email protected]. Please include in the subject line "Summer Internship Application." Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
- Letter of interest describing why you want the position and why you are qualified
- Current resume
- Contact information for two references
This position is made possible by Nordson Corporation with support by The Community Foundation of Lorain County.
Oberlin Heritage Center COVID-19 Policy
Please note that the Oberlin Heritage Center may have safety policies and requirements in effect in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic that impact paid employees, interns, and volunteers who regularly work indoors and interact with the public. For information about current policies, please contact the Executive Director, Liz Schultz, for details. [email protected]
Why Intern at OHC?
Gain professional and life-long skills, connect with passionate community members, and learn about this unique town. Student interns participate in a variety of tasks - giving tours, helping staff the office, assisting with research projects such as the Oberlin Historic Inventory and the Oberlin Oral History Project, cataloging and caring for collections, helping at special events, and maintaining our online resources.
College students have worked for us in a variety of capacities: Bonner Scholars, work-study students through the Community Based Work-Study Program of Oberlin College and other programs, and as summer interns. Students from all areas of study are encouraged to apply - you need not be a history major (although you certainly may be)!
Over the last few years, the Oberlin Heritage Center has made it a priority to hire an Oberlin High School or a college student employee each summer! If you want to learn more about the community, meet new people, learn professional skills, and earn money, then this might be the job for you! Applicants should be team players who take pride in the quality of their work.
We train new interns or volunteers at the beginning of a semester, winter term, or summer term, so please plan your schedule accordingly and call ahead about internship availability. The Oberlin Heritage Center attempts to provide internship opportunities or special projects for Oberlin students during Winter Term.
Questions about the Oberlin Heritage Center internship program should be directed to the Museum Education and Tour Manager.
If you are interested in becoming an unpaid volunteer with the Oberlin Heritage Center, please see our volunteer page and talk to us about tailoring your experience to fit your interests.
See our current intern page.
Comments from Former Oberlin Heritage Center Interns
Ondrea Kieth, OC '10
"I have started my Americorps*VISTA appointment. I spent this week and last week in Chicago/Columbus learning the ropes and meeting new people. I was struck multiple times at how fabulously OHC prepared me for this position. The experience I gained in public relations, volunteer relations, and how to professionally present myself is invaluable. Thank you!!"
Joshua Aerie, OC '99
"I have fond memories of all of the [Oberlin Heritage Center] folks, the 'grounds,' and of course the Jewett House. Shoveling/plowing snow in the early winter mornings, emptying the trash in the Monroe House in the late evenings, and vacuuming around the fantastic gingerbread house displays at Christmastime. My experiences at [the Oberlin Heritage Center] are among my fondest Oberlin memories."
Genevieve Baudoin, OC '02
"I loved all the volunteers and staff I got to work with, it was a great experience. I'm now about to graduate from Harvard Graduate School of Design with a Master's in Architecture. Obviously architecture stuck!"
Jonathan Edmonds, OC '98
"Working at O.H.I.O. was a perfect complement to my American history studies at the college and piqued much of my interest in exploring the layers of social history within Oberlin, including radical history, women's history, African-American history, and the religious history of Oberlin in the larger scope of the Second Great Awakening.... I also valued so much the connections and friendships I enjoyed with people across the generations outside of the Oberlin campus. It was wonderful to run into O.H.I.O. volunteers whilst walking around town and stop and chat with them as fellow community members."
Hyun-Jung Kim, OC '96
"When I was in college, sometimes it felt really hard to go into work because I often found college life mentally and emotionally exhausting....Therefore I'm very happy I had the opportunity to do work in a very nurturing, low-stress environment that encouraged initiative and creativity....I'm also glad I got to see and participate in a side of life at Oberlin I would not have had access to had I only maintained a life within Oberlin College itself. I also had the luck of having positive adult role models like Pat [Murphy]."
Sarah Lariviere, OC '97
I so enjoyed giving tours of the mansion ('notice the Italianate design') and compiling a book about the history of 'little red schoolhouses' for Oberlin's own. Spending time with both the books in the schoolhouse and memoirs about people's one-room schoolhouse experiences really ignited my imagination. I sometimes think about it in comparison to my work today, as a social worker at an elementary school in downtown Brooklyn, NY. Given the limited resources available to NYC public school students, perhaps some of the children with whom I work would benefit from the intensity of a one-room schoolhouse environment, complete with walking miles and miles to school and drying wet wooly mittens on the stove!"
Laurie Stein, OC '06
"I wanted to let you know what great preparation the Museum Fellow position was for this type of program (M.A. in Historical Administration). I'm pretty much the resident expert in building surveys for Historic Preservation class, but it's more than just that. In our Administration of Historical Organizations class we spend most of our time reading and discussing standards and best practices, fundraising, community engagement, governance, accreditation, etc., and everything I read/every speaker that comes to talk to us further impresses on me what a wonderful model I had working with you at the Oberlin Heritage Center...so, thanks!"
