On Friday, I visited a Buildings Surveyor working for the National Trust. We had been talking about potential Project Management opportunities I might be able to support them with. Coffee for an informal chat was the next step. Through the discourse, I learned about the National Trust induction process, it is very involved and spread over your first three months. To do this involves a lot of investment in a person. Therefore, although it might sound intrinsic, when the National Trust advertise vacancies they are extremely concerned that the job you are applying for is the job you want.
Given that the benefits and opportunities available when working for the National Trust, in addition to the prestige, it is tempting to adopt a scattergun approach applying for a number of roles, or even apply for roles that you would use as a springboard through to internal opportunities. His advice was to wait for the right opportunity. A good manager will not waste their time and training budget to support another department. He also mentioned that the National Trust have issues attracting the attention of Buildings Specialists. I pointed out that the National Trust do not regularly advertise these positions with BAJR or CIfA, which he is passing onto HR.
If you are interested in working for the National Trust, regularly review their website, or better still, set up a Jobs Alert. Best of luck!
Lucy Parker MSc MCIfA 