Battlefield Guide

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, Ambion Lane, Sutton Cheney, Market Bosworth CV13 0AD

Salary: £13.05 per hour

Working Hours: As and when required

Contract Type: Casual

Closing Date: 1st April

Interview Date(s): 17th April and 23rd April

Are you passionate about history and storytelling? Would you like working outdoors in the Leicestershire Countryside as part of a small team engaging with public and school groups about our fascinating history?

About the Role

This role is a casual post and work is scheduled through a rota system. The main role of the Battlefield Guides is to lead a 1 or 1.5 hour guided walk to all school key stages as an integral part of the site’s learning offer and to lead regular 1.5 hour weekend and bank holiday public guided walks (two a day in the Summer and 1 a day in the Winter). Nearly every school coming to site takes up a guided walk, which together with the public walks, are delivered on a rota with the other guides. Guides will also lead ad hoc group walks on any day of the week throughout the year. The school walks are slightly tailored to accompany other sessions delivered as part of a package, e.g. ‘The Soldier’s Story’, ‘Battlefield Archaeology’ etc, but all include information about the political and physical lead up, the battle itself and the aftermath, using the landscape around them and some Battlefield Centre props to help tell the story. They also include the pupils refighting the battle. These walks are confined to the area around Ambion Hill, but with views across to the actual battlefield. Guides need to be physically able and comfortable to lead groups around the 2.5km trail. The Battlefield Guides also play an important part during various events throughout the year, including Bosworth Medieval Festival. Guides are occasionally asked to research and deliver talks at the Heritage Centre.

N.B The Battlefield Heritage Centre is not on public transport, with the nearest bus stop being at Market Bosworth. Therefore, ability to drive and access to own vehicle would be preferable.

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

• NVQ 2 or equivalent or demonstrable experience are essential.
• A knowledge of (or a willingness and ability to quickly learn about) the Wars of the Roses and particularly the history of the Battle of Bosworth and its historical context.
• Confidence in public speaking and able to deliver historical information in a concise, engaging and exciting way.
• The ability to adapt guided trail content to a variety of ages and abilities, some of whom might have a variety of additional needs.
• Good timekeeping, which is important for a successful guided walk.
• Flexibility to work on weekdays, weekends and bank holidays if needed.
• The ability, with suitable adjustments, to lead a 1.5 hour guided walk over 2.5 km.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process. Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer. This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) and therefore the ability to speak fluent English is an essential requirement for this role.

Interested in Flexible Working? We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact: Jenni Hunt - Heritage Learning Officer. (Thursdays and Fridays only) Email: jennifer.hunt@leics.gov.uk

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive – both personally and professionally. If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support. By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.