Internship Opportunities

Go to our Internship Application to apply now!

Historical Clothing and Textiles Department:

The Historical Clothing and Textiles Department offers an internship, which can be adapted to the qualified candidate’s skills, experience, and academic needs.

The Internship provides an introduction to the workings of the department. The successful candidate will learn first-hand how the reproduction clothing and accessories used by Plimoth’s role-players are researched, designed, produced and maintained. The intern may also have the opportunity to demonstrate historic textile techniques to the public in the Crafts Center. Qualifications include basic hand sewing skills (advanced skills helpful but not necessary) and research skills. The Internship offers the experienced student the opportunity to thoroughly research an individual garment or topic and produce a prototype. This internship will be developed and defined by the candidate and Department Manager and is designed to fulfill specific educational requirements and department goals.

Curatorial Department
Want to learn how a museum works from behind the scenes? Work with Plimoth Plantation staff to see how museum staff use history and artifacts to present exhibits to the public. Interns will be based in the curatorial department where they will learn about cataloging techniques, archaeology and images, as well as caring for collections and exhibits. Interns work with other departments as needed, including Education and Exhibits. Preferred qualifications include interest in a museum career, and coursework in history, archaeology and/or art history.

Reproduction Pottery
The reproduction pottery workshop is offering an opportunity to produce 16th-17th century European-style ceramics for the English village and Mayflower sites as well as the museum's retail department. The intern will work with current staff demonstrating basic pottery techniques such as wheel throwing, slab work, and decorating to the public in the Craft Center exhibit. Qualifications include basic pottery skills such as wedging, throwing and handle pulling. Please include images of current work with application. The applicant should also be able to lift 50 lbs. Depending on time of year and the applicant?s availability, he or she can assist in the maintenance and firing of our recreated 17th century English wood fired kiln.

Agricultural Exhibits Internship
This internship allows participants to gain experience with heirloom field crops, rare breed animals, and the creation of a 17th century agricultural exhibit using a blend of period techniques and modern sustainable agriculture. Interns will assist with herd health, daily feeding and maintenance, animal training, maintaining fences and buildings with period tools and techniques, growing heirloom crops, research, and reporting. Depending on the season and interest level the intern may have the opportunity to work with the public in third person interpretation (speaking with visitors from a modern perspective) and/or first person interpretation (role-playing in period costume and speaking from a historic viewpoint.) The work is physically demanding and the intern will work outdoors in all weather?hot, cold, wet, dry. Hours are flexible. Any session is available (winter, spring, summer, or fall.) Interns may have the opportunity to stay for more than one session.

The intern will be required to work with the corn (except in winter.) Other work varies according to interest.

Corn/Other Crops: interns will work with a strain of flint corn developed exclusively at Plimoth Plantation that matches 17th century descriptions of native maize.

Activities include:

• Weeding (lots of it!) using 17th century agricultural techniques
• Assist with corn hats (organic control against crows, June only)
• Other seasonal corn work: planting, harvesting, worming, seed saving
• Other crops: pumpkins, beans, peas, tobacco, wild fruit crops (varies according to the yearly needs of the museum)

Rare Breed Animals

• Daily feeding, mucking, watering, grazing rotation
• Milking and dairying
• Herd health maintenance: hoof trimming, medications
• Training animals to work with the public

Woodwork and Building Projects

• Assist with cutting and/or preparing wood stock
• Build fences and other building projects using period tools and techniques

Exhibit Development and Research:

• Assist with indexing 17th century sources (books, writings, court records, art) for agricultural topics (cows, corn, fencing, grazing, material culture, soil descriptions, etc.)

Interpreting and Working with the public (optional and seasonal):

• Speak with the public using third person interpretation with a modern perspective
• Interact with the public using first-person interpretation, playing the role of a colonist and speaking with visitors from a historic viewpoint.

Development Department
Development Intern: Generalist

• Participate as a member of the development team: become familiar with all aspects of fundraising from membership and annual fund to corporate sponsorship and grants.
• Prospect research: new fundraising opportunities (individual, foundation, corporate)
• Assist Development Team with special events

Development Intern: Grants

• Assist in researching foundation grants and writing and/or editing grant applications and reports.
• Assist in development and maintenance of informal databaases and mailing lists (Excel).

Qualifications/Requirements

Education: Course work towards a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

Experience: Effecient use of the Internet for research purposes, excellent written and oral communications, editing skills, strong attention to detail, self-motivated, reliable and profecient in Word and Excel.

