Counting The Days

     It's been an extremely busy time for me this past fortnight. My family are in the process of moving house, and last Thursday saw us closing the door on the house that has been home for the past 13 years and handing over the keys to a new family. Whilst we wait to be able to move in to our new home, we are currently living with my Stepmum. By the time I come back from my internship, they will have moved in to the new house, which is something to look forward to!

     Whilst we were packing boxes for what seemed like eternity, my Dad was teasing me about my clumsiness. It's something that, when pointed out to me, tends to be amplified tenfold. It was then that he showed me an old Only Fools and Horses sketch which, whilst funny, made me extremely nervous about a similar incident that I hope never happens during my time at Basildon Park.

     After my last post, which explained how I applied for the internship, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain a bit more about what the internship will ential during my time there. The following is adapted from a document that Conservation Assistant, Emma Turner, distributed prior to my interview. 

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     The interns will have responsibility for a specific project as well as helping with the day to day running of the house. In the past these projects have included subjects as diverse as:

• The continued research of the Crimson Bed: a very special William IV bed that keeps presenting more and more questions about it’s history.
• Learning more about the Iliffes’ restoration of Basildon Park in the 1950s.
• Textile survey of the entire collection looking at their condition and future care.
• Helping prepare the property for a Museum Accreditation review.

William IV 'Crimson Bed', Basildon Park

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At the end of the internship I will have learned:-

• I will have a through understanding of who the National Trust is, its vision, objectives, values and behaviours. 
• I’ll have developed knowledge of a range of preventative conservation techniques, methods of environmental controls and specialist cleaning techniques.
• I’ll have an understanding of how the different property teams come together to run a historic property after having spent time with Visitor Services, Events and Garden teams.
• My communication skills will have improved as I undertake Tour Guide training and run my own tours, carry out Conservation in Action activities and act as a Room Guide.
• I’ll have a clear understanding of working with volunteers.
• I’ll have the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy through my personal project.
• I’ll have the opportunity to develop skills that will be of value to me through my future career development.

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What’s involved?

• Learning about Basildon Park as a whole including a basic history of the house, gardens and estate.
• Undertaking basic conservation cleaning tasks, cleaning and preparing the house for daily opening.
• Assisting in the day to day management and conservation of the house and collection i.e. the monitoring of pest activity and light levels and assisting specialist conservation staff as necessary.
• Assisting visitors to the house who have enquiries about Basildon Park and National Trust and helping to share our story.
• Helping to protect house and collections by communicating the Conservation message and helping to maintain accurate records and inventories. 
• Taking part in ‘Conservation In Action’ demonstrations, requiring engagement with supporters and visitors to interpret and explain our conservation work to a wider audience.
• Giving any other appropriate assistance in relation to being a Conservation Assistant as may be reasonably requested.
• Undertaking a personal project

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     I hope this has provided some more insight in to what my role will be at Basildon Park. However, I will be updating this blog as regularly as possible during my time there to share with you all my progress. After writing this, I am more excited than ever!

     Since my last post, I have been able to email the two other interns, Helen and Jess, who are also taking part in the same internship as I am. I will be living with Jess, and look forward to meeting both her and Helen in a few days time. 

     Look out for my next post, in which I plan to write a small background on the history of Basildon Park, and why I find it so fascinating.

Until then,

Best wishes,

Craig

Exciting Times!

     It's funny how sometimes the best things in life happen by pure chance. That is how this chapter of my life has started. 

    My name is Craig, and up until last week, I was working in a local call centre for the a multi national advertising company. My job role was selling advertising to businesses all over the country in to the many print publications and websites that the company own. It wasn't my ideal career choice; although I was thankful for having any job at all, of course, as there are many less fortunate than myself. Having just graduated from university in the summer of 2013 with a 2:1 BA in Chinese Studies, I didn't exactly see myself working in a call centre a few years down the line. Something had to be done, and soon. I was dreading work each day, and if it wasn't for the amazing people who I met whilst working there, I probably would have packed it in a lot sooner. My main fear was that I would fall in to a patten of coming home from the office each day and feeling so worn down and miserable by it all that I would just say to myself "I'll look for something new tomorrow". Before I knew it, a couple of years would have passed and I would still be saying to myself "I'll look for something new tomorrow". 

     Then, one night, I decided to sit down at the laptop and do a quick search on the Internet for museum jobs. It started as a general job search, but as my dream job would be to work in a museum, or similar institution, I decided to target the search at that. It was a start, right? Then I came across a vacancy for an internship with the National Trust at Basildon Park. I must admit at this point that I had never heard of Basildon Park, but after a quick read through the role that was required and the skills I would learn, I was extremely keen to apply. Then, a moment of panic as I realised that the deadline for application was midnight that same evening, and it was already 11:35pm. 

     Now, at this moment, it might be worth nothing that I *almost* didn't apply. I thought, "I'm never going to have time to fill in the application form properly, and I'm sure something else similar will come up soon". Then, at that moment, I had a notification on my phone to say I had an email in my work inbox. I checked it out to see it was a complaint from a customer who I had been dealing with a few days prior. That sense of dread of going in to the office the next day came rushing back to me and I thought, "Bugga this, I'm going to give it a go!". So that's what I did. I filled it in, and when it came to the 'essay' of a question about why I wanted the role, I just wrote it straight from my head and heart and on to the form. I didn't proof read, I didn't edit, I didn't spell check. It was 11:56pm when I clicked on send. And so that was that. I didn't think anything of it.

     About 3 weeks later I was sat in work and my phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognise, and so I normally don't answer. This time, just as I was about to press "Ignore" on my phone, I realised it might be a response to my application, so I went outside the room just in time to answer it. It was Emma at Basildon Park inviting me for an interview. I was over the moon!

     My interview came in January, and so came my first visit to Basildon Park. I just fell in love with the place, almost instantly. The interview was so relaxed and calm, and I was made to feel so at ease. I think that really helped me, as before I went in, I was so intimidated by the size and stature of the property that I was worried I would just come out with a load of jibberish. 

     Anyway, to cut a long story short, I went home on the train the following day and 3 days later I received a call similar to the last one, again whilst in work. I don't think I've ever been so nervous answering the phone. This was not only the chance I needed to get out of a job that was making me so unhappy, but also a chance to open new doors and head down the path towards my dream career. I remember being really calm and collected when I was told that I was being offered a place on the internship scheme as a Conservation Assistant. It didn't sink in until the end of the day, when I was on the bus home at the end of my shift thinking, "I'm actually doing this, I'm actually being given a chance. An opportunity to do what I have always wanted to do".

     And so, as of last week, I have left that multi national advertising company, and am about to start my 3 month internship as a Conservation Assistant with the National Trust at Basildon Park. 

     This is my blog about my time there and an account of what I have learned. It's more for myself as a reflection of my moods, thoughts, feelings etc about my time there. However, I hoped that it might be useful to anyone else working in another call centre job (or any other job, for that matter!) who also wants badly to get out and do what they want to do. And to them, I say "Do it. Don't put it off. Don't make excuses. Just do it." After all, you've got nothing to lose, and a lot to gain!

I look forward to keeping track of my progress here,

Best wishes,

Craig