Self Employment

[RedEarth]

There is something a bit rotten about all of this, and while self-employment should be a perfectly acceptable option it doesn't really add up very well at present. That's regardless of certain issues that I daren't bring up regarding attempts to 'maintain and improve archaeological field standards' because they would be snipped pretty quickly by the host.

The previous article on charge-out rates for specialist that is referenced should ring some alarm bells - the calculation given suggests that for a salary of ?20,898 the daily rate should be about ?200. Now, assume that a digger is going to be aiming for a more realistic salary but perhaps at the bottom end so ?16,000 (basic site assistant-ish). The same calcuation gives a daily rate of ?165 per day. Anyone charging that? For a more experienced digger it will just go up. If people are charging ?100 a day, which they clearly are, what does that amount to in terms of a salary? Perhaps ?10,000?! Does the IfA think this is a good route? I wonder what Mr Martin charges per day?

I would also be a little concerned about the implications for those coming into archaeology - how would they gain the appropriate skills to get to a position to be sustainably self-employed in the first place? Encouraging those with little experience is surely bordering on exploitation. I too have concerns about employees effectively tendering for jobs and in despertion cutting their own rates to get work. How would anyone know if recommended rates are being kept to?

[BAJR]

I fear I may need to write an updated guide

It is good to see the IfA are tackling (sorry setting up a working party) something that has been well publisesed on BAJR for quite a few years now. Indeed I am going to be extending BAJR Grades to a system of what an equivalent Self Employed Rate would be (approximately) to match an employed rate. The figure (for example of ?100-?110) is what I have also calculated to equate to a G2 employee rate .. once you remove the elements you as a self employed person will lose. (we have been through this many times). I actually phone up the companies to explain to them that I expect the BAJR Grades to be upheld... indeed it is a requirement to be able to advertise. however I do also realise that I can't tell a person what to charge... that is up to them... but if companies use this as a method of getting cheap labour - they will soon find themselves unable to advertise again, and possibly named for breaking BAJR requirements and terms of service.

For the next pay scales, there will be equivalent rates... however, an SE can charge what they like. it may sound like loads... but once you deal with everything it ain't... plus you have added responsibility. A Labour only SE is slightly different of course, requiring no insurance... as they will be (check this) covered by the contractor.

Swings and roundabouts... however I do think the article misses the point by a nautical mile. People want job security... not job insecurity .... people want some conclusive action not a working party on an issue that is actually easy to explain and already sorted. Here is an idea... better pay and conditions in the units... and freelancers who want to and have the skills, can get on thanks very much. The Benchmarking Working Party (of which I was on) has still to see results, indeed BAJR raised minima rates this year while the IfA froze them, which was a shame.


All this talk is great, but the word in the trench is action please... not the burst of rhetoric... ranging from Chartered Status to Self employment and membership of the IfA being a legal requirement to carry out works as part of the planning process... I will support any attempt to kick this profession into some semblance of a profession... with a real structure and real teeth... but perhaps its time to stop talking about it, and just do it?

Save some time with the Self Employed Working party... save some money... and put it into schemes that work, training etc. It does not need to be discussed... its easy...

requirements = xxxxx
rates (minima) = xxxxxx
insurance required = xxxxx

there... done it.

[Unitof1]

Dear Hosty -Self employed archaeologists do not have employers, they have clients,
Its not an equivalent mind set to employment rates and cannot be compared. Self employment is part how to manage self assessment and part being business skilled. I am sure that any self-employed person on a hundred pounds a day will be on the continual lookout to add to that price or rate. Self employed people expect to be on the look out for more clients all the time. Job insecurity is their friend. We don?t work for the council any more. See how you run hosty.

What would be really useful from this ify working party is a list of all the legitimate business expenses that you can claim that are pertinent to self employed archaeologists. Maybe they could gather together some examples from their members and share them with their other members. If some of these members utilize the services of self employed archaeologists they might find that there are mutual expenses that could be shared between them.

What can you claim for promotion, entertainment, education, legal. The argument of self employment has moved on. We stand tall, independent, tax paying, professionals and frankly employed diggers and volluuetrtr and coomuinty whatsits and people on cpd working out of trusts are an embarrassment.

[chiz]

Monty, please read what was said. ?200 a day for Mifa level specialists. And yes people do charge that rate, and more, and get it. Because they are worth it and do first class work. And this happens even for site work too.

