8th March 2006, 02:17 PM
Well, my office contains members of half-a-dozen different professional institutions (ICE, IEMA, etc. etc., as well as IFA). Although we are all (more-or-less) well-paid and secure in this particular company, that does not necessarily apply to all of our professions on a national basis (ecologists, for instance). In addition, several members of my family are members of professional bodies for architects, teachers and chartered surveyors.
I have asked, and none of their professional institutions concern themselves with employment matters to anything like the same extent as the IFA does. The most any of them do on this front is occasional surveys of salary levels, provided as information as much for the employers as the workers.
What they concentrate on is professional issues - principally setting minimum standards of good professional conduct; making a disciplinary procedure available in case of complaints (no active policing); some political lobbying on professional (not employment) matters; and providing information services. Some of them also get involved in draughting standard contract documents and providing arbitration services for contractual disputes.
The IFA does all these things. They are of benefit to all archaeologists, if we view ourselves as professionals and not as labourers.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished
I have asked, and none of their professional institutions concern themselves with employment matters to anything like the same extent as the IFA does. The most any of them do on this front is occasional surveys of salary levels, provided as information as much for the employers as the workers.
What they concentrate on is professional issues - principally setting minimum standards of good professional conduct; making a disciplinary procedure available in case of complaints (no active policing); some political lobbying on professional (not employment) matters; and providing information services. Some of them also get involved in draughting standard contract documents and providing arbitration services for contractual disputes.
The IFA does all these things. They are of benefit to all archaeologists, if we view ourselves as professionals and not as labourers.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished