31st March 2005, 04:44 PM
I would say that pay for new entrants to archaeology is not bad at all. It compares ok with other fields for people entering a profession or trade at the bottom, so to speak, and compares well with general vacancies advertised in the north of England. Note that a degree does not automatically entitle anyone to great riches! Of course other conditions especially the lack of security do not compare very well. Then there seems to be a lack oppurtunty for progress - supervisors seem to command salaries only marginally greater than the 6 month experience grade and with no greater security.
What strikes me, and this will not be popular with many contributors here, is the salaries for senior staff. Advertisements cheefully ask for MA's, PhD's, considerable GOOD experience, publication records etc, and offer silly money - sometimes only around 20 grand. I believe it may be similar in some scientific disciplines, but in the commercial world such remuneration for such experience and qulaifications would be laughed at.
So, the starting money is ok, but it doesn't get much better even if you can stay in work, and gets progressiley worse as experience and knowledge increase. Therefore people leave to get proper jobs and the present shortage is created. Further, the shortage of more able and experienced staff will worsen any prospect of employers accepting their responsibility for on the job training and thus creating a viscous circle.
In theory a skills shortage should drive wages up. Don't hold your breath though.
What strikes me, and this will not be popular with many contributors here, is the salaries for senior staff. Advertisements cheefully ask for MA's, PhD's, considerable GOOD experience, publication records etc, and offer silly money - sometimes only around 20 grand. I believe it may be similar in some scientific disciplines, but in the commercial world such remuneration for such experience and qulaifications would be laughed at.
So, the starting money is ok, but it doesn't get much better even if you can stay in work, and gets progressiley worse as experience and knowledge increase. Therefore people leave to get proper jobs and the present shortage is created. Further, the shortage of more able and experienced staff will worsen any prospect of employers accepting their responsibility for on the job training and thus creating a viscous circle.
In theory a skills shortage should drive wages up. Don't hold your breath though.