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19th February 2015, 09:57 PM
As many will know the Field Staff situation is desperate to say the least, all the big units are trying to recruit (at or above the so called minima which is in itself a joke)....the only way forward I can see is to pay MORE MONEY ! If only we had a Union with balls......
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20th February 2015, 05:23 PM
Having been in archaeology since 1996 I have seen the proffesion ebb and flow with the various humps and bumps in the economy. I started during the channel tunnel days then on to T5 and then usually somewhere in Kent. The terms and conditions were generally awful, no sick or holiday pay and you were called field technicians not archaeologists, and we were very much like cannon fodder and the most competitive element to any tender. Most of the time we had to find employment elsewhere before the contract finished, as the "oh there will be more work" was largely focused at keeping us happy to the end of the contract or job.
To those in charge the Digger magazine read like Marxist propaganda in the mud socked and slippery site hut and tales of heads of units tearing it up and throwing it in the bin abounded. Since the crunch of 2008 so many well experienced and dedicated archaeologists left the profession to seek work elsewhere.
With the advent of massive tuition fees most sensible people thought is it wise to make a career in archaeology based on the historic treatment of archaeologists and now us with a huge debt! Are any but the wealthiest parents going to say, "Yup thatâs the best career choice you can make, based on the research I have undertaken into the profession"?
This is why there are loads of vacancies for field staff, supervisors, project officers, project managers, consultants, and osteoarchaeologists etc. The profession had an abundance of them keen and ready to go but they let them down, which is so sad and such a waste. We had a Union called Prospect but I think that ended up being a contradiction in terms.
What do you mean lost on price again!
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20th February 2015, 07:44 PM
"We had a Union called Prospect but I think that ended up being a contradiction in terms. " Spot on ! Totally lily-livered and ineffective yet keen to take the subs and do bugger all.......
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21st February 2015, 03:28 PM
The straw that broke the camel's back was (for me at least) when the usual practice of offering accomodation became a rarity. A couple of years of living in hovels and tents was enough for me.
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22nd February 2015, 08:34 PM
Yeap, couldn't see a future for me in archaeology, so at 35 I became a stay-at-home Dad and ultrarunner...
(I'm lucky enough to have a partner who can support us all!)
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17th March 2015, 09:58 AM
dirtpixie Wrote:Yeap, couldn't see a future for me in archaeology, so at 35 I became a stay-at-home Dad and ultrarunner...
(I'm lucky enough to have a partner who can support us all!)
Phew, ultrarunning sounds like the easy part
a whole bunch of people have been in and out of archaeology over decades - they include some of the most technically-minded and best field-workers i have ever worked with.
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18th March 2015, 01:44 PM
Ken Denham Wrote:The straw that broke the camel's back was (for me at least) when the usual practice of offering accomodation became a rarity. A couple of years of living in hovels and tents was enough for me.
Different generations! I found it quite a novelty when people
started offering accommodation. And then someone decided actual wages (as opposed to subsistence) were a good idea too :face-approve:
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18th March 2015, 02:30 PM
Accommodation issues stretch back to a rather officious taxman who decided that accommodation was a taxable addition to salary and so the individual would be charged on their tax... as well as hitting teh company for their slice as well.
Must see if this can be revised... as the tax man who created this must have moved on by now.
ps reasoned argument did not work
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19th March 2015, 02:38 PM
BAJR Wrote:Accommodation issues stretch back to a rather officious taxman who decided that accommodation was a taxable addition to salary and so the individual would be charged on their tax... as well as hitting teh company for their slice as well.
Must see if this can be revised... as the tax man who created this must have moved on by now.
ps reasoned argument did not work
Doesn't the accomodation being a taxable benefit or allowable expense depend on how your contract is worded and where you are contracted to work?
Not an expert, but when self-employed my 'place of work' was my home, so any site work was away from my usual place of work, therefore accomodation was an allowable expense.
Now i'm employed to work at an office, any site work is now also away from my place of work so again is an allowable expense.
If, however, I was employed and my contract said my place of work was at the X site ()archaeological dig), and I was provided accomodation close to X it would become a taxable benefit.
This applies to everyone in the working world. Just in the same way if I get a new job working at an office and my employer provided accomodation close to it, its a taxable bonus.
Vacancies, vacancies and more vacancies
