Conservator to art restorer
A conservator already meets 74% of what the art restorer role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
26.3/ 100
1 How much of what an art restorer is expected to do is already part of a conservator’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 art restorer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An art restorer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a conservator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply restoration techniques
- assess conservation needs
- coordinate operational activities
- create solutions to problems
- ensure safety of exhibition
- museum databases
What stands in the way is 3 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. An art restorer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a conservator 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 8 the art restorer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 5 missing skills fall into 3 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 evaluate restoration procedures required
- still to learn select restoration activities required
- optional, not held specialise in conservation-restoration of specific types of objects optional
- still to learn restore art using scientific methods required
- optional, not held work in restoration team optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an art restorer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 evaluate restoration procedures practise this
- 02 restore art using scientific methods practise this
- 03 select restoration activities 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 apply restoration techniques skill
- 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 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
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held specialise in conservation-restoration of specific types of objects optional
- optional, not held work in restoration team optional
18 held skills the art restorer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role art-historical values knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess museum object condition skill
- not needed by the target role cope with challenging demands skill
- not needed by the target role create collection conservation plan skill
- not needed by the target role cultural history knowledge
- not needed by the target role cultural projects knowledge
- not needed by the target role estimate restoration costs skill
- not needed by the target role estimate restoration costs of antique items skill
- not needed by the target role examine conservation issues skill
- not needed by the target role furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products knowledge
- not needed by the target role historic architecture knowledge
- not needed by the target role history knowledge
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage skill
- not needed by the target role provide project information on exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role structure information skill
- not needed by the target role supervise projects for the conservation of heritage buildings skill
Common questions about this move
Can a conservator become an art restorer?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A conservator already covers 74% of what an art restorer is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 8 of which the art restorer role treats as required.
What skills does a conservator need to become an art restorer?
3 required skills are missing, plus 2 optional ones. They fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is evaluate restoration procedures.
How hard is the move from conservator to art restorer?
Its learning distance is 26.3 out of 100, which is the adjacent 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.