The Ifa asked specialists to work out what a true comparison was for the Mifa level of pay and the resultant rate was around ?200 a day. A rate for diggers will (unfortunately) be less, however it is maybe more likely to need to take into account travel expenses and accomodation costs so should be bumped up by that amount (??50 a night?). Unless they are charged as a separate cost to the client. Anyway. ?300 a week is roughly comparable to a turnover of sub ?15K a year WITHOUT taking off any of the additional costs. So its an INCOME of far less. And therefore well below Pifa level (or relevent Bajr) rates. Even if you kip in a ditch.

If you read the first para of the article it talks about addressing false SE, and what rates should be. If you can't support that then fine.

Personally I never got out of bed for less than ?200 a day....

[BAJR]

I am sure that any self-employed person on a hundred pounds a day will be on the continual lookout to add to that price or rate.

absolutely. what you are getting is what the minimum would be to meet minimum employed rates. thus letting you know when you are actually wasting your time and perhaps.. ahem undervaluing your time. may as well be employed.

I agree a good list would be useful... (not a flippant one) but a good list.

New thread to start there. ! Any chance of being useful ol chap

[Mike.T.]

Monty, please read what was said. ?200 a day for Mifa level specialists. And yes people do charge that rate, and more, and get it. Because they are worth it and do first class work. And this happens even for site work too.

The Ifa asked specialists to work out what a true comparison was for the Mifa level of pay and the resultant rate was around ?200 a day. A rate for diggers will (unfortunately) be less, however it is maybe more likely to need to take into account travel expenses and accomodation costs so should be bumped up by that amount (??50 a night?). Unless they are charged as a separate cost to the client. Anyway. ?300 a week is roughly comparable to a turnover of sub ?15K a year WITHOUT taking off any of the additional costs. So its an INCOME of far less. And therefore well below Pifa level (or relevent Bajr) rates. Even if you kip in a ditch.

If you read the first para of the article it talks about addressing false SE, and what rates should be. If you can't support that then fine.

Personally I never got out of bed for less than ?200 a day....

Maybe if you're a specialist of some sort, but there's absolutely no way that a Field Archaeologist could charge ?200 a day. Well they could charge that amount but they wouldn't get any work, no matter how experienced or good they are. There's just too many out there who will work as self employed for less than ?100 a day and therefore the Archaeological companies have the upper hand ( as always ).

[BAJR]

A field arch can charge what they are worth... AND what they are valued as. So yes I do agree... ?200 is a dream number... more like 100 - 150 remember the levels of responsibility.

[trainedchimp]

There was a lot of this in the construction industry in the late 80s and early 90s. Basically a lot of the big housebuilders and engineering firms used to work out what they'd pay someone in a year, divide by about 200 and offer that as a day rate - telling their 'subbies they could earn more (as long as they didn't take any holidays or sick) while they paid out much less. It also cut their admin bills - less need for HR, tax administration, slashed employers liability insurance costs (fewer staff, 'dangerous' tasks undertaken by 'independent contractors' and the like) and meant they were well buffered against downturns in work or rain-offs, they simply didn't need to pay.

This all went swimmingly until the Inland Revenue, as they were then, realised how much they were losing out on at a time in employers NICs, iffy claims against tax and the like when the government were trying to slash the national debt and 'maximise' income, turned round and pointed out that these subbies weren't actually self-employed and demanded large sums of cash with menaces. The HSE got involved as well because of the arcane nature of the provisions of the HASAW 1974 regarding the responsibilities of employers.

I'd also like to know how self-employment works in terms of CDM regs - it would be interesting to see whether these units all require their 'subcontractors' to provide risk assessments and method statements.

So basically, I'm a bit less bothered about people getting ripped off. That's really their look out, and if archaeologists are stupid enough to allow that, then that's probably the reason why pay is so sh1t. I'm just waiting to see what the HSE do when there's a RIIDOR incident on a CDM site or when the revenue hit a couple of the units using 'self-employed' staff for back NICs... Unfortunately, I've been waiting a long time for the second and I'm hoping I don't see the first.

[Unitof1]

i will do it for 50

[trainedchimp]

sounds fair to me. From what I've heard you're about the only person working in your neck of the woods....