What our volunteers do
Search for volunteering opportunities
Our volunteering opportunities are as varied as our historic properties and collections, with each role clearly described so you’ll know exactly what to expect before getting involved.
There's a volunteering opportunity for everyone! We offer ways to contribute in person and remotely across several areas of our organisation's work nationwide.
You can volunteer at Historic Scotland sites, welcoming visitors from all over the world and sharing the stories of these important places, or play some music to make a visit more memorable. Volunteers also help us stage our events, including the spectacular jousting tournaments we hold each summer.
Lovers of the outdoors can volunteer with our Ranger Service, looking after landscapes and wildlife in incredible locations. There are also opportunities to help us care for the amazing artefacts in our collections, to take part in micro-volunteering, or to dig into community archaeology.
At our sites
Our Visitor Connectors, Volunteer Musicians, and Volunteer Gardeners help create a great visitor experience across our castles, abbeys, cathedrals, forts and other historic sites.
At our events
Our Event Volunteers welcome people, answer questions, give directions, assist with crowd management, and support activities at selected events at sites such as Spectacular Jousting at Linlithgow Palace or Celebration of the Centuries at Fort George.
With our Ranger Service
Our Ranger Service works at Holyrood Park, Linlithgow Peel and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney. Volunteers help look after nature by doing surveys, clearing litter, caring for paths and habitats, and protecting rare plants and animals. You can join for a day, perhaps with your workmates, or get involved in longer projects.
With our collections
Did you know we have over five million photos, drawings and prints about Scotland’s historic places? We also care for over 30 million aerial images. Our volunteers help by doing research and adding useful information to these records. You can do this from home by helping identify locations in photos, or in person by working with our archives and collections.
Through micro-volunteering
Micro-volunteering is a quick and easy way to help, with tasks that take about 30 minutes and no long-term commitment. You could share photos to help track climate change at our sites, or join a beach clean or litter pick at places like Blackness Castle or Holyrood Park.
In community archaeology
We work with partner organisations to offer community archaeology digs. Volunteers can get involved by helping with excavations, handling and cleaning finds, and learning how to draw artefacts.
Browse our volunteer opportunities
More about volunteering
How we recruit volunteers
Everything you need to know about how we welcome and recruit our volunteers.
Our commitment to volunteers
Find out about the support, standards, and safeguards we have in place to help you get the most from your volunteering experience.
Supporting volunteering across the sector
Find out how we help heritage groups all over Scotland to grow and improve their volunteering.
