All volunteers receive comprehensive training. In return, we ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of 120 hours per year or to complete a minimum of one unit or one volume, as defined by the project manager.
There are opportunities to volunteer both at The National Archives in Kew and from home.
Benefits of volunteering
In return for their time, volunteers are entitled to:
- 20% discount in our bookshop
- Staff discount in The National Archives' restaurant
- Annual volunteers' event at the National Archives - a platform to share your views and experiences with other volunteers
Travel expenses
We reimburse travel expenses up to a maximum of £10 per round trip to and from The National Archives.
How to apply
To apply for a post as a volunteer, fill out the registration form and return it to volunteer@nationalarchives.gov.uk. If you wish to provide any additional information, please include it in your email.
We are only able to offer a limited number of voluntary positions at any one time. If you do not hear from us within six weeks of submitting your application, please assume it has been unsuccessful. You are welcome to try again at a later date.
Volunteer registration form (DOC, 0.15Mb)
Security checks
Please note that all volunteers invited to work at The National Archives will be subject to a full security clearance check before they can start work. The process may take up to eight weeks to complete.
Diversity and equal opportunities
We believe that volunteering should be open to everyone.
- Disability is not a barrier to volunteering at The National Archives. Our premises are fully accessible and we offer volunteering opportunities via the internet for those unable to visit us.
- We offer projects of varying complexity, and you can try out a sample of the work in the first instance.
- Volunteers receive support and training from mentors and records specialists. We operate a 'back to work' scheme with Richmond Council for Voluntary Service to assist people who have experienced mental health problems and are finding it difficult to return to employment.
- Our volunteers range from 18 to 80+. We do not have an upper age limit for volunteering.
Current projects
Letters and Papers Henry VIII: Foreign and Domestic
The 22 volumes of Letters and Papers Henry VIII provide the best means of reference to the reign of perhaps our most famous king. However, the only complete set of keys for accessing The National Archives documents calendared in this important work is held on site. Published keys have now been produced for volumes 1-13 but volunteers are needed for volume 14. This is particularly urgent since Letters and Papers is now accessible online.
Read more about Letters and Papers Henry VIII: Foreign and Domestic (PDF, 0.13Mb)
Your Caribbean Heritage
Letters and reports from the governors of former British colonies in the Caribbean, dating from the 17th century to the 1960s, contain a wealth of information about the territories and their peoples. Volunteers create descriptions of the documents for our online Catalogue, making them more accessible to researchers.
Read more about the Caribbean project (PDF, 0.10Mb)
Chancery Proceedings
The Court of Chancery dealt with disputes over inheritance, wills, lands, debts, marriage settlements and apprenticeships. Volunteers work from home to input Chancery records into the Catalogue, making them searchable by name, occupation and place. This project is suitable for home working.
Criminal petitions for mercy
The records in series HO 17, from 1819 to 1839, are original petitions and letters to the monarch from convicts requesting a reduction in their sentence. Volunteers create detailed descriptions, capturing information on the convict, their crime, punishment and any personal circumstances mentioned.
Read more about the criminal petitions project (PDF, 0.08Mb)
Supplementary finding aids
We have thousands of paper catalogues and indexes at The National Archives, all carefully created by previous generations of archivists. Volunteers convert this valuable information into descriptions for our online Catalogue. This project is being developed for home working.
Read more about the supplementary finding aids project (PDF, 0.04Mb)
First World War Army officers
Volunteers on this project are cataloguing the First World War officers' records in series WO 339 more fully, listing surname, full forenames, rank and unit for all 139,908 files.
Read more about the First World War officer project (PDF, 0.11Mb)
Further opportunities to volunteer are offered by the Friends of The National Archives.
This page contains DOC, PDF files. See plug-ins and file formats for help in accessing these file types.
