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+--- Thread: IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT (/showthread.php?tid=4731)
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - barkingdigger - 4th February 2013
Unitof1 Wrote:Is there somewhere where I can find this definition of digger. I have not heard any digger describe themselves as a pifa level digger.
Will this one do?
"The Diggers were a group of Protestant English agrarian communists,[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][2][/SUP] begun by Gerrard Winstanley as True Levellers in 1649, who became known as Diggers due to their activities." - Wikipedia
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - BAJR - 4th February 2013
Quote:PIFA is an experienced digger responsible for their own work but not in charge of others.
And there in lies the rub, as I know many MiFA "diggers" some AifA Diggers and some PiFAs who are senior positions - even AIfA Curators. /...
I think one of the things that Uo1 is showing up - a Digger is actually a Field Archaeologist specialist that Pifa/aifa/mifa means nothing really in terms of who or what they are, what they do and what they charge... shoudl a MIfA digger get paid more than a PIfA? why is it that a digger is only ever able to be at the base of the pyramid? Why can a speiclaist move up? and become MIfA... but a digger remains forever PIfA even if tehy are also MIfA?
confused?
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - Antipesto - 4th February 2013
When asked, I always say that I specialise in fieldwork. Its quite scary the number of people who genuinely don't realise what 'excavation' actually entails (especially when its their front lawn)...
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - Dinosaur - 4th February 2013
BAJR Wrote:I think one of the things that Uo1 is showing up - a Digger is actually a Field Archaeologist specialist that Pifa/aifa/mifa means nothing really in terms of who or what they are, what they do and what they charge...
Hence (amongst other things) the total disinterest many of us 'field archaeology specialists' have in IFA...
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - Unitof1 - 4th February 2013
and therefore whatever pay salaries that ifa think they are setting there is no equivalent in the world of digging and basically the ifa haveing minimas or not is irrelevant to us.
What I might qubble about "responsible for their own work but not in charge of others" is that diggers produce the basic context information from the site. I am not sure there is a incharge of this over others. Others might like to sign some acceptance of the context sheet but I dont see that they have any rights to change it particularly if the context has been excavated.
I think that the diggers are just as much responsible for the quality for the work done by the other diggers on the site as they are responsible for health and saftey and all manners of things such as harassement and discrimination..I dont see what "being charge of others" has to do with archaeology or anybody being an archaeologist.
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - barkingdigger - 4th February 2013
All comedy aside, the IFA grades are a bit of a mixed system. On the one hand, defining them in terms of responsibility likens them to other sectors - PIFAs have no line-management responsibilities, AIFAs lead site teams, and MIFAs run the whole project. Then there's the kudos structure, where PIFAs create basic site records for no outside recognition, AIFAs get to whack out client reports, and MIFAs write weighty tomes and star at conferences. Sadly, the technical skills and experience of excavation don't really factor in!
Should a PIFA, when asked to talk to camera, get a pay rise? Should a MIFA filling out context sheets get demoted? It's a hierarchy designed to prop up the established order, admittedly with room for anyone to climb up if they can amass the necessary evidence of having worked "above grade", but it's still just a hierarchy. It would have been better if the IFA had kept to a simple "in or out" structure, rather than trying to replicate Council employment grades...
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - Oxbeast - 4th February 2013
barkingdigger Wrote:Sadly, the technical skills and experience of excavation don't really factor in! [...]
It would have been better if the IFA had kept to a simple "in or out" structure, rather than trying to replicate Council employment grades...
Excavation is not more favoured or disfavoured than any other skill, excavation is just one archaeological skill amongst many. The grades are not assessing your level of 'skill', but your level of responsibility and to some extent time served. Assessing your level of excavation skill is what this skills passport if for. They assume that skills are implied by being given responsibilities, which seems to be fair enough.
There are a lot more than three grades in councils. The IfA structure is intended to be more like the RICS accreditations where there are several layers of accredittation (and indeed different pathways to accreditation) but only the company director/15 years of expererince people are actually chartered. An in/out structure along RICS lines would mean an even tinier and more unrepresentative organisation.
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - Dinosaur - 4th February 2013
Oxbeast Wrote:...but only the company director/15 years of expererince people are actually chartered....
but IFA don't even acknowledge the 15 years of experience! - although many moons ago they did, strange how their membership requirements have changed over the years, presumably too many oiks were getting into the upper grades. A couple of decades ago I qualified for MIFA, but not now (I don't think, haven't checked recently)...
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - kevin wooldridge - 4th February 2013
Dinosaur Wrote:but IFA don't even acknowledge the 15 years of experience! - although many moons ago they did, strange how their membership requirements have changed over the years, presumably too many oiks were getting into the upper grades. A couple of decades ago I qualified for MIFA, but not now (I don't think, haven't checked recently)...
I think we have been here recently on another thread. There is no single factor that will determine whether or not you qualify as 'MiFA'....the application guidance is clear. The committee will consider the totality of your experience, qualifications, skills etc etc. I am sure if you felt 'qualified' as MiFA a couple of decades back, you would still qualify today.....
IfA Minima Debate - THE RESULT - Dinosaur - 4th February 2013
Back in the 80s a degree and time served were all you needed I seem to recall? They've been 'tweaking' things since then, like inventing PIFA as a cynical sop to the diggers they were trying to keep out of the higher grades :face-stir:
Of course at the outset if you were there you could just make yourself a MIFA, none of those tricky forms - they all been re-validated yet?