Education:
Roll up your sleeves to become a part of a growing museum field! Education Department interns expand upon what they have learned in the classroom, helping to plan and implement family activities, summer workshops, and teacher training programs. Individual projects can be tailored to your skills, interests and academic needs.

Farm Department:
Our farm department is seeking a responsible and dedicated intern who enjoys hands-on, hard work in New England. The Plimoth Plantation offers the unique experience of planting and tending 17th century corn. In addition, this internship offers the exquisite opportunity to care, handle and train our incredible Rare Breed herd. The work is challenging, rewarding and an experience of a lifetime.

Horticultural Department:
Join our green team and explore three centuries of gardening. As part of Plimoth Plantation's Horticulture Department you will have an oppportunity to learn about and help maintain 17th century herbal gardens, a 1920's formal garden and several modern perennial gardens. You will also help to propagate native and heirloom flowers, herbs an vegetables in the greenhouse and assist with the annual plant sale. Research projects are available to suit the individual's interests.

Qualifications include a willingness to learn new skills and to work long hours outdoors in all weather conditions. Length of internship is dependant upon time of year and applicant's availability.

Marine

Join Plimoth Plantation's maritime artisans in maintaining and restoring Mayflower II, one of the world's preeminent reproduction ships. Interns will be introduced to the traditional sail-making, rigging and carpentry skills necessary to care for a 50-year-old square-rigged ship. Interns will also occasionally help to sail and row our period small boats, including the 33' shallop and 22' ships boat. Candidates will learn history through hands-on experience and must be willing to assist with all aspects of our work.

Media and Production
Be part of the process. Make spots, Vlogs, and feature films. Deliver on DVD, web, and to a state-of-the-art digital theater. Applicants should have experience in film/video production and nonlinear editing. Associated skills in audio production, graphics, and animation a plus.

Membership Department:
Would you like an opportunity to meet and greet museum guests from around the world? We have one opening in the Membership Department to act as an ambassador to our visitors as well as market the benefits of membership to them. You’ll also learn the workings of managing a membership database as well as help with mass mailings, which is a staple of any membership department.

Public Relations:
Help us tell the world about our Museum! Plimoth Plantation is looking for a creative and enthusiastic Public Relations Intern needed to assist the department in all facets of PR and Marketing. You will research media opportunities, build and maintain visitor and media databases, as well as draft press materials and calendar announcements to promote Museum programs and exhibits to the community. This position is a great opportunity to gain professional PR experience, while exploring the non-profit world. Required qualifications: An interest in history and cultural diversity are important; solid writing skills and a pleasant phone manner are a must, along with flexibility and the ability to be an independent worker. If this sounds like you, why not build your portfolio in an active and fun Museum environment like ours? Please submit writing samples with application.

Web
Help produce new initiatives and maintain all aspects of Plimoth's on-line presence. Applicants should be familiar with Dreamwever, HTML and CSS. XML, PHP, and Flash experience a bonus.

Wampanoag Indigenous Program:

The Wampanoag Indigenous Program is looking for qualified applicants. As one of the premier historical museums in the world, we can provide a unique opportunity to persons looking for experience in a non-profit or educational setting.

An internship with the Wampanoag program would provide experience in several broad categories, which can be further tailored to the specific course of study of the selected applicants.

• First, we offer training in history, specifically that of 17th century Wampanoag culture, both before and after English settlement in 1620.  This focus can also be used to examine how to understand other cultures in a context of colonization and its effects.
• Secondly, we offer training in interpretation; how to use and disseminate historical information, as well as making connections between today’s world and the past.
• Thirdly we offer training in technology, from traditional craft all the way through modern day storage, collections and archiving.

Within the Wampanoag Indigenous Program, we have several distinct areas of concentration.  We have an Education department, for those looking to teach.  We have a strong horticulture section with focus on heirloom seeds and original varieties of traditional crops.  We have artisans who create artifacts in the appropriate styles for the time periods.

In addition, we also offer the opportunity to work in a museum with a stated goal of a bi-cultural mission, which positions us again at the forefront of progressive institutions around the world.

We strongly encourage Indigenous students to apply; Native applicants will be given preference.

Go to our Internship Application to apply now!

hours: Plimoth Plantation's Administrative offices, Education Department and Creative Gourmet are open 9 AM to 5 PM, M-F
address: 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, MA 02360 USA
telephone: 1 + 508 746 1622