House Guide

Andalusia House Guides

Andalusia is seeking House Guides who enjoy public engagement and have interests in American history, art, and architecture to lead tours of its historic mansion and check in visitors. Located just north of Philadelphia, the house sits on the Delaware River and is surrounded by acres of beautiful gardens. Some experience with tours or public speaking is preferred, but prior knowledge of Andalusia’s history is not required.

THE FOUNDATION

Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum is a historic house museum and public garden located along the Delaware River, 13 miles north of Philadelphia in Bucks County, PA. The centerpiece of the estate is a grand mansion built in 1797, renovated in 1808 by the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, expanded in the 1830s by Thomas Ustick Walter, and modernized for year-round living in 1923. Placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1966, it is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival domestic architecture in the United States. The mansion contains furniture, paintings, and decorative art objects from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries and houses the Biddle family archives.

Andalusia features formal and informal gardens as well as more than 1000 trees with over 250 unique species and cultivars. It is recognized as a Level II Arboretum by the Morton Register of Arboreta. Andalusia is a pleasure garden dedicated to creating beautiful spaces for the enjoyment of its visitors. The garden’s aesthetic grew out of the English landscape tradition, but has evolved to reflect the contributions of various Biddle family members over the past two centuries. Its most recent gardens were designed by renowned English landscape designer Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd and installed in 2017 and 2018.

THE POSITION

House Guides are responsible for providing visitors with engaging and informative tours of the mansion and its collections. Tours last 45-60 minutes and are offered to groups of up to 12 people at a time. House Guides also staff the welcome desk, where they check in visitors with a tablet device, sell tickets using a card reader or by accepting cash, review site guidelines, and answer questions, among other helpful tasks.

House Guides are given reading materials, timelines, and outlines from which they can develop tours. All tours should be historically accurate and address certain key topics – including the construction of the mansion and the lives of some residents – but House Guides are encouraged to personalize their tours according to their own interests. Tours also include general information about the Andalusia property, its gardens, and outbuildings. Portions of the tour are self-guided while the House Guides supervise.

House Guides should be able to communicate clearly with visitors and, to the best of their ability, answer questions that arise. House Guides inform visitors of guidelines concerning building access, collection safety, personal belongings, and photography, and will remind visitors of those guidelines if necessary. House Guides log the number of visitors on each tour and, as needed, record questions and comments to share with other Andalusia staff. House Guides also collect payment for tour fees or shop sales.

House Guides must be able to safely navigate the historic building, including four stairs to enter the first floor and a full flight of stairs to access the second floor. House Guides are asked to assist with opening and closing the house at the start and end of each day, which includes unlocking and locking doors, opening and closing blinds, turning on and off lights, and other duties. House Guides may be required to lift and move small items and furniture, such as books, boxes, or chairs.

HOURS & COMPENSATION

Andalusia is open from late March to mid-November on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 10:00am to 3:00pm, with house tours offered at 10:30am, 12:00am, and 1:00pm. Andalusia is also open on select Saturdays from 10:00am to 5:00pm with tours offered every half hour from 10:30am to 3:00pm. Private group tours may be booked with advance reservation on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, Andalusia hosts around three to six special events or evening programs during the year.

The House Guides share the responsibility of leading tours, with at least two guides working each public weekday and at least four working each public Saturday. House Guides will work with the Head Guide to determine their schedule each month. Once a monthly schedule is set, House Guide are responsible for finding a substitute if for some reason they can no longer work a given day.

House Guides are paid $17.50/hour. Normal weekday schedule is 9:30am-3:00pm. Select Saturday schedule is 9:30am-4:30pm, or may be split into shorter shifts of 9:30am-1:30am or 12:30pm-4:30pm.

REPORTING

House Guides are contract employees who report to the Executive Director. They work with the Head Guide and other House Guides to determine their tour schedule and with other staff of Andalusia as needed.