Sarah Checkland
Sarah graduated with a BA in History and currently works as a Project Delivery Coordinator in the Museums and Heritage sector.
About Sarah
Current occupation: Project Delivery Coordinator
Degree studied: History BA
About Sarah's career
What is your current role?
I am Project Delivery Coordinator within the team who manages the delivery of touring exhibitions across the museum group. We handle tours within our museums, to other UK sites and to international museums too. I get involved in the development of exhibitions to make sure they’re suitable for touring, manage the logistics and transport for the exhibition set and museum objects, then coordinate contractors and oversee health and safety during exhibition installs.
What do you enjoy about your job?
There is lots of variety and the chance to work with a lot of other people, both other colleagues and external partners. It’s also very rewarding seeing visitors enjoying an exhibition and knowing you played a part in making it happen.
Being president of the history society helped me develop lots of useful skills that really transferred to a real-life job
Studying History at Newcastle University
Why did you choose to study at Newcastle University?
[Newcastle University has a] great atmosphere and the course had lots of good modules with interesting lectures.
What did you enjoy most about your course?
Getting to learn about historical periods I’d not studied at school and do my own research.
How did studying Archaeology at Newcastle University prepare you for your current role?
Research skills, attention to detail, time management and working independently are all skills I use daily in my job. My interest in history was also why I wanted to work in museums.
What other things did you do at University which have helped you get a job?
Being president of the history society helped me develop lots of useful skills that really transferred to a real-life job and gave me things to talk about in interviews.
What advice would you give to students thinking about a career in your sector?
Practical experience through volunteering is always useful and keep up to date with the sector by reading the news and visiting museums regularly. You need a varied skill set for museum jobs so don’t worry if you’ve gained your experience from lots of different places/jobs.