7th September 2005, 10:14 AM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by destroyer
Actually i think the issue of unis providing sufficent experience is largely irrelevant. If you want to be a field archaeologist after graduation then you should be spending the 22 weeks a year holiday going out and getting as much training and experience, whether voluntary or, if youre lucky, paid as you can.
Thinking about it, this is the area where I disagree with destroyer. In my opinion, you should not have to volunteer just to get the experience you need and I think this is a bad hangover from the bad old days when archaeology was not professional. Archaeologists are professionals (degree or not). Therefore, it seems to me that they should be trained and paid while they train. It might only be a training wage but I do think that it is disgusting that archaeologists should have to volunteer to get the experience they need. How many other professions rely upon people gaining their experience as volunteers first?
On another point: Why is a degree necessary for a site assistant / digger? What will that degree teach them that they need to know when digging a site?
Cheers,
Eggbasket
Eggy by name, eggy by nature