By Jon Blistein
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is seeking the help of a dedicated Swiftie — on a rather vague contractual basis, it must be said —to serve as a “Superfan Advisor” on all things Taylor Swift.
The most pertinent details about the role are admittedly a little dire for those thinking this is their chance at landing a dream job. It’s described as a part-time, zero-hour contract gig, meaning you’re not guaranteed a certain number of hours.
The salary is also described only as “Competitive Incentives,” whatever that means (it’s certainly not a specific amount of money one can be expected to be paid for their labor). And further down in the listing, the V&A says it will “cover reasonable travel costs to the museum for the curatorial meeting, and successful candidates will receive a V&A Membership as part of the role.”
As that last bit implies, the nature of the job itself seems to be a kind of quick-fire consultancy gig. The Swiftie position is actually one of several “Superfan Advisor” roles the V&A is also looking to fill — along with seeking aficionados in drag, emojis, Crocs, and tufting — as it aims to “learn more about our collection… as well as the current cultural trends that will inform the future of museum collecting.”
All “Superfan Advisors” will meet with curators at the V&A to share their subject expertise, and “Insights from the sessions… may be used to develop future programming at the museum.” With the V&A’s focus on crafts and craftsmanship, it seems possible they’ll want their Swift specialist to advise on the variety of homemade arts and crafts that have become an essential part of the fandom, including concert posters, costumes and clothing, and those omnipresent friendship bracelets.
The V&A is far from the first institution — museum or otherwise — to offer some kind of job centered around Swift. There have already been a handful of university courses devoted to her, including one at New York University taught by Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos. And last year, USA Today and The Tennessean sought to hire a full-time reporter to cover the Swift beat (as well as one dedicated to Beyoncé).
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