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23rd January 2013, 04:08 PM
redexile Wrote:Might have been an idea to think about this BEFORE you released the survey? Freelancers are by definition, self-employed. We work for lots of different clients, on a single-job-contract basis. Just like bigger units, in fact. ultimately, this survey is just going to gather data for the units. The way its structured means you won't actually know how many people are freelancers, so it won't be a profile of the profession. What's the point of it?
Fair, I can see from your point of view that we don't cover you well, I will take that jab  . However, it is the whole profession we are after so we also have to deal with people who work part time for a commercial unit then part time freelance. Now it gets even more tricky when you have the one man unit- some register as self-employed some as their own business. Same with freelancers, many I know have companies but really it is a one man shop that you would call a freenlancer expect that they do all their work under 'one-man-co. ltd'. David would be a good example of that- he has connelly heritage consultants but for the most part he does 90% (feel free to correct me david).
Now, would we count the person who works 50% at a unit and 50% self-employed as a freelancer? Would the person who owns their own company by a freelancer or an owner, even though they did exactly the same job, just maybe taxed differently. We don't really care to much about titles as we do how people work.
We thought of all of that BEFORE we sent out the survey but it is hard to make a one size fits all survey. However, as you keep :face-stir: the issue that individuals, be they calling themselves freelancers, owners, etc, might not be filling out the survey. I can say that this is of concern to us. So far we have got a fairly decent return from individuals and still getting more. So hopefully we do profile of the profession  . You can read the report and tell us how we did :face-approve: or not xx(.
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23rd January 2013, 05:19 PM
PS redexile. I should also say you have had some very good constructive criticism of the work so far. I was wondering if you would be willing to send me a list of the problems you found with the survey (anyone else is more than welcome to message me as well) I am not sure what changes we will be able to make this time around but we can include it in the report as future concerns/things we need to deal with for the next report.
Thanks
Doug
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23rd January 2013, 06:23 PM
Doug - I take your point that it is useful to ask the same questions now as were asked 20 years back - at least that allows comparison between like and like, but I think as Paul suggests there are many people who don't fit the stereotype of your survey. In reality that has always been the case and maybe now is the time to think about splitting the survey into 2 distinct parts. Questions to archaeological employers and questions to archaeological staff...
...just to give some examples. There are people who do a bit of freelance work and a bit of employed work, maybe for a single employer, maybe for multiple employers, maybe even have a second profession to fit the gaps between archaeological projects, perhaps work in more than one country, maybe even semi-retired. I recognize the difficulties of designing a 'one size fits all' survey. but also think there are problems when people who have slightly non-conventional working patterns or mulitple employers aren't recognized by the survey at all!!
I also think that you should ask a totally subjective question such as 'Taking everything into consideration, are you happy with your lot?' perhaps with a scale of 1-10...
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...
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23rd January 2013, 07:12 PM
kevin wooldridge Wrote:...just to give some examples. There are people who do a bit of freelance work and a bit of employed work, maybe for a single employer, maybe for multiple employers, maybe even have a second profession to fit the gaps between archaeological projects, perhaps work in more than one country, maybe even semi-retired. I recognize the difficulties of designing a 'one size fits all' survey. but also think there are problems when people who have slightly non-conventional working patterns or mulitple employers aren't recognized by the survey at all!!
I also think that you should ask a totally subjective question such as 'Taking everything into consideration, are you happy with your lot?' perhaps with a scale of 1-10...
Hey Kevin, thanks for the feedback. I love the idea of a question 'Taking everything into consideration, are you happy with your lot?' perhaps with a scale of 1-10...' The real probable we have not found away around is keeping the questions few, small, (so people fill out the survey, it is already pretty long) but still capturing all the unique possible non-conventional working patterns e.g. we might have to add a question do you have a second profession to fit the gaps between archaeological projects, do you work in work in more than one country (if so which ones, how often, why, etc.). I think that is the problem most people are having with the survey- its not relevant to me?
Though if anyone wants to correct me on that point, please do.
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23rd January 2013, 09:51 PM
Why not start the next survey with a question such as "What system of employment most closely matches your situation?" with a reasonable list of options? And then if there are later questions which likely won't fit one or more of those, include an "other" or "not applicable" answer?
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24th January 2013, 12:45 AM
kevin wooldridge Wrote:I also think that you should ask a totally subjective question such as 'Taking everything into consideration, are you happy with your lot?' perhaps with a scale of 1-10...
Kevin - i don't mean this snarkily - