Q&A With Thomas Jefferson Foundation Employees

For positions with benefits, vacation accrues at a biweekly rate with a cap of 240 hours that can carry over. There is also one floating holiday day yearly since July 4 is a must work for all staff. Vacation taken before days are accrued is unpaid.

Policy is good, but sometimes it is a challenge to get a good length off/ leave the work at work. Vacation accrues up to a really high number of hours. You get paid out in full if you don't use it before you leave.

Yes, both for all jobs.

Why Monticello? How do you work with various personality types? Plus typical skill related questions.

The team was very helpful when I was first hired, but there is a lot of figuring stuff out on your own.

It depends on the supervisor and job description, but it is usually not encouraged/ approved during normal business hours.

Depends on the department.

Leadership has the final say in all staffing decisions. Promotions are hard to come by unless a vacancy creates an opportunity.

Small cost of living increases yearly...large raises are hard to negotiate and acquire.

Interesting people I get to work with or interact with when they come to visit.

Use some history or a TJ quote in your cover letter (make sure it is a real one, not a fake!) and relate it to yourself/ your experience. Come ready to answer why you are passionate about getting a job at Monticello.

Friendly and competent people with thick skin.

Staff give mid year and end of year self appraisals and meet with their supervisors each time for review. As far as feedback for projects goes, there is a risk of being either micromanaged or ignored by leadership.

Proud of the work that is done and happy its such a beautiful place even when it's hectic.

Unpredictable work hours for the marketing department make it hard sometimes, but you'll make a good group of friends at the organization who understand.

Challenged about 50% of the time.

The team will go for something like tacos or drinks once a season. Groups also go to a conference or two each year.

They say January/ February are "slower" and when you can plan your year, but that's not true: it's really BUSY all the time. Also, there is a tendency to get locked into a position/ not much room to grow.

Depends on the department and season -- staff is great and upbeat, but amount of vacancies in several departments has lead to fatigue/ lower morale.

There is a strong commitment to growing staff diversity, but it's not where anyone would like it to be.

Office space is at a premium and are housed in buildings across the property -- depending on position you may not get your own office.

Heavy discount at the museum store is a wonderful perk! Small discount at Cafe is also nice. Immediate family can tour for free. Atmosphere of passionate, well-researched staff is also fun.

Nonprofit. Depends on the position, but they are more likely to spend $$$ for outside contractors than in-house. Recommend negotiating up a bit when you are hired, so you don't get locked into a lower rate.

Always a bit under pressure, but usually fun -- no two days alike. Work hours vary per position...some get to be 9-5, but if you are in PR or video production it can be odd and long hours plus weekends. There is an expectation to be on call for certain events or emergencies.

Team is small and usually understaffed. Each member tends to have a main area of focus, but with some overlap due to the sheer amount of initiatives and incoming requests (particularly when it comes to covering media visits, internal photo/ video shoots and etc.). There is a good amount of collaboration on most projects, but times you'll self-motivate and achieve tasks on your own. Because Monticello does so many things there are opportunities to do marketing and communications for a wide-range of initiatives from archaeological discoveries and events to retail products and tours.