21st April 2009, 08:24 PM
Specifying IFA membership as compulsory to tender for jobs is a restrictive practice. This is particularly invidious when it is done by someone employed by a council funded by public money. Being a IFA member is not like having an accredited qualification like a degree. There is a problem here even with academic qualifications (and chartered membership would be no different) as many archaeologists don't have degrees in archaeology so a degree is clearly not necessary to practice as an archaeologist which is why most job adverts at least in local government ask for an archaeology degree or equivalent. There is a further point in that it could be seen as an ant-competitive restriction on archaeologists from other EEC countries applying for such tenders. In practice nothing to stop a local government dept from employing the person with a degree and MIFA but the question here is in allowing people to tender. Personally I would like a law which restricts archaeology to those with a PhD and at least 30 years experience but it isn't going to happen.