Art restorer to conservator
An art restorer already meets 46% of what the conservator role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.1/ 100
1 How much of what a conservator is expected to do is already part of an art restorer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the conservator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A conservator role treats 7 of its required skills as things an art restorer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess conservation needs
- coordinate operational activities
- create solutions to problems
- ensure safety of exhibition
- museum databases
- provide conservation advice
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A conservator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an art restorer background worth leading with.
- already held provide conservation advice communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held ensure safety of exhibition assisting and caring
- already held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks working with computers
- already held art collections arts and humanities
- already held evaluate art quality information skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 7 the conservator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn create collection conservation plan required
- still to learn plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage required
- still to learn apply strategic thinking required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- optional, not held supervise projects for the conservation of heritage buildings optional
- still to learn examine conservation issues required
- still to learn assess museum object condition required
- still to learn structure information required
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs of antique items optional
- still to learn cope with challenging demands required
- optional, not held provide project information on exhibitions optional
- optional, not held art-historical values optional
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held history optional
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
- optional, not held cultural projects optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a conservator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 examine conservation issues practise this
- 02 assess museum object condition practise this
- 03 cope with challenging demands practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held assess conservation needs skill
- already held coordinate operational activities skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held ensure safety of exhibition skill
- already held museum databases knowledge
- already held provide conservation advice skill
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks skill
- already held apply restoration techniques skill
- already held art collections knowledge
- already held art history knowledge
- already held evaluate art quality skill
- already held interact with an audience skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held present reports skill
- already held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held art-historical values optional
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held cultural projects optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs of antique items optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held provide project information on exhibitions optional
- optional, not held supervise projects for the conservation of heritage buildings optional
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
- optional, not held history optional
5 held skills the conservator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role evaluate restoration procedures skill
- not needed by the target role restore art using scientific methods skill
- not needed by the target role select restoration activities skill
- not needed by the target role specialise in conservation-restoration of specific types of objects skill
- not needed by the target role work in restoration team skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held art-historical values optional
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held cultural projects optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
- optional, not held history optional
Common questions about this move
Can an art restorer become a conservator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An art restorer already covers 46% of what a conservator is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 7 of which the conservator role treats as required.
What skills does an art restorer need to become a conservator?
8 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is examine conservation issues.
How hard is the move from art restorer to conservator?
Its learning distance is 56.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.