26th September 2011, 01:40 PM
I find myself agreeing with Unit on the question of trying to set a rate for self-employed archaeologists. Sure, you can work out comparibles to relate self-employed to paid positions, but it could only ever be advisory, there's no way short of a cartel that you could ensure that no-one would accept work for less. And surely one of the major advantages of being self-employed is the freedom to set your own rate, which will be determined by both what the market will bear (i.e. what the client is prepared to pay, whether that's the landowner or a unit) and the personal circumstances of the archaeologist involved (how much he or she needs to charge to cover costs and make a profit). If a self-employed archaeologist is prepared to work for below minimum wage in order to win a particular job, or if they can afford to undercut competitors because their archaeological costs are subsidised by having a rich spouse who's prepared to support them, that's their perogative. It's probably not particularly healthy for the profession in the long term, as I do accept that it's likely to result in a 'race to the bottom' and a general depression in wages, but it would surely amount to restraint of trade to try to dictate to self-employed archaeologists what they should be charging, as it's for each individual to decide what rates they'll accept.
You know Marcus. He once got lost in his own museum