How to become an archivist or records manager

An archivist keeps, catalogues and explains records, from medieval deeds to the files an organisation produces now. The National Careers Service gives pay of £23,000 to £45,000, on a 38 to 40 hour week. The usual route is a degree plus postgraduate training recognised by the Archives and Records Association (ARA), though there is a Level 7 apprenticeship too.

What archivists and records managers do

The listed duties are cataloguing and indexing material with archive software, storing and conserving collections, and working with conservators. They also set up digitisation processes, help people use the archive, run talks and exhibitions, and negotiate the purchase or donation of archive material. The profile also mentions managing the legal requirements of record keeping as the career develops.

Alternative job titles on the profile are curator, records manager and archives officer. Records managers deal with an organisation’s current paperwork and data rules, while archivists look after material kept for the long term. The two jobs overlap, and plenty of people move between them.

Where the jobs are

The National Careers Service does not name employers. It says experienced archivists could work for national archives, museums, businesses, church foundations and charities. Read each advert to see who runs the service and on what terms. The profile says work experience with record collections is very important, and roles in a museum or a library are one way to get collections experience.

Routes in

• An undergraduate degree, usually asking for 2 to 3 A levels or equivalent. History, museum studies, information science, languages and law are suggested subjects.
• A degree in any subject, followed by an archives and records management qualification recognised by the ARA.
• An Archivist and Records Manager Level 7 apprenticeship, usually about three years, combining workplace learning with university study. Employers set entry requirements. See public sector apprenticeships for how to find them.

The ARA’s careers page adds entry through a para-professional role, an apprenticeship or taking on a voluntary role, and says you can qualify through an ARA accredited degree.

Professional registration

The ARA describes Professional Registration as its route to formal recognition, available through its professional development programme to members. The National Careers Service also names the Information and Records Management Society, which offers events, resources and accreditation after several years in the role. Check each body’s current requirements before deciding what to aim for.

Applying for an archive post

Advertised posts often ask for a recognised qualification as well as hands-on collections work, so make both visible. List the qualification, then give dates and tasks for each volunteering or work placement: cataloguing, conservation, digitisation or public enquiries all match the duties above. Our guide to reading a job description and person specification shows how to line your experience up with each criterion.

If you are changing career, writing a CV for public sector jobs covers how to present transferable experience, and how shortlisting works explains why every essential criterion needs an example. Interview answers about a project you managed are easier to structure with the STAR method.

Pay and employers

The National Careers Service range of £23,000 to £45,000 is wide because employers and seniority vary. The profile names no employer, so an advert from a council record office, a museum or a charity will each set pay on its own terms. A post on the local government pay structure would sit on the NJC pay spine, where the 2026/27 award of 3.3 per cent on pay points 3 to 43 was agreed on 24 August 2026. The NJC pay spine guide explains how the points work.

Questions to ask before you accept

Useful questions to ask are how large the collection is, how much of it is catalogued, whether a digitisation programme is running, and how much of the week goes to public enquiries. Ask whether the employer supports ARA Professional Registration or the IRMS, both named above, and whether the post would involve funding bids, which the profile lists as a later responsibility.

Where it can lead

Progression can include team management, funding bids and strategy, specialist research and handling the legal side of record keeping. For a different information-based public sector role, see the government data analyst profile.

Work out what a salary means each month with the take-home pay calculator.