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Image of career: Heritage Researcher

Heritage Researcher

Overview

Heritage researchers dig through old archives, oral histories, and forgotten artifacts to uncover and share the stories of our past.

Description

  • Investigate specific historical topics by exploring national archives, old photographs, and declassified government documents.
  • Conduct detailed oral history interviews with pioneers and community elders to capture personal stories.
  • Collaborate closely with museum curators and exhibition designers to transform academic research into engaging public gallery displays.
  • Write compelling historical articles, books, and digital content to educate the public about the nation's cultural heritage.
  • Verify historical accuracy of artifacts, dates, and storylines.

Entry requirements

  • You will need a Degree or Master's in History, Southeast Asian Studies, Anthropology, or Sociology. Fluency in second language or local dialect is a huge advantage for conducting oral history interviews with elders.

Salary

$4,000 – 5,000

/mo

Salary ranges are estimated based on public information found on Singaporean job portals, including MyCareersFuture, MySkillsFuture. Updated as of 2026.

Trivia

Heritage researchers often act as field explorers. They interview elderly pioneers in local dialects, explore abandoned historical sites, and uncover forgotten wartime secrets.

What to expect

Cultivate your patience and an eye for detail, as history is often hidden. Writing skills are important to write compelling stories about the history you’ve uncovered.

Soft
skills

Relentless Curiosity

Strong motivation and curiosity to keep investigating through challenges.

Sharp Critical Thinking

Able to cross-reference multiple sources that tell conflicting stories and figure out which version represents the actual historical truth. Deep Empathy Able to connect meaningfully with interviewees through sensitive or traumatic recountings.

Deep Empathy

Connect meaningfully with interviewees, especially when asking them to recall sensitive or traumatic historical events like wartime experiences.

Archive Navigation

Trained to search massive national databases and physical libraries to find documents and records.

Oral History Interviewing

Skilled in using structured techniques to gently guide elderly interviewees through their memories to capture accurate historical testimonies.

Historical Storytelling

Ability to translate academic facts into interesting stories and exhibition content.

Hard
skills

Chin Huei, Heritage Researcher
"It feels like detective work to me, putting pieces together to form and share a story.""

Chin Huei, Heritage Researcher

National Heritage Board

Frequently asked questions

Archaeologists dig in dirt to find physical objects like ancient bones or pottery. Heritage researchers "dig" through information, studying documents, photos, and oral stories to piece history together.

While History Degrees are most direct, Degrees in Sociology, Anthropology, or Literature are highly valued. What matters most is ability to conduct rigorous research, analyse human behaviour, and write well.

While archival reading is important, the job is highly social. They're out interviewing people, working with museum curators on exhibitions, and collaborating with schools to share exciting findings.

Because many untold stories belong to older generations. When interviewing pioneers who only speak dialect, understanding local dialect captures raw, emotional truth of memories without losing anything in translation.

That's where critical thinking shines. They act like judges, evaluating source credibility by figuring out who wrote documents, why, and whether they had biases, eventually piecing together the most accurate truth.