Membership benefits and services
PHA (Vic & Tas) is a member of the Australian Council of Professional Historians Associations Inc (ACPHA). Under the auspices of this national body, state and territory PHAs admit local members. For historians living or working primarily in Victoria or Tasmania, consider joining the PHA (Vic & Tas) branch.
Member Benefits
As a member of PHA (Vic & Tas), you will receive:
Professional accreditation
Competitive rates for insurance
Career assistance, including professional development resources, employment opportunities, and advocacy in dispute resolution
Representation in advocacy on issues relating to history and the profession in Victoria and Tasmania
Regular networking opportunities with other professional historians
Invitations to participate in professional development opportunities
Circa: a peer-reviewed journal published on a regular basis for professional historians
Pharos: the bi-monthly members newsletter
Historia: a quarterly e-bulletin published by the Professional Historians Australia
The opportunity to promote your work to other historians in these publications and on social media channels
PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATION
Membership of PHA (Vic & Tas) shows your qualifications and experience to be of a high standard of professionalism within the discipline of history in Australia. This includes that you have agreed to comply with the Code of Ethics and Professional Standards set out by Professional Historians Australia.
Membership also entitles you to use the PHA’s recommended fee structure for short, medium and long term projects. This Scale of Fees can be sent to employers to set out hourly, weekly and annual fee rates calculated for your level of professional experience.
Insurance
Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance specifically for Historians is available, and members have access to a competitive rate.
CAREER ASSISTANCE
Members receive:
fortnightly emails on current work and professional development opportunities, including those sourced exclusively from clients and not publicly advertised.
a national job vacancy bulletin published every three weeks\
an entry in our Find a Historian database highlighting their skills and expertise to potential employers and collaborators
access to a Members Area with a range of resources providing guidance on the practicalities of running a consultancy business, such as:
Marketing
Finding Work: Pitching and Proposing
Costing a History Project
Designing a Contract
Publishing a History
Why you need Insurance
Scale of Fees
guidance on various topics of expertise:
Why historians need to attend to GLAM API changes
Undertaking Oral Histories
Where History and the Internet Intersect
Writing Challenging Histories
Miscellaneous "How-to" articles
Monthly invitations to online and in-person events, providing opportunities to share their knowledge and skills in formal and informal settings.
Access to recordings of past Online Skills Sharing seminars that are added to every year.
Assistance with dispute resolution
Equipment for hire: Zoom H4 digital audio recorder and mini tripod
Advocacy
Participation in advocating the importance of history as a discipline and profession in the wider community and support for personal advocacy initiatives
NETWORKING
The value of networking with other professional historians and being able to ask, listen, learn and share with colleagues is one of the most valued benefits of membership. Members meet during online skills sharing sessions, Masterclasses, bi-annual social events, the biennial national conference, through the biennial mentor program and many other opportunities.
Professional development Opportunities
Informative and instructive excursions and ‘how to’ sessions
Skills training workshops
Professional reading groups
Promotion of your work
Membership provides multiple forums to publish and promote your work and professional accomplishments, including:
Circa: The Journal of Professional Historians, a peer-refereed journal published on a regular basis;
Pharos, a bi-monthly electronic newsletter sent to members informing them of professional developments, grant information, upcoming events, reviews, new members and the activities of current members
Opportunities to promote your professional accomplishments, including any events you are involved in, on PHA (Vic & Tas) social media accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn. BlueSky and Instagram
A COMMUNITY OF PROFESSIONAL HISTORIANS
Provides members with the opportunity to gain support and assistance from one another, work on collaborative projects together and be surrounded by like-minded professionals.
