22nd February 2014, 12:27 PM
Sikelgaita Wrote:Where do I start.
I want to see a profession where the people in that profession, who are by and large passionate about archaeology, are not exploited by their employers because they are doing a job they love. I want to see a different career structure where the technical skills of experienced diggers are valued as highly as report writing skills. I want to see proper apprenticeship schemes put in place for diggers. I want to see better pay and conditions for everyone in archaeology. I want to see archaeological consultants who actually represent the interests of the archaeology not their clients. I want to see curators given the time and resources to actually do their jobs properly......
I cannot see how the CIfA will make a jot of difference to any of these.
Well said.
I'm sure any new comer into Archaeology would support the actual aims of the IfA but that isn't the point. Most would see the low pay minima ( set by the IfA ), standards varying from unit to unit ( even if they are all IfA members ), no actual career benefit, that basic membership isn't based on any particular skill or ability and that most employers, inexplicably, prefer IfA membership.