Predictions for 2016...

[Dinosaur]

What exactly is a 'Project Officer'? - there used to be Site Directors, who directed and got all the glory, and Site Supervisors who as far as possible ignored them and did all the digging/recording, and often wrote most of the report too. When did the bastardised role of best/worst-of-both-worlds POs first creep in to the scheme of things, and was it just a money-saving/profit-maximising scam? I notice POs now seem to be expected to fulfil the old 'Site Director' role while they now have 'supervisors' working for them (a few years back that was their role). Definitely a case of job-title-creep. If POs are becoming de facto Site Directors they could at least give them the title even if not the wages.

[BAJR]

Ah the halcyon days of Diggers with cash in hand - queuing up to the director's portacabin while a burly supervisor or two flanked a cash strewn table.

The PO became that new commercial beast of neither site director nor university professor.

:face-approve:

[Marc Berger]

Job-title -creep.

So from 7 levels of there are ten even though the first level has been dropped and you find yourself on a site with three of them. Its not a proper job is it?

The first levels up to 3/4 like to use the word "work" a lot. This expectance is then thoroughly dropped from the rest of the levels. From the level 3 the phrase "chosen field" creeps in and refuses to leave until level 7 which takes the biscuit and stands alone as "Professional" with the self employed distinction of "Will have financial responsibility of whole function"

What is "chosen field" Is it something that I should ask the other three? No? How about "are you on a Zero hour contract?" And if they wont tell you, you will soon work it out by the amount of creeping going on.

Hosty are you better off being self employed or being on a Zero hour contract?

[BAJR]

Do you find any problems in using these? or are you just wasting my time? I don't think you use them. or need to use them... you are self employed/sole trader as am I. therefore these levels need not apply to you. You are who you are, which will shift with each job.

I am better off working rather than asking questions about things that don't affect me as if they do.

[Dinosaur]

Is there too much job-specialism in digging units? I'm called/payed as a SPO, but I do anything from putting out the milk bottles/recycling to running a project from first contact to publication, and pretty much anything in between, like running a siraf, cleaning tools or whatever happens to be most useful at that moment (I even get to do some digging occasionally) - and yes, PP, that includes shifting vanloads of samples. Being prepared/able to do whatever has never harmed my employment prospects, haven't had to sign on since sometime in the early 80s

[Marc Berger]

If I am trying to point out the thing about the levels could be that the final one, the level seven does not seem to be arrived at by following the "work", "chosen field" route.

All level 7 is doing is calling themselves a Professional instead of "Archaeologist". If it did it might say something about how your work on budgets in your chosen field has somehow made you aware of profit and loss, tax and employment law. Now if from level one you were to undertake self assessment they could still be taken on in employment but they would be getting a yearly insight into being a level 7 at the day to day levelled from the day they start. I think particularly for the changing geography of site based field archaeology trying to reinterpretation union based visions of demarked job positions has never worked.

In my madness I for instance have advised my sons to sign up to self assessment at the age of 18 irrespective of staying in academia or going out to work. Self assessment is now all internetted, you get in effect your own online account with the government. Banks now accept self assessment accounts for mortgages and loans and don't forget that you can carry unused personal allowances although you might want to try and understand this http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q...P024oAQ9_g first.

Be interesting to know how many level sevens understand that article

[P Prentice]

it aint easy peasy

[P Prentice]

Granted the Level descriptions are more detailed but terms like project officer are not meaningless. A company paying L4 rates for employees it titles as PO's is either underpaying its PO's or is misleading other parties, county archaeologists, consultants, clients etc, about the level of experience being employed to run a site.

I have never seen a BAJR level grade referred to in a Written Scheme of Investigation, I have seen plenty of WSI's that say that a site will be, run by or monitered by an experienced archaeological project officer. It can't be reduced to a simple matter of nomenclature. It's either a matter of poor pay, or a matter misleading job titles, designed to mislead concerned parties about the experience and competence of the individuals being employed to run sites. It's a matter of poor pay or it's a matter of poor standards.

the standard is and always has been the one you can get away with

[BAJR]

the standard is and always has been the one you can get away with

well said or well sad...

and

Try this Marc... with a more detailed commentary of what the level responsibilities are... I am sure it will confound you even more.

http://www.bajr.org/BAJRGuides/Consultat...5-2016.pdf

In addition.. and I will use small words to ensure this does not confuse you more...

This... has ... nothing ... to do... with ... self employed ... people.


Do you understand...?

If no... then frankly I don't give a

[Marc Berger]

I agree Hosty I said self assessors. The level descriptions don't confound me at all. I could make up lots of more levels if you want. All I am saying is go along as employed but sign up to self assessment. You get to write down that you are an archaeologist even at trainee level and there is as little or as much maths as you like. I am not even sure that you have to tell your employer that your are on self assessment. It should be part of the skills passport.