No budget restrictions......
Have heard allsorts of wacky (but strangely feasible) ideas of inventions for fieldwork-a sampling hoover strapped to the back incorporating fine mesh filters for pollen etc with suction attachments to the trowel....metal-detectors built into trowels...four-wheeled barrows...

Whats your idea, lets get on "Dragons Den" fer a giggle.

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

You to could be a Dr Pete...

http://www.bajr.org/employment/ukemploym...sp?id=2549

and yes... I have pointed out that IFA membership can't be a requirement ... though of course you may be of that standard... but not joined... the choice is yours.



"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

new job posting...ooooooooooooooooh! Would give my reproductive organs for a job like that! Shame about the spellin though Monitoring! Finally! Whoever the employers are-they get my vote and deserve much chocolateMind you, Wales....clay....cold....upside-down rain.....:face-huh:

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

The student loan deferment system would work well if graduate archaeologists had one permanent address.Truth is, we move around so often (sometimes on one-week contracts) that we are just hideously open to being defaulted by the SLC and forced to start repaying our loans before we can afford to do so. There are those amongst us who have had some hideous problems with the SLC and I would love to hear from you.In my little world of debtdom, the SLC point blank refused to re-issue another deferment form and instantly cancelled my contract.This after only my second year on the circuit.I missed sending the form back by a week and ever since, the SLC have demanded that I repay my loan and have even taken me to a County Court.Frankly, I`m not having any of it. It is my contention that it is in the financial interests of any loan company to default at the earliest opportunity and graduate archaeologists are probably in the worst possible position. So, SLC taking money they have no entitlement to? Have you been defaulted due to the nature of your work? Refused a deferment form? Gizza shout please guys, I think potential undergrads need a fuller picture before succumbing to the idiocy of student loans.Many thanks to all, don`t be shy!

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

I signed on the dole at Xmas, today I found out I won't be getting any dole because my partner who works f-time lives with me so I can't get income-based and I haven't paid enough NI contributions for contribution-based JSA. My partner can get Working Tax Credits but that is only a very small amount. Any advice from those in the know? Plus a stark warning to others.

Careful, it might be hallucinogEeEe**33nnnn..

A few weeks ago on a different thread i posted

"And on the subject of pay grades is it just me or are there an increasingly large number of units now using the trainee grade? When i started digging in 02 there were less jobs about but those that were were taking graduates on at the bottom of diggers wage which then was i think around 12,430. Not great but not as poor as those on offer now. I left uni with around 4months exp but units now seem to pay anyone with under 6months commercial exp at a trainee level - surely this is in real term a step backwards for graduates. If a trainee is the lowest level why do we need a degree?"

And the reply was

"have to confess that I have not seen these Trainee jobs you are talking about... all diggers jobs start at 13854... apart from a very few which I have checked to ensure are really training posts"

but the three main companies involved on the pipelines this year all have trainee grades. What exaxctly constitutes a trainee grade as for these companies it is stated that those with less than six months commercial experience are classed as trainees. :face-huh:

In my experience these people are offered no proper training and simply bumped up to a higher wage bracket after the six months are up reguardless of thier performance. Staff i have worked with previously at other units where they were payed as site assistants have become trainees by vertue of thier experience (or lack there of).

I am not questioning your adverts as it is not nessecarily stated on the bajr that these jobs are on offer, im worried that this is emerging as a real grey area for the exploitation of recent graduates. The pipelines are a huge source of potential jobs and this appears to me to be a loophole although it is used by other units.

New opportunity on training section

http://www.bajr.org/Employment/UKTraining.asp

The Museum of London is one of Europe's largest urban history museums and our staff are passionate about what they do. We employ a wide range of people in jobs as diverse as the team we are trying to build.

TRAINEE ROMAN FINDS SPECIALIST


"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

Outwage UK has been monitoring payrises awarded to UK and Irish archaeologists since April 2005. As we have now come to the end of the first full calendar year of Outwage operation, I am in a position to present a Summary of UK Archaeological Pay Increases - 2006.

During 2006 Outwage recorded 56 instances of archaeological wage increases from 32 separate archaeological employers. This is a very small percentage (19%) of the total number of archaeological employers (c170) in the Outwage database, but it shouldn't be read to suggest that only 19% of archaeologists received payrises in the last full calendar year. Far from it.

In the first instance, I have only been able to record payrises for archaeological employers for which I had comparable adevertised posts recorded in 2005. I estimate that figure at approximately 90 employers and therefore the percentage of companies recording rises is closer to 30%.

Secondly 11 of the original 90 employers did not post a single job advert in calendar year 2006 and a further 14 did not post an advert in a comparable post. I am hoping that the 2007 survey will improve upon these figures as well as providing a larger base from which comparable data can be extracted.

I want to stress that because a company or employer does not appear in the Outwage payrise table does not mean that no payrise was forthcoming. It merely means that I haven't recorded it.


OUTWAGE 2006 PAYRISE - Summary table

Key Description (posts advertised) (% rise) (£pw rise)

• Trainee (4) (3.8%) (£9.25pw)
  
• Archaeologist (25) (3.5%) (£9.52pw)
  
• Field Supervisor (10) (3.6%) (£11.50pw)
  
• Project Officer(6) (3.6%) (£12.16pw)
  
• Project Manager/Consultant (4) (3.45%) (£15.25pw)
  
• Specialist (6) (2.8%) (£9.66pw)
  
• HER Officer (1) (3%) (£10pw)
  
  
• Totals (56) (av 3.46%) (av £10.57pw)

Yes it had to happen... to Gary.

I have started to put together a section of Archaeology/Detecting films for you to watch on BAJR... crude at the moment.. but soon... BAJR TV will be upon you (oh verily!)

You thought it was bad enough with BAJR Podcasts! well think again.

Enjoy a selection of films from Gary's Patera Dig... to Monty Pythons sketch on archaeology today!..

find it all on the front page... http://www.bajr.org

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

Said this before but isnt field archaeology the best place to test new products? Sick of bein wet? Sick of crap kit? Not essentially winter kit but the whole spectrum.Grab the kit, try it out then write an assessment for this forum and the manufacturer? To start us off....
Santa brought me one of them there shiny Wilkinson spades that comes with a ten year guarantee.Am off to see if I can break it.....

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)