Going by several names – what used to be known as a ‘gallery guard’, was then fashionably called an ‘invigilator’ and is now more commonly referred to as a Visitor Services Officer (VSO) – there is a lot more to the job than just taking a shift and standing in a gallery or museum surrounded by art.
ArtsHub caught up with Molly Desmond, who is a VSO with the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra (Australia), to get the scoop on what qualifications and training you require, what are some of the curly questions you face on the job and, more simply, what is the attraction to being ‘on duty’ in the museums and gallery sector.
