We are open as usual: Tuesdays to Fridays 10am-5pm and Saturdays 10am-4pm.
Contact us:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Volunteering

Volunteers play a vital part within the Institution with various opportunities available

Lady in library

Volunteering at the Institution is an excellent way to get involved, support us and help maintain this unique and flourishing organisation.  Through various roles, volunteers increase awareness of our collections and engage with a wide range of people, which is beneficial both to the Institution and our volunteers.

Volunteer roles

We are primarily looking for Front of House Volunteers, Tour Guides and Library Volunteers at the moment.  If you are interested in volunteering with us, please look at the information on the following roles below and complete the form at the bottom of the page.  If you have any queries please contact the Office on 01392 437 044 or [email protected]. 

We are also a member of the Exeter Heritage Partnership and welcome their volunteers for ad hoc projects and events, such as helping with our evening lectures, and moving collections and furniture. Email [email protected] if you would like to find out more about volunteering at a number of different heritage organisations in Exeter.

Front of House Volunteer

We are now looking for friendly people to join our Front of House Volunteer team.  Help welcome people to our unique historic building, situated in the heart of Exeter.   This role is important in setting the tone as people enter the Institution and to ensure people have an enjoyable and safe visit.

In this role you can expect to…

  • Welcome and document members and visitors to our building
  • Give induction tours to new members
  • Answer in person and telephone queries
  • Take payments for membership and events
  • Support the staff with the day-to-day operation of the Institution

Time commitment – 3.5 hours weekly, AM or PM, Tuesday – Saturday / ad hoc slots also available.

Library Volunteer

We currently have vacancies for library volunteers on Wednesday mornings (10am – 1:30pm) or Saturday afternoons (1pm-4pm).

You will help the Library staff to run our library services and manage our historic library collections, situated in its original Georgian setting.  Library Volunteers are on hand to support research enquiries and carry out daily tasks that contribute to research and conservation.

In this role you can expect to…

  • Answer enquiries in person and over the phone
  • Supervise research bookings
  • Ensure that collections are handled well
  • Issue and shelve books for research and loan
  • Help members to use the computers
  • Ensure that the library stays tidy and organised
  • Carry out tasks that contribute to managing and preserving the collections

Time commitment – 3.5 hours weekly, AM or PM, Tuesday – Saturday / ad hoc slots also available.

Tour Guide

We are now looking for enthusiastic people to join our Tour Guide team to help welcome people to our unique historic building, situated in the heart of Exeter. We offer free guided tours every Wednesday afternoon – 2 tour guides per session, tours are suitable for all ages and last approximately 20-30mins.

In this role you can expect to…

  • Learn about the Institution, the building, our collections and what we offer today
  • Interact with visitors to help them discover the Institution and its history
  • Receive training in communicating information within a heritage environment
  • Share your enthusiasm for history, heritage and beautiful places with others

Garden Volunteer

We do not currently have any vacancies for garden volunteers, but please check back again soon. 

For this role we are looking for volunteers who have a keen interest in gardening and a hands-on approach.  People who are interested in working in horticulture or horticultural history or interested in sustainable and ecological gardening.

In essence the garden will…

  • Represent heritage gardening styles and techniques throughout the timeline of the building and grounds
  • Grow a living library, reflecting the historic collection of the Devon and Exeter Institution
  • Provide edible plants for the Institution kitchen and workshop events
  • Incorporate a physic garden with plants for health and medicinal plantings
  • Plant for wildlife and nature, highlighting endangered plants and wildlife from the collection, providing habitats to sustain and support wildlife within the ‘Exeter Green Corridor’
  • Use ecological and sustainable methods and materials
  • Collaborate in partnership with organisations in the use of the gardens and community connections

Time commitment – This group meets on the first and third Thursday of the month 11-2pm.   Ad-hoc volunteers also welcome.

Preservation Volunteer

We do not currently have any vacancies for preservation volunteers, but please check back again soon. 

Preservation Volunteers help with our conservation programme by keeping our books free from dust.

In this role you can expect to…

  • Receive training from a conservation specialist in the correct ways to handle and clean historic books
  • Work as part of a group of Preservation Volunteers, systematically retrieving books from shelves and carrying out cleaning using brushes, smoke sponges and a conservation vacuum cleaner
  • Report any conservation concerns to the Librarian

Please note that this role involves some lifting, and the use of safety ladders and kick steps.

Time commitment – This group meets on the first Tuesday of the month, from 10am to 1:30pm.

 

Accessibility Information for the Institution can be viewed here.

Volunteer Form

If you would like to become a volunteer at the Devon and Exeter Institution please complete the form below.

  • Please select as many as you like.
  • Please include any skills, qualities or experience you have. We believe that everyone has something to offer, so please do include life experiences, which can be as relevant as work experience, like organising a social event, writing a blog, helping a neighbour or experience with a particular community or age group. If you are a university student, please also let us know which year you are in.
  • This could be anything from meeting new people, getting back into a routine, or keeping busy, to improving your CV, updating specific skills or sharing your interests.
  • All volunteers need to be aged 18 and over. As training is offered for this role we are hoping volunteers will be able to commit to a regular volunteering session for a minimum period of six months. Please select any days you are available. Sessions are from 10.00 - 1.30pm and 1.30 - 5.00pm on weekdays and 10.00 - 1.00pm and 1.00 - 4.00pm on Saturdays. Do have a chat with us if you couldn't fit in with those times as we can be flexible.
  • If you would like to give us any further information or make a comment please do so.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.