Educator

Lower East Side Tenement Museum•New York, NY

23h•Onsite

About The Position

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. 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.

Requirements

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 high school diploma, GED, or equivalent relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

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.
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.