Part time Ceramic Technician & Teacher
Salary: Approximately 20 hours per week tech work: $25.18 per hour Monday – Friday & $31.475 on Saturday. Approximately 4 hours a week of teaching. Teaching hours paid at $50 per hour.
Mandate: Be the central cog of our passionate community of ceramics members, studio tenants, teachers and students.
Commencing: October 25th 2020.
Hours: The hours will be in a fixed roster but will include a mix of days, evenings and Saturdays.
Benefits: Be a part of Sydney’s most exciting maker community. Access the workshop facilities and classes to develop your own skills and projects. Option to extend the role with additional teaching.
About the organisation:
MakerSpace & Co is a not for profit organisation founded in Sydney’s Inner West providing access to equipment, expertise and space for emerging designers, entrepreneurs, artists, makers and artisans. MakerSpace & Co is equipped with cutting-edge machine workshops, studio spaces and education programs that are so needed by designers. It is also a place for locals to participate in the culture of making, and for visitors to experience the best in Australian design across furniture, ceramics, metalwork, woodwork, recycled plastics and industrial design. It helps build Australian creative businesses, employment and communities.
About the Role:
We are looking for the perfect part-time ceramics technician & teacher who can look after the kilns, manage firings, clay recycling, studio supplies and oversee workflow systems (location of greenware, bisqued, glazed and finished works).
You’ll have an excellent working knowledge of throwing, handbuilding and slip-casting processes, glazes and firing. You will induct and train new members on the machinery and tools, talk through making strategies and techniques for their projects. You need to not only love making things with clay, but you need to be passionate and patient when guiding others who are just starting out.
As the head of the Ceramics department, you will be closely involved in our short courses program, developing new clases, and sourcing new teachers. The role will include a minimum of 4 hours of teaching every week, helping beginners and more advanced students to learn new skills.
Providing a great customer experience is essential. As part of a growing team, you’ll know the ins-and-outs of MakerSpace & Co so you can keep our members and the public up to date with upcoming events and developments. In this capacity, you will also be answering phone and email enquiries that are both specific to the ceramics department, and general enquiries. You’ll help customers by answering questions, booking people into classes, signing up new members and placing people on wait-lists.
Who will you be working with and reporting to?
● You will report to the Education Program Manager and Building and Memberships Manager.
● You will work closely with the rest of our team – our Workshop Manager, our Marketing Coordinator, our Managing Director and our teachers.
● You will liaise with the rest of the teaching, member and tenant community in regards to education programs and events.
● You will also assist with training volunteers to help in the Ceramic Studio.
Responsibilities:
● Managing firings (loading and unloading kilns, firing timetables for earthenware and stoneware firings etc.)
● Managing consumables – ordering clay, glazes and other requirements
● Maintenance of equipment in the ceramics studio.
● Training new members and staff in equipment use.
● Studio supervision and assisting members and students with their pottery projects.
● Teaching students, from beginners to advanced.
● Assist with programming short courses in the Woodwork department, and in collaboration with other departments.
● Assisting Education Program Manager with class timetables for classes taking place in the ceramics studio (and relevant firing schedules).
● First Aid Officer (training provided if necessary).
● Customer service – in person, via phone and email.
● Basic filing of documents.
● Using booking platform to book and change classes, create new accounts and troubleshoot.
Skills and Experience:
● Management of ceramics studio
● Teaching and assisting others with technical and design aspects of ceramics.
● Patience – you know it’s always ok to be a beginner and not to know, and you know that humans get things wrong sometimes.
● Experience in throwing clay, slip-casting, handbuilding clay, glazing, and troubleshooting all of the above.
● Use of kilns for firing mixed works and mixed glazes.
● Friendly, un-intimidating, open, sharing, knowledgeable and generally lovely.
● Basic confidence with computer systems – you will be using our booking platform to manage memberships, bookings and sales, and other basic programs.
Benefits and culture:
Be a part of Sydney’s most exciting cultural development. As part of the MakerSpace & Co family, you will be exposed to opportunities to hone your creative skills and interests with professional development opportunities including teaching, taking classes, access to the facilities, production work and the potential to shape and grow the role.
Applications:
To apply, please send your
CV + Portfolio + Availability + Cover letter to [email protected] .
The Cover Letter should be a maximum of two pages and cover a selection of the Responsibilities and Skills and Experience dot points listed above.
For any enquiries, please call our Managing Director Kris on 0405138635.
Apply now, the position will be filled as soon as we find the perfect person to join the team.
