CSCS cards and IFA membership in job adverisements for diggers...what a laugh

[Dinosaur]

Despite how utterly pointless it is (lets face it a slug could pass the basic), CSCS is about the only required qualification in British commercial archaeology these days, you need a driving licence to rise above basic shovel-operative, all the rest (degree, IFA etc) is all window dressing, its the first two that'll get you the jobs. Judging by a lot of reports even basic literacy doesn't come into it

[BAJR]

Fraid so... I tell students to get the CSCS card now. it is ... like Doug says a better option than a degree if you want to dig. and let's not forget a licence if you want to keep digging... As to membership of IfA well... it is preferred... rather than required. ( at least in the adverts that appear on BAJR )

As Dino says. you want a job... you get a CSCS Card and a Licence.

Call ti a small investment in your future. IfA membership you can consider. there should be more of an incentive less of a stick.

[Kel]

As a slight diversion, the BAJR CSCS Guide is now four years old. Is it still viewed as valid? It's an incredibly useful document.

http://www.bajr.org/Documents/28CSCSCard.pdf

I now return viewers to their scheduled programming... :face-topic:

[P Prentice]

Fraid so... I tell students to get the CSCS card now. it is ... like Doug says a better option than a degree if you want to dig. and let's not forget a licence if you want to keep digging... As to membership of IfA well... it is preferred... rather than required. ( at least in the adverts that appear on BAJR )

As Dino says. you want a job... you get a CSCS Card and a Licence.

Call ti a small investment in your future. IfA membership you can consider. there should be more of an incentive less of a stick.

it might help you get a job as a digger on a short term contract but it will not be enough to get you that long term job which involves writing reports, interpretting the data and being an archaeologist

[Dinosaur]

If you want to be afield archaeologist, getting your foot in the door in the first place (and keeping it there!) is the first pre-requisite. Most old fashioned supervisors or the new-fangled POs got there by doing lots of digging and eventually getting promoted, nothing to do with qualis or anything. Assuming Tool does ok on site and keeps getting more work he'll doubtless stand as much chance of promotion as the guy with the PhD pushing his barrow for him. Although it does worry me how little experience seems to be required for supervisorial jobs with some units these days... :0

[Oxbeast]

I'd be surprised if there were any POs younger than 40 who don't have a degree. Doubtless someone will think of an example to prove me wrong. Anyone going for a PO job would be up against lots of other people with degrees.

Although it does worry me how little experience seems to be required for supervisorial jobs with some units these days... :0

No doubt they pick the best of the people that apply. I remember one old lag who for some reason was consulted on which people should be given jobs. He wanted to insist that a certain site was so special and complicated that only people with 10 years+ of experience should be allowed to dig it. Until it was pointed out to him that none of the people who wanted to work on the job had that arbitrary length of experience. So he made his resentment of people's 'lack of experience' known throughout the job.

[Oxbeast]

Assuming Tool does ok on site and keeps getting more work he'll doubtless stand as much chance of promotion as the guy with the PhD pushing his barrow for him

Of course, Tool does have a degree, as he said earlier in the thread.

[RedEarth]

I assumed the CSCS card was just a scam to stop people who could speak English to a reasonable degree working in construction, since that's about the only reason you would fail the test, unless you were going out of your way to do so. Having said that, most of it is of no relevance to archaeologists anyway so perhaps we could be excused for not knowing all there is to know about fuel bunds, hot working, and toe boards on scaffolding.

[Tool]

One step at a time for the Tool. I'm just chuffed that I got the total station to log some small finds without me having to resort to my usual trick with technology - swearing loudly at it! Is it just me that finds it faintly disturbing how them things follow you around the site with their all-seeing eye? Or has the sun really got to me?

But back to the topic, yes, CSCS card is essential because construction contractors like to cover their arses, it is easy to pass, but employees really shouldn't have to pay for it to my mind. Having said that, if you think of the cost as spread over the lifetime of the card, is it that much per year?

As to joining the IfA, sorry, still need a lot of convincing.

[Tool]

it might help you get a job as a digger on a short term contract but it will not be enough to get you that long term job which involves writing reports, interpretting the data and being an archaeologist

No, but it might, as said above, get your foot in the door to get the experience to then be able to do those. From what I've seen, most of that doesn't get taught at uni either. You learn by doing, by watching, by asking, by being trained... but that can only come if you get that start.