11th August 2008, 04:59 PM
Watch yah. I agree with the unlikelihood of the situation from what Steven says from the nanny state point of view and redearth yes it all pales into insignificance when ploughing/drainage is brought into the frame
But
I would be concerned as a self employed archaeologist trying to make money from archaeology with undertaking hostys dude job description of the clients contract
I quite like the ifa, not often used, definition of a watching brief
It seems to me that an archaeologist could take on the contract as a watching brief without reference to the curators, but with reference to the landowners and hold the right to bring the watching to a holt at the point of significance findings when it starts looking like the off site specialists are going to make more money than you are. Then ask for more dosh to proceed, presumably by excavation. If the landowner did not like your offer you final invoice(include your opportunity costs) walk away and produce a report to the point of potential significance. Any planning infringement is presumably between the authorities and the landowner.
I wonder hosty if you agree that the ifa watching brief definition is a good one. Personally I think the bigger archaeological firms don?t like it as they try to hide their profit methods from their field staff and take the emphasis off the field archaeologist to understand the financial significance of the finds by overcharging. I bet that there are a lot of people out there who are doing watching briefs and don?t know what the charges are, the costs of picking up all the plastic or excavating significant finds within watching brief costs where better profits could have been made by pushing to excavation (I have put my hardhat on).
In my area the curators have totally expunged the watching brief term from all of their briefs. I have yet to fathom why. It appears to be a very important algao thing but I suspect big boy tactics. I have come up with a new game where I put watching brief in my spec and the curators make me take it out again. They seem to want my clients to undertake Programs of archaeological work or written schemes, which seem to be a mixture/mess of everything and from a very dribbly bit of ppg.
Has anybody been asked to get rid of the topsoil, apparently you can get ?40 a tonne. I think that it has got quite interesting sideline/ethic possibilities during the credit crunch.
But
I would be concerned as a self employed archaeologist trying to make money from archaeology with undertaking hostys dude job description of the clients contract
Quote:quote:watch whats happening and record anything
I quite like the ifa, not often used, definition of a watching brief
Quote:quote: to provide an opportunity, if needed, for the watching archaeologist to signal to all interested parties, before the destruction of the material in question, that an archaeological find has been made for which the resources allocated to the watching brief itself are not sufficient to support treatment to a satisfactory and proper standard
It seems to me that an archaeologist could take on the contract as a watching brief without reference to the curators, but with reference to the landowners and hold the right to bring the watching to a holt at the point of significance findings when it starts looking like the off site specialists are going to make more money than you are. Then ask for more dosh to proceed, presumably by excavation. If the landowner did not like your offer you final invoice(include your opportunity costs) walk away and produce a report to the point of potential significance. Any planning infringement is presumably between the authorities and the landowner.
I wonder hosty if you agree that the ifa watching brief definition is a good one. Personally I think the bigger archaeological firms don?t like it as they try to hide their profit methods from their field staff and take the emphasis off the field archaeologist to understand the financial significance of the finds by overcharging. I bet that there are a lot of people out there who are doing watching briefs and don?t know what the charges are, the costs of picking up all the plastic or excavating significant finds within watching brief costs where better profits could have been made by pushing to excavation (I have put my hardhat on).
In my area the curators have totally expunged the watching brief term from all of their briefs. I have yet to fathom why. It appears to be a very important algao thing but I suspect big boy tactics. I have come up with a new game where I put watching brief in my spec and the curators make me take it out again. They seem to want my clients to undertake Programs of archaeological work or written schemes, which seem to be a mixture/mess of everything and from a very dribbly bit of ppg.
Has anybody been asked to get rid of the topsoil, apparently you can get ?40 a tonne. I think that it has got quite interesting sideline/ethic possibilities during the credit crunch.