Meet, learn and preserve: become an Erfgoedvrijwilliger

Erfgoedvrijwilliger.nl lists volunteering opportunities at local and regional heritage organisations, such as museums, castles, heritage railways and trams, historical societies, windmills and historic gardens. In the Netherlands thousands of people volunteer at heritage sites and organisations. It is a great way to meet new people, practice your Dutch and learn more about the area you live in.

 

Erfgoed (nl) = Heritage (en)

Vrijwilliger (nl) = Volunteer (en)

5 Reasons to volunteer at a heritage organisation:

  1. You meet new people that share the same passion for history, heritage and stories
  2. There is always a responsibility or task that will suit your skills and personal interests
  3. You can contribute to the preservation of tangible heritage (like historical sites, buildings and objects) or intangible heritage (like stories, oral histories and traditions)
  4. Volunteering is a great way to develop your skills and gain work experience for your resume
  5. Being familiar with heritage will strengthen your understanding of places and people

Vacancies

The Dutch heritage scene is incredibly diverse. There are a wide variety of initiatives as well as responsibilities to engage with. As a volunteer, you could be part of a historic gardening team, a host at a museum, a miller, a boardmember, a shop assistant, a guide: you name it!

At ‘Vacatures’ you can find many different vacancies. At the moment most of the vacancies listed are in Dutch. However, by using the filter ‘staat open voor anderstaligen’ you can see which vacancies are available for non-Dutch speakers as well. See anything you like? Contact the organisation of that vacancy directly if you have any questions, or simply: apply!

Coaches

If you can’t find a match or if you could use assistance in reaching out to an organisation or if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’d love to help you find an volunteering position that suits you! Depending on which province you’re in, there’s a different person you can contact:

How this website works

This website is a collaboration between different provincial heritage ‘houses’ that provide support to heritage organisations and volunteers on a provincial level. We’ve bundled our knowledge together and present you the parts that can be helpful to volunteers or organisations nationwide. An important part of the website is ‘Vacatures‘: our ‘job board’ that lists voluntary positions throughout the country. At ‘Verhalen‘ you can read, watch or listen to inspirational stories about people that currently volunteer at heritage sites or that are part of heritage initiatives. For tips and tricks on how to improve skills that are relevant to voluntary work in the field, you can browse through ‘Verdieping‘. Here, we provide tools and advice through handouts, video’s, online courses and articles.