Virtual Museum Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Tenement Museum is currently hiring Part-Time Educators to join our Education Department in July 2026. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds to submit their application for our review.

About the Museum:

Founded in 1988, the Tenement Museum welcomes our visitors into the historically recreated homes of immigrant, migrant, and refugee families to inspire connections between past and present and to build a more inclusive and expansive American society. Through guided tours of recreated apartments in our two historic tenements on Orchard Street, visitors and K-12 students explore the homes of diverse families with roots all over the world who lived in New York City between the 1860s and the 1980s.

We tell the stories of 12 real tenement families to explore more than 120 years of New York City and American history through the perspectives of “ordinary” people, and to consider how their experiences shape our understanding of what it means to be American. We place particular emphasis on exploring im/migration and Black history within a single historic site as interconnected narratives, using close study of place to examine how race, movement, and belonging have shaped—and continue to shape—American identity.

The Museum seeks dynamic storytellers from all backgrounds and abilities to join our Part-time Educator community. Because the museum is only accessible via guided tour, Educators serve as the primary face of the museum, engaging with thousands of visitors from across generations and around the globe.

Position Description:

As a Part-time Educator you will lead on-site, walking, and virtual tours for public and school-based visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities in 97 and 103 Orchard Street, the Museum’s historic tenement buildings, nearby satellite locations, as well as neighborhood walking tours. Our tours focus on narrative history, storytelling, and visitor engagement. You are an enthusiastic and engaging storyteller who is inspired by the connections that can be made between history, migration, and related contemporary issues. You are a welcoming host and inclusive conversationalist who can be flexible and creative when working with diverse groups with varying perspectives. A significant portion of our audience includes school groups, so an interest in and/or openness to working with children and teens is essential. You are looking for a position that is permanent part-time work.

Educators at the Tenement Museum participate in a robust and rewarding professional development experience grounded in both historical scholarship and innovative public history practice. Through a supportive yet rigorous training process, Educators build deep knowledge of the Museum’s stories, engage directly with leading historians and scholars, and stay connected to the latest research shaping the field. Training emphasizes dialogic engagement strategies, equipping Educators to facilitate meaningful, visitor-centered conversations, and is reinforced through a comprehensive, collaborative feedback model that supports ongoing growth. While a background in history is welcomed, it is not required—the Museum provides all necessary training and resources to ensure Educators feel confident bringing rich historical context and dynamic engagement to every tour.

Starting pay rate for Part-time Educators is $23.34 per hour. Benefits include pre-tax transit passes and matched contributions to the Museum’s pension plan. This is a unionized, non-exempt position.

As an Educator you will:

• Provide an inclusive museum experience for all visitors and exhibit a genuine desire to work in a front-facing education role
• Engage with visitors of all backgrounds, perspectives, and ages from New York City, the US, and around the world by providing interactive tour experiences
• Utilize thoughtful questioning and conversation throughout your tour, remaining flexible and allowing visitor responses and engagement to actively share the direction of the tour.
• Serve as needed as an on-site monitor of tours to support the needs of colleagues and visitors
• Support the opening and closing procedures of exhibit spaces at the museum
• Utilize study shifts to study and/or re-learn tour materials in preparation for paid training sessions and tours.
• Commit to being trained to provide a minimum of our (4)programs within the first twelve months of employment
• Maintain open, prompt, and professional communication with managers and stay current on department communication and weekly updates via both email and the staff scheduling platform
• Be a strong collaborator and creative problem solver
• Attend mandatory staff meetings and trainings, including a monthly educator meeting at least one evening per month
• Be a positive contributor to the inclusive culture of the Tenement staff community and uphold the museum’s code of conduct.

Qualifications:

A successful candidate will:

• Be available to work a set schedule of two weekdays and one weekend day per week.
• Be punctual and have strong time management skills.
• Be available to work some shifts during holiday hours over the course of the year(the museum is closed only on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day).
• Be comfortable using, or willing to learn, educational technology and equipment such as smart boards, walkie-talkies, virtual video platforms, and assisted listening devices.

A strong candidate may also have:

• Fluency in English and one or more additional languages—such as Cantonese, Fujianese, Mandarin, Spanish, or Arabic.
• Experience teaching in museum or K-12 education contexts, working with people with physical or cognitive disabilities, and/or teaching English language or multilingual learners (ELL/MLL).
• Experience facilitating virtual or online learning environments.
• A high school diploma, GED, or equivalent relevant experience.

Physical Considerations

• Applicants must feel confident ascending/descending multiple flights of stairs daily and feel comfortable standing for long periods of time.
• Applicants must be prepared to work in all weather conditions, as some of our historic spaces have minimal climate control, and our walking tours go into the neighborhood daily.
• Applicants must feel comfortable working within historic buildings and settings that require ongoing maintenance and preservation.

How to Apply:

Please submit your resume and cover letter via our career portal. In your cover letter tell us why you want to work as an Educator at the Tenement Museum, how your experience is relevant, and why you feel connected to the work we do here. Applications without a cover letter will not be reviewed.