심층인터뷰를 통한 학예노동자의 노동경험과 직무인식 연구

A Study on Curatorial Workers’ Work Experience and Job Recognition through In-depth Interviews: Focusing on the Professional Workforce Training Program for Private and Private University Museums(2007∼present) hosted by the Korean Museum Association

이 연구는 국내 사립박물관 학예노동자들의 노동경험의 특성과 직무인식을 다룬다. 이를 위해 문화체육관광부, 한국박물관협회가 총괄하는 ‘사립 및 사립대학박물관 전문인력 지원사업’에 참여했던 학예노동자 7명을 대상으로 심층인터뷰를 실시하였다. 심층인터뷰에서는 이들이 학예직에 진입하게 된 과정과 직무인식의 변화, 그리고 근무 환경과 조건, 그리고 학예노동자의 노동조합에 대한 인식을 검토하였다. 인터뷰 결과 그들은 학예직무 외 업무 지시, 초과근무, 저임금, 반복참여 제한 규정으로 인한 고용 불안정 등 열악한 노동조건과 환경 속에서 직무스트레스를 경험했음이 드러났다. 또, 이 같은 학예노동자들의 처우는 ‘인턴형’ 일자리 사업으로서의‘전문인력’ 지원사업 규정, 달성 목표와 사업 운영 방식 등 제도적 장치들과 밀접한관련이 있는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 노동 환경 및 조건 하에서도 그들 중 절반정도는 자아실현, 경력개발, 이직 등을 위해 학예직에서 계속해서 경력을 이어나갈의향을 밝혔다. 하지만 초기경력자를 포함한 일부 인터뷰 참여자들은 불만족스러운근무 여건 때문에 학예직 이탈 의사를 밝혔다. 학예노동자의 처우 개선과 관련해서학예 노동에 대한 정책적 고려의 부족, 학예노동자들의 자발적인 네트워크 조직화미흡, 주로 5인 미만의 비영리 사업장이자 재정난을 겪는 사립박물관의 특성 등이제약요인으로 기능했다. 본 연구에서는 학예노동자들이 노동 현장에서 경험하는 구체적인 문제들을 전면화하고, 이 같은 문제들이 그동안 개선되지 않고 장기간 간과된 경향이 있었으며 정부의 인력지원사업과 맞물려 있음을 드러내 보임으로써, 사립박물관의 공적 기능을 회복하기 위해서는 학예노동자의 처우에 대한 구체적인 정책적 대안이 모색될 필요가 있음을 제언하고자 했다.

This study discusses the characteristics of the work experience and job recognition of curators in some Korean private museums. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 curators who participated in the Professional Workforce Training Program for Private and Private University Museums organized and hosted by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Museum Association. In the interviews, their processes of entering the curatorial profession, changes in job recognition, actual labour conditions, and curators’ opinions about organizing a labor union were dealt with. As a result, it was revealed that they have experienced job stress while working in difficult working conditions and environments, such as some unfair labor practices, working overtime, low wages, and job insecurity due to regulations restricting repeated participation in the program. In addition, it is notable that the poor treatment of curators was closely related to the institutional arrangements such as the regulations of the “Professional Workforce” Training Program as a direct job creation support initiative with internship opportunities and its goals, and the operational procedures etc. Despite these working environments and conditions, they expressed their intention to continue their careers in the curatorial field for self-realization and career development with a view to moving to a better job. However, some of the interviewees, including early career curators, due to such unsatisfactory working conditions, thought of quitting their curatorial jobs. The lack of policy considerations for the labor of workers in cultural and creative industry, the lack of voluntary organization established by curatorial staffs, and characteristics of private museums, which are mostly not-for-profit institutions with fewer than 5 employees and suffer from financial difficulties, were limiting factors that have prevented improvement of the treatment of curators working for the private museums. This study brings to the fore the specific problems experienced by curators in the workplace, and reveals that these problems have tended to be overlooked for a long time without improvement, and are intertwined with the government’s human resource policies. Through this, this study suggests that in order to restore the public functions of the private museums, it is necessary to seek specific policy alternatives to improve working conditions of curators in Korea.