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17th August 2008, 09:26 PM
Thanks for all the advice folks.
I've been looking at non-archaeological jobs also... I work for the National Trust and some interesting jobs come up there which are heritage but not arch related so there's a chance of something appearing...
The main thing I'm worried about is I'll be 31 soon, we are still living with my folks and really need to move out soon so I can't afford too much time jumping around though I do want fieldwork experience... bit of a catch 22 there.... hmmm...
I'll keep slogging on. Getting the CV tidied up as we speak....
'There is no great genius without some touch of madness'... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it
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18th August 2008, 11:09 AM
Good advice, Tom. Incidentally, Tom learned many skills at the Elvis themed restaurant, and now makes an excellent crème brûlée. Not sure if that's on the CV. The Elvis impersonation skills are listed though...
When I was looking for my first job I sent out a 60 CV mailshot. I eventually found work through someone on this board telling me that a company which wasn't on my list was hiring. I had foolishly only sent out to RAO's. However, I was still getting offers straggling in two months later. That may have been in a more auspicious time for getting started in fieldwork. this credit crunch won't last forever, though.
Oh, and I'm not sure how your partner feels about archaeology/digging, but me and the mrs always (well, usually) had great times working away as a couple.
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18th August 2008, 11:49 AM
had great times working away as a couple
the mind boggles...!
"I don't have an archaeological imagination.."
Borekickers
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18th August 2008, 12:15 PM
I can see that nothingâs going to put you off. Good, itâs a very fulfilling life but a harsh one too in some ways. This is my quidâs worth of âadvice.â
Donât worry so much about age, but do worry about your joints. Keep warm and DRY as far as possible and unless youâre a seasoned alcoholic donât try to keep up with the youngens. Take up a hobby like yoga, pilates or any sport where you stretch your whole body and keep at it. Being crouched over in the winter will do no favours for your circulation.
Think of this period as the journeyman time to consolidate your skills. If you do need to step away from archaeology for a while it will be a lot easier to come back with 9mths to a year under your belt. I can guarantee that the pace of commercial work will come as a shock to you. Donât panic, after a fortnight or so your body will acclimatise no matter how bad you feel at first. Also, if you do go on to a masters spending some time in the field will really focus what you want to do and how it may fit in.
If you havenât sat down with your fiancé and discussed what you want out of life do it NOW. Unless you are very, very lucky you will travel a lot in the beginning. You should discuss how you will both cope with that, you both need to be frank. Make a long term plan between you because it helps to have one and then remember that plans tend to go awry:-) One important point to remember is that it is very hard to save any money on a diggerâs wage. It always seems to cost more to live away from home base.
When not in archaeologyâ¦.. No archaeologist will ever hold it against you to have taken other jobs in between, no matter what they are. In most industries the reverse is not true. If you must step away from archaeology make sure that you take a job best suited to your skills and not the first shelf-stacking job to come along. This will benefit your career in the long run where-ever it leads. Be prepared to explain that archaeology is a project contract based industry right on the non archaeological CV itself if you have to. If you must go to a job centre donât ever let them convince you that you are a manual labourer, it does neither you nor the profession any good.
If you do go on to a masters have you thought about applying for National Trust vacancies with accommodation? Taking care of some mill or vicarage would put a roof over both your heads and you could study part time and still be in the heritage sector.
Just keep sending out the CVs and having a wee chat with HR ever so often. Many big projects have a pretty steep drop out rate once they get underway and the PM will go back to whatever CVs are kicking about the office. Some medium sized jobs only get advertised for once the pile kicking around the office gets picked over if more people are needed. For this reason it never hurts to send in a fresh CV every six months. Learn to use mail merge, a mailshot is much classier if you include the company name HR personnel in the cover letter. Surprisingly, I have on occassion been hired by rather old CVs found lurking on some desk or other. So, donât change your mobile number if you can help it!
Good luck!
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18th August 2008, 03:30 PM
"never, ever jeopardise your personal relationships for the sake of archaeology. No job is worth that much......... "
We can all smile wryly at that one! But I wonder, is this why so many archaeologists choose to have personal relationships with the people they work with? It can't just be because we're all so drop dead gorgeous...
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18th August 2008, 03:45 PM
"...But I wonder, is this why so many archaeologists choose to have personal relationships with the people they work with? It can't just be because we're all so drop dead gorgeous..."
Usually... geography, availability, necessity, interest, lust, alcohol.
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18th August 2008, 04:18 PM
... and to get back to the topic...
The job market is cyclical... sometimes we are all living off the fat-of-the-land, then a few years later it is everyone is stoney-broke. Then it comes full circle again and yer back to happysville.
If you are prepared to follow the jobs (the infamous 'circuit') then you should be ok... it [u]can be</u> a fun, flying by the seat of yer pants "yesterday I was in the West Midlands, today I am home, next week I'll be in Outer Mongolia!" sort of thing. Yes, it can be a bloody fantastic job (possibly even up there with Bonekickers!)
But it is more-often-than-not a cold, arduous, nay boring watching-brief on a mud-riddled, fly-infested field in the middle of nowhere.
But that choice is up to you... be prepared to go wherever the jobs are, but also be prepared to accept whatever job it might actually be... it could be pot-washing, it could be fame-and-fortune excavation, it could be wet-sieveing in a cold barn throughout the winter months!
Also, once you get to that heady state of "I am an archaeologist, so there!"... the zenith (or nadir) of the all-singing, all-dancin full time office job should [u]not</u> be the end point. It is not the holy grail of archaeological jobs. Be prepared to take a risk now and again... don't stagnate just because you've found a cushty permanent office job. Sometimes, you may need to take a risk (move-on) to feel archaeologically alive. I moved on just recently... best thing I've done in ages.
Also, for all those old lags out there (like me)... be prepared to know when to call it a day - before your body gives in, yer partner gives up, or your bank manager won't give out.
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18th August 2008, 05:23 PM
Gorilla-"know when to call it a day"-NEVER,you'l have to prise my trowel out of my cold/stiff fingers first Sir!
In your list,shouldn't it be alcohol then lust? 
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18th August 2008, 08:22 PM
Or your bank manager gives in, your body gives up, or your partner won't give out. Which ever comes sooner.
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18th August 2008, 08:31 PM
Been at all of the above. Actually, I'd be kinda chuffed to be found dead in a trench, trowel in hand on a sunny, frosty morning! (Not under a collapsed section I might add.) Beats slumping over at a keyboard. Anyway, we're not meant to be putting SCG off. Some people manage to hang on to their loved ones and have a home and a family too! Some travel at the start is good, lets you see different ways to do things, but not wanting to do the circuit forever does not made you a bad archaeologist. Just try it out until you get the hang of it, then look for a steadier niche. They really do exists. or you might develop itchy feet and then you're scuppered....
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