Colonial Williamsburg Internships: A Gateway to Living History

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, operating the world’s largest living history museum in Williamsburg, Virginia, offers unique internship opportunities. These internships provide invaluable hands-on experience for students interested in careers in decorative arts, fine arts, historic preservation, museums, or historic sites. By immersing themselves in the restored 18th-century capital, interns contribute to the Foundation's mission of educating future generations about the past.

Experiencing the Revolutionary City

Colonial Williamsburg tells the story of a revolutionary city, showcasing how diverse people with differing ambitions evolved into a society valuing liberty and equality. Interns become part of this narrative, engaging with the public and contributing to the interpretation of this pivotal period in American history.

Summer Internships in Museum Studies

Current undergraduate students are invited to apply for a ten-week summer internship in museum studies at Colonial Williamsburg. This immersive program allows students to work directly with Colonial Williamsburg staff, gaining professional experience through hands-on training. The internship provides the opportunity to assist with research, management, interpretation, and preservation of the Foundation’s fine art, decorative arts, architectural, and folk art collections.

Historic Trades Internships: Learning by Doing

Historic Trades internships offer ten to twelve-week in-depth work experiences within the workshops of the Historic Trades Department at Colonial Williamsburg. Interns apply to work in a particular trade shop where they assist the full-time staff in shop operation, including interpretation and demonstration to guests, and work production within the shop.

Interns have the opportunity to learn about the history of trades and technology, gain experience with public contact and historical interpretation, and learn about careers in living history museum programming and working with traditional hand skills. Internships usually require commitment to a 40-hour work week for the duration of the experience.

Available Trades

The Historic Trades and Skills community at Colonial Williamsburg uses 18th-century tools and techniques to apprentice in and eventually master more than 20 historic trades and skills. These world-renowned experts not only make goods and provide services to the Historic Area, they also consult and produce for other cultural institutions around the world. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life.

Examples of trades include:

Apparel Trades: Masters of 18th-century wardrobing.
Farm to Table Trades: Working throughout the year to grow food for the community and prepare the grounds as needed for the seasons.
Metalworking Trades: Supporting the operation of the town as well as the War for Independence.
Leatherworks/Shoemakers: Intern will learn essential leather craft and basic shoemaking/repair techniques. This position will divide time between interpreting military supply at the Public Armory and commercial shoe production at the Shoemaker.

Responsibilities and Requirements

General Responsibilities

Interns in Historic Trades roles are expected to:

Assist Historic Tradesmen and Tradeswomen by engaging guests within the workshops, interpreting and demonstrating the trade, assisting in work production, and performing other duties related to shop operation as assigned.
Provide outstanding customer service.
Follow safety and security procedures established for the site, tools, materials, and equipment.
Ensure that the safety and security procedures are followed in the absence of the supervisor and journeymen.
Perform other related duties as required.

Job Requirements

Candidates for Historic Trades internships should possess:

Demonstrated interest in traditional trades and a desire to explore the possibilities of a career as a museum professional.
Good communication and guest service skills.
Ability to work well as part of a shop team.
Adaptability to changing shop schedules, assignments, and special projects and programs.
Aptitude to learn trade skills.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands of these internships can be significant:

Read also: Primary Purposes of Education

Ability to stand for extended periods of time.
Ability to safely perform repetitive work with traditional hand tools.
Ability to work under extreme weather conditions with temperatures below freezing and above 100 degrees F.
Ability to work in dusty and smoky environments.
Ability to perform physical activities including standing, sitting, kneeling/squatting, lifting up to 75 pounds.
Colonial Williamsburg is a seven day a week operation and interns are required to be available for work on weekends and holidays as needed for the duration of the internship.

Preferred Qualifications

While not always required, the following qualifications are highly desirable:

Enrollment or completion in an undergraduate program in American History or on subject matter related to the intern experience.
Experience working with the trade.
Interest in 18th-century material culture.
Previous living history museum experience.

Benefits of a Colonial Williamsburg Internship

While the starting rate is $10.00 per hour, the benefits extend beyond monetary compensation. Although these internships are typically not benefits-eligible, interns gain:

Valuable Experience: Direct involvement in museum operations, historic preservation, and interpretation.
Skill Development: Hands-on training in specific trades and museum practices.
Networking Opportunities: Interaction with experienced professionals in the field.
A Beautiful Historic Setting: Employment in a unique and inspiring environment.
Costumes: Provided where applicable.

Colonial Williamsburg is dedicated to our partnership with our Veteran’s and military communities.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: More Than Just a Museum

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution. Its mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital.

The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research.

Read also: Guide to Aviation Scholarships

The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.

Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

Application Information

Applicants may be asked to submit a cover letter detailing the experience they desire from this internship and what they offer to contribute to the Trades operations. Housing is NOT provided, it is the responsibility of the intern. While internships are not offered for educational credit, we will work with individuals if their school has credited programs for which a Historic Trades internship might qualify.

tags: #colonial #williamsburg #internships