Pros
It's a good fit if you need a reliable source of income. The hourly salary is higher than minimum wage. If you ever need to take a day off, you can. There's a uniform, but it's only a blazer and you only have to wear it when you're behind the coatcheck counter. Most days you are on your feet and lifting moderately heavy objects, but overall the job is not too demanding. It's a small museum, so you can quickly get up to speed about the layout, current offerings and history. There's lower museum attendance in the summer, so you have a lot of time to catch up on some casual reading or schoolwork. There's a nice view of the 70th Street Russell Page Garden from the coatroom. Lunch is cheap. There's a free simple salad at lunch if you're on a budget. Free coffee, tea, juice, milk, bread, and condiments are available most other times. For late night events (if you're scheduled until 9pm), they pay for dinner (you can order take-out up to $12) and they call a black car to take you home.
Kontras
There's little room to grow within the department and it's not easy to transfer to a different department. Organization and communication in the Retail and Visitor Services department is exceptionally abysmal. --They don't adequately prepare you for worst-case scenarios when it comes to handling museum visitors and guests to private events. --They don't wash the blazer you're required to wear, despite the employee handbook stating that the museum will launder it. --Many employees were not informed about their start time. Subsequently, they were confused when they received lower than expected paychecks and reprimands for being "late." --Hours worked were often miscalculated, despite the use of a time clock. You would have to double check your paycheck for missing pay, which could be difficult because paychecks are withheld for two weeks. --It's very easy to be overworked during the busy season due to events. You could end up working a 12-hour day. --For most events, no supervisor from your department is there. If you have an issue, you have to wait until the next day to talk to someone. Often, you're not even told what to expect for the event (i.e. how many people in attendance, where the coatcheck is being setup, etc). --Sometimes there's a significant break between the end of the museum day and an event. You are not paid for that time. If they want to open coatcheck early, you end up having an uncomfortable conversation with security (your ad hoc supervisor) about how you are not paid for that time. --They're possibly violating labor law when it comes to breaks. They schedule breaks during your day. Sometimes you can't take all your breaks when there's a staff shortage. They don't tell you some of your breaks are unpaid. They do this even though they don;t require you to clock-out for your breaks. Traditionally, employer allowed breaks are counted as compensated time.