Embroidery Tutor and Course Designer

Location: Hampton Court Palace (with hybrid online delivery) with flexible days and hours (35 hour week equivalent). Opportunity for national and international teaching at various venues.

Role Overview

The Royal School of Needlework is seeking two full time equivalents (which may mean several part time) Embroidery Tutor & Course Designers to join its growing in‑house team. These roles are central to delivering and shaping a new, world‑class short course programme that positions the RSN as the global leader in hand embroidery education. Working collaboratively with colleagues, the Embroidery Tutor & Course Designers will be at the heart of the transformation of our non‑accredited, leisure embroidery programmes. You will combine high‑level technical embroidery practice with engaging, student‑focused teaching, while contributing to the development of new courses across the RSN’s core collections. This role is designed to ensure consistency, quality and long‑term sustainability across the programme.

Key Responsibilities

• Teaching & Delivery

• Deliver exceptional onsite and online embroidery courses to a consistently high standard.
• Create an engaging, inclusive and confidence‑building learning environment, fostering a sense of community.
• Adapt teaching to suit a wide range of student abilities and learning styles.
• Make full use of AV and digital tools to enhance the student experience.

• Conduct ongoing research into current market trends.
• Design and develop new courses across the new RSN core curriculum inspired by contemporary embroidery practice and the RSN archive.
• Produce high‑quality stitched samples and course materials aligned with RSN standards.
• Contribute to structured learning outcomes and a consistent teaching framework.
• Potential to develop future On Demand course offerings.

• Support students throughout their learning journey, encouraging progression within the RSN.
• Provide tailored recommendations for further courses and relevant RSN products.
• Foster a strong sense of community within both onsite and online classes.
• Support Short Courses team in managing day‑to‑day administrative tasks including sourcing and buying kit materials, kit packing, shipping, general administration, customer service and community management.

• Work closely with the marketing team to deliver campaign content.
• Contribute to storytelling that communicates the RSN’s heritage, expertise and contemporary relevance.
• Support key course launches with aligned, high‑impact content.

• Act as an ambassador for the RSN at all times.
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of the RSN’s course portfolio, retail offering, archive and wider activities.
• Deliver a fully RSN‑branded experience across all experiences.

As the RSN is currently in a period of transformation and growth, the successful candidate will be expected to be flexible and may, from time to time, undertake responsibilities beyond the scope of this job description, within reason, to support the evolving needs of the department.

Person Specification

• Ability to provide evidence of current or past work, which may include examples of creative programming and or practice.
• Strong market awareness, able to monitor training trends and develop them into opportunities.
• Professional experience within embroidery, textiles, or fashion industries.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to teach and engage diverse audiences.
• Adaptability and confidence in live teaching environments.
• A collaborative, solutions‑focused approach.
• Hold a hand embroidery qualification from the Royal School of Needlework e.g. Hand Embroidery Degree, Future Tutor/PET Qualification, RSN Apprenticeship, Certification & Diploma etc.
• High level stitching portfolio containing techniques: Tambour Beading, Hand Beading, Goldwork, Stumpwork, Whitework, Blackwork, Canvaswork, Jacobean Crewelwork.
• Experience teaching in a formal or informal setting.
• Awareness of sustainable practices in arts and craft education.
• Knowledge of couture techniques (e.g. tambour, beading, goldwork).
• Experience developing courses or educational content.
• Familiarity with online teaching platforms (e.g. Zoom).