2nd September 2005, 02:42 PM
On consultants - I don't know about freelancers, but employee consultants do tend to get paid more than field staff. It isn't because of the short-term nature of their work, though.
Contracts tend to be permanent. Some of the individual projects go on for years, and may keep coming back after gaps of two or three years. Personally, I've had 2 consultancy jobs, which between them have kept me going for over 12 years. Previously, I spent 9 years digging holes, which took at least 27 separate contracts - although many of them were repeats/continuations.
Consultants get paid more for 4 reasons:
1. employers tend to value permanent employees more than temporary ones;
2. a high proportion of consultants are very experienced archaeologists;
3. they often work in multi-disciplinary environments, where their pay is on the same scale as other professions;
4. finally, and most importantly, clients value their work and are prepared to pay decent rates for it. You can't pay anyone more than you can charge them out at.
I understand why site staff may resent the (sometimes) large differential between their pay and that of consultants - I have been there myself. But that is not because the consultants are paid 'excessive amounts' - it is because the site staff are underpaid.
1man1desk
Contracts tend to be permanent. Some of the individual projects go on for years, and may keep coming back after gaps of two or three years. Personally, I've had 2 consultancy jobs, which between them have kept me going for over 12 years. Previously, I spent 9 years digging holes, which took at least 27 separate contracts - although many of them were repeats/continuations.
Consultants get paid more for 4 reasons:
1. employers tend to value permanent employees more than temporary ones;
2. a high proportion of consultants are very experienced archaeologists;
3. they often work in multi-disciplinary environments, where their pay is on the same scale as other professions;
4. finally, and most importantly, clients value their work and are prepared to pay decent rates for it. You can't pay anyone more than you can charge them out at.
I understand why site staff may resent the (sometimes) large differential between their pay and that of consultants - I have been there myself. But that is not because the consultants are paid 'excessive amounts' - it is because the site staff are underpaid.
1man1desk