The FAO Schwarz Fellow at the Museum of the City of New York
New York City, New York
About the Fellowship Position
The Fellow will teach field trips focused on the Museum’s special and ongoing exhibitions for their direct service work, and will focus on enhancing programmatic offerings through the frame of accessibility and universal design for learning (UDL) for their special project.
The Fellowship program provides opportunities for new college graduates interested in social impact careers to be part of organizations that are deeply committed to social justice and equity. Through a combination of direct service and leadership challenges, professional development and mentoring, Fellows gain first-hand experience leading change and learn how effective nonprofits create lasting and measurable progress.
The Museum of the City of New York fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world’s most influential metropolis.
Direct Service
Teaching school and summer field trips (onsite and virtual) focused on the Museum’s special and ongoing exhibitions and collections will be the Fellow’s priority for a portion of their work at the Museum. These hands-on programs offered Monday through Friday to PreK-12th grade, provide New York City’s students with content-rich and interactive learning experiences.
The Fellow’s work will include:
- Teaching school and summer field trips (onsite and virtual).
- Working with an average of at least one group of students per workday.
- Participating in trainings in techniques of inquiry, visual literacy, hands-on learning, and discussion.
Special Project
The incoming Fellow will focus on enhancing programmatic offerings through the frame of accessibility and universal design for learning (UDL).
The Fellow’s work will include:
- Collaborating with the Curatorial department to reflect upon and improve student and visitor experiences at the Museum;
- Evaluating students and visitors about the accessibility features currently available to visitors at the Museum;
- Reviewing best practices of other cultural institutions’ education departments to devise a report of recommendations for needed improvements to the Museum’s accessibility features;
- Partnering with the Education Operations team to improve our pre-visit engagement with schools who indicate their students have special needs; and
- Coordinating trainings for Museum Educators related to the intersections between museum education and accessibility.
LOCATION New York City, New York
WEB mcny.org
FOUNDED 1923
STAFF 125
How to Apply
Applicants must be college seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities at the time of application and be eligible to work in the United States for the duration of the two-year Fellowship.
The deadline to apply is February 5, 2024 at 9:00 pm ET. Host organizations will select applicants for interviews and make their decisions by the end of April 2024. Fellowships begin in the summer of 2024.
Learn more about MCNY before applying by visiting their website.
A Closer Look
About the Museum of the City of New York
Founded in 1923, the Museum serves the people of New York, our community in East Harlem, and visitors from around the world through exhibitions, education and public programs, publications, and collections onsite and online across our digital channels. The Museum of the City of New York fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world’s most influential metropolis. It engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city’s past, present, and future.
This past fiscal year, the Museum welcomed over 139,000 visitors to our landmark building on Museum Mile, events across the city, and onsite and virtual programming. As the city’s storyteller, the Museum strives to make connections across the past, present, and future and create opportunities for all New Yorkers to see themselves reflected in our content.
Education is at the core of the Museum’s mission: students, teachers, families, and community members from across the five boroughs and around the world take part in the Schwarz Center’s programming each year, with a focus on engaging learners in examining the city’s past so that they may understand the present and envision their role in shaping the future.
This year, the Museum is celebrating 100 years since its founding as the first city museum in the United States. Through exhibitions and public education programs, the events of our Centennial year will encourage audiences to think about New York City in new ways and provide opportunities for all to deepen their understanding of the city.
Impact
Our Impact
The Frederick A.O. Schwarz Education Center evaluates all in-person and virtual student programming using digital evaluation tools. Evaluation is a vital tool in our work and aids our understanding of the effectiveness of our programs, the relevance to school curricula, facilitator-student relations, and how we can constantly improve our products and services.
- In FY2023, the Schwarz Center served 18,460 students, teachers, and families through virtual and onsite programming and connected with over 60,000 viewers online through Schwarz Center-generated educational content.
- In FY2023, over 8,330 students and teachers participated in a Museum Educator-led field trip, with an additional 1,525 participating in a self-guided onsite tour of one or more of the Museum’s galleries and 230 joining for virtual field trips through Zoom.
- 89% of survey respondents have rated our programs relevant to their school curriculum, with the remaining 11% indicating our programming is somewhat relevant.
- Nearly 100% of survey respondents have indicated an interest in returning to the Museum for future programs.
Policies
COVID POLICY
Employees are entitled to up to 14 days of sick leave for a COVID-related absence for the following reasons: you are experiencing COVID-related symptoms; test positive; caring for a close relative with COVID; have been exposed to someone with COVID; are waiting for a COVID test result; experience loss of childcare due to COVID. If you have exceeded your 14 calendar days for the year, you may be eligible for COVID leave under NYS Paid Family Leave COVID policy. Additionally, employees are entitled to use their NYC Paid Safe and Sick leave to take a child/dependent for the COVID-19 vaccine or if they or their child/dependent is experiencing side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine.
As the variants of COVID continue to change, so do the requirements for quarantining and being able to return to work. And not everyone’s situation may be the same. Employees should continue to self-monitor for symptoms related to COVID. If you begin to exhibit COVID-related symptoms or test positive, please do not come in to work. Please report it to Human Resources so that we can take appropriate safety measures, determine next steps, and assess your eligibility for COVID-related leaves.
NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY
The Museum of the City of New York is committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as New York City and the audiences who are curious about learning more about its history and engaging in contemporary urban issues. Our staff members are dedicated to working towards a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring city museum in the world.
The Museum of the City of New York is an equal opportunity employer. As such, the museum provides equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants without unlawful discrimination with respect to age, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender identification, marital status, military status or veteran, national origin, political association, political/personal convictions, predisposing genetic characteristics, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic location, philosophies, or any other classification protected by federal, state or local laws, in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, demotion, transfer, lay-off, and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment. All employment-related decisions are based solely on relevant criteria including training, experience, and suitability.
Compensation
Fellows who start their Fellowship during the summer of 2024 will receive total compensation of approximately $90,000 plus benefits over the two-year Fellowship.
+ $42,000 in year one (includes $2,000 start of Fellowship bonus)
+ $48,000 in year two (includes $3,000 end of Fellowship bonus)
+ Health insurance coverage (100%—approximate value $12,000/year)*
+ Monthly subway pass (approximate value $1,200/year)
+ Professional development & leadership training
* Fellows are responsible for co-pays and expenses not covered by insurance.
Typical Work Schedule
The Fellow will work at the Museum Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with a 1-hour lunch break