4th November 2008, 01:09 PM
More research digging would be great, but...
Nu MSC and New Deal schemes (of which I have a lot of experience, good and bad) are not the way to do it. What we need is proper research money for professionally managed and staffed research, not a 'training' scheme that does nothing but exploit low-paid/unpaid inexperienced staff, adds more diggers in an already over-staffed world and generally lowers the profile and status of the profession as well as pay and conditions as the rules of supply and demand kick in. Ever wondered why you always get asked 'Are you all students then?'
That's what I mean when I think that the majority of archaeologists have low aspirations. If we don't hold out for what we think we deserve, we will deserve what we get.
Nu MSC and New Deal schemes (of which I have a lot of experience, good and bad) are not the way to do it. What we need is proper research money for professionally managed and staffed research, not a 'training' scheme that does nothing but exploit low-paid/unpaid inexperienced staff, adds more diggers in an already over-staffed world and generally lowers the profile and status of the profession as well as pay and conditions as the rules of supply and demand kick in. Ever wondered why you always get asked 'Are you all students then?'
That's what I mean when I think that the majority of archaeologists have low aspirations. If we don't hold out for what we think we deserve, we will deserve what we get.