Internships

Museums of History NSW recognises the importance of internships in enabling students to gain valuable workplace experience and develop industry-specific abilities in a chosen area.

We value the contribution that interns make to our work and are committed to providing opportunities for students to develop personally and professionally in a supportive environment.

Our internships are usually project-based and allow students to gain an insight into the elements of one or more projects. Interns may work in core museum areas such as exhibition content development and interpretation, collection cataloguing, conservation, records management, heritage and research, marketing, or event coordination. Interns may also undertake a placement in corporate services work areas such as information technology, finance or human resources.

Participation in all MHNSW internships requires that the student’s insurance be covered by their educational institution. Internships run for 15-30 days depending on the needs of the project and those of the student’s educational institution and assessment requirements.

Contact us

To enquire about eligibility, insurance or about the internship program more generally please contact:

Alison Waterhouse

Volunteer & Internship Program Coordinator - Museums

Phone: +61 2 8239 2395

Email: internships@mhnsw.au

My internship was truly rewarding and provided me with a wealth of experience! I was given the opportunity to work with fantastic staff, I got access to some great resources and I was provided with continual feedback and support. I was able to meaningfully contribute to the organisation and staff helped me determine where I want to take my career. It was a very valuable, satisfying and memorable experience!

Victoria, Audience Research intern

General information

• Museums of History NSW develops internships across a range of disciplines based on current business needs and projects.
• We provide a Project Outline for each new internship and the application process includes an interview for shortlisted candidates. We welcome applications from a wide range of universities and colleges.
• Our internships generally run for 10-12 weeks on a 2-3 days per week basis.
• MHNSW internships are unpaid and are available to students undertaking relevant courses at Australian educational institutions. Potential applicants should note that any required accommodation and/or travel is to be funded by the student.
• From time to time we also accept requests from educational institutions to place students. Placements depend on availability of a suitable project and supervision.

Internship eligibility

Students wishing to apply for one of our internships must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• You must be currently enrolled in a relevant course at a recognised Australian tertiary educational institution.
• The placement must be a required component of the student’s course or subject.
• Your educational institution must provide endorsement for you to undertake the internship and provide insurance cover.
• Applicants should note that preference will be given to students enrolled in educational institutions in NSW. At this time, we are not able to accept internship applications from students enrolled at institutions outside Australia.
• The MHNSW internship program is only available to current students.
• Individuals are not able to provide their own insurance for internships. Post graduates and other non-students are not eligible to apply for internships but are welcome to apply for volunteer roles – please visit our volunteer page and sign-up to our Volunteer Opportunities newsletter.

How to apply

You can apply for internship projects which are currently advertised. To apply, see the Current Opportunities section below. Click on the project that interests you and read the Project Outline. You must then submit the following by the relevant deadline:

• A Letter of Interest, outlining why you are interested in the internship and why you would be best suited to the project. This is the main part of your application and it should address the 'project description' and 'skills required' sections of the Project Outline.
• Your CV including grades for completed units of study
• A completed Student Information Form (Word.doc)

Note: if you wish to apply for more than one project you must submit a separate application for each project.

Current opportunities

Our next internship recruitment will be for Semester 1 2025.