Freelance Teaching Opportunities
Writing Teachers: CHILDREN'S EDUCATION
Do you love creative writing? Do you enjoy working with young writers who are eager to develop their talent? If you answered “yes” to these questions, consider applying to teach at Thurber House’s children’s writing workshops and camps!
Send an email to Meg Brown, Director of Children’s Education at megbrown@thurberhouse.org indicating your interest. Please attach your resume. Meg will set up a time to meet with you and tell you more about the teaching opportunities available.
Thurber House teachers come from a variety of places. Some are retired schoolteachers who love creative writing, some are local freelance writers who love to teach, some are published authors who feel the need to nurture young writers, and some are MFA graduates who are still in town wondering what they will do next. The common thread is a love of writing and the enjoyment that comes from working with children. Click here to learn more about being a teacher at Thurber House.
Teachers must provide a successful background check prior to teaching at Thurber House.
Interested in teaching at Summer Writing Camp? Learn more and get the 2024 application here.
SUMMER WRITING CAMP COUNSELORS
Do you like working with kids to develop their creativity? Looking for a temporary summer gig? Each year, Thurber House hires counselors to lead and mentor groups of campers during our Summer Writing Camp program, which runs from June through August. Counselors must be 21 or older and complete a successful background check.
Learn more and get the 2024 application here.
Writing Teachers: ADULT WRITING WORKSHOPS
Interested in teaching an adult writing class at Thurber House? Contact us at thurberhouse@thurberhouse.org. Please include your resume and a list of writing/publishing/creativity-related topics you have experience with and are qualified to teach.
Internship Opportunities
Summer Writing Camp Interns
During the summer, high school and college student interns assist with our summer writing camps for kids in second through eighth grades. We offer nine weeks of camp and have a new group of campers each week. Camps are from 9:00 am-4:00 pm each day. Interns are expected to attend Monday through Friday, a minimum of one week; additional weeks are negotiable. Interns assist the camp counselors, work with the campers on activities, accompany groups on field trips, prepare snacks each day, and other duties as assigned.
All internships are unpaid. Interns are responsible for their own transportation and lunch. If you are interested, please download the application form, fill it out, and mail it in along with a letter of interest. A Thurber House staff member will call or email you. If you have questions, please contact Meg Brown, Director of Children’s Education, at megbrown@thurberhouse.org or 614-464-1032.
Internship applications are accepted from January through mid-March.
Learn more and get the 2024 application here.
Volunteer Opportunities for Adults
Our volunteers help make our programs possible. They are involved with everything from events to outreach to running the Thurber House Museum on weekends. Scheduling is flexible, but we do ask that all volunteers become committed members of the Thurber House family.
To express interest in an adult volunteer opportunity, contact Leah Wharton at lwharton@thurberhouse.org.
Thurber House museum VOLUNTEERS
Thurber House museum volunteers help to welcome visitors and run the museum. As a museum volunteer, you will learn all about James Thurber’s life, his writing, his cartoons, his family, and the ghostly history of the house at 77 Jefferson Avenue.
Docents: Docents are trained to greet visitors, answer questions, offer guided tours of Thurber House, and process bookstore orders.
Non-docents: Not a fan of public speaking? No problem! Non-docent volunteers perform all of the duties of docents but are not required to offer guided tours. Museum volunteers are trained to greet self-guided tour visitors, answer questions, and process bookstore orders.
Shifts are flexible according to your personal schedule and typically occur one to three days a month. All museum volunteers must be 21 or older and must provide references. You must successfully complete training before joining the pool of scheduled volunteers.
Literary Event AND OUTREACH Volunteers
Event volunteers are trained to check in guests, hand out programs, staff the raffle table, assist with book signing lines, hand out picnic dinners, sell books and tickets, and/or other duties during our events. Events are typically held on various weekday evenings at Thurber House, the Columbus Museum of Art, and other downtown locations.
Outreach volunteers represent Thurber House at various fairs and festivals throughout the year by staffing our table and sharing our programs with those who stop by.
Note: Event and outreach volunteers must be 18 or older and must provide references.
Volunteer Opportunities for Children
Young Docents
Middle schoolers have the opportunity to become Young Docents, who go through a full learning process about James Thurber, give tours of Thurber House before our Summer Literary Picnics, and participate in seasonal decorating at the House. Click here for more information.