Oral History Trainer
National Life Stories at the British Library Closing date: Wed, 04 Mar 2026
- Part time
- Under £10K
Thu, 26 Feb 2026 "> published -
Job Summary
Job Description
Applications are invited from members of the Oral History Society who have the knowledge and experience to teach courses in person and online, and who can bring new skills to the training team.
THE ROLE
Training courses are delivered in a variety of UK venues and include both programmed courses and courses tailored to the needs of clients. Demand for training varies each year. We aim to offer BL/OHS trainers a minimum of two programmed courses per year. Tailored training courses are offered in addition, based on demand and trainers' availability. All courses are administered by oral history staff from National Life Stories at the British Library. It is our aim to match trainers with a local venue if this is possible, however some courses may require travel, and evening and weekend work.
For courses in 2026, rates of pay for BL/OHS trainers are: £426 per day plus travel expenses for the programmed courses, and £490 per day plus expenses for tailored courses.
Instruction and guidance on the present format and content of the training programmes will be given to the new trainer at a workshop led by members of the current training group. This workshop will be unpaid, but the new trainer will be able to claim an honorarium and their expenses. Training materials will be supplied. For more information on the format of existing training courses see the OHS website: https://www.ohs.org.uk/training/
Job Requirements
Essential requirements:
- Knowledge of oral history theory and methodology
- A minimum of three years' experience of oral history interviewing
- Experience of oral history project management
- Experience of training/teaching (especially in oral history methods)
- Knowledge of ethical and legal considerations connected with oral history
- Knowledge of the key requirements to prepare oral history material for archiving
- Practical knowledge of digital recording technologies for archival quality files
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Experience of using audio editing software
Desirable criteria:
- Experience of using oral history in project outputs such as video projects, podcasts, exhibitions, websites, scholarly analysis, family history research
- Willingness to travel including overnight stays
- Can propose a new partner venue for Introduction to Oral History courses, being mindful of our current locations (London, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Worcester)
- Driver's licence
Job Responsibilities
Trainers are members of the BL/OHS Training Liaison Group and are expected to:
- Attend the annual BL/OHS Training Liaison Group meeting (part of which will be a trainers' Continuing Professional Development workshop) at the BL in London (expenses are paid) and be open to attending two additional shorter online meetings
- Teach to an agreed curriculum
- Submit bi-annual training reports to the OHS Bookkeeper
- Ensure the issue and return of evaluation feedback forms
The BL/OHS Training Liaison Group is responsible for:
- Discussing the training fees and remuneration
- Deciding on whether there are vacancies for BL/OHS trainers
- Selecting, appointing and accrediting new trainers based on applicants' CVs, covering letters, and references
- Designing and reviewing the content of courses to ensure that we are offering up-to-date advice
- Reviewing feedback from participants
- Monitoring the quality of training delivery: reserving the right to withdraw accreditation from trainers
Job Overview
- Job Title: Oral History Trainer
- Salary: Under £10K (pro-rata)
- Hours: Part time
- Role: Teaching
- Contract: Contract
- Closing date: Wed, 04 Mar 2026
- Location: UK-wide
How to Apply
See the Oral History Society website for full details and how to apply: https://ohs.org.uk/opportunities/oral-history-trainer-recruitment-2026/
Application deadline: 2pm on Wednesday 4 March 2026
About National Life Stories at the British Library
National Life Stories (NLS) was established in 1987 with the mission to record and preserve a wide range of voices through in-depth biographical accounts, to make them available and inspire their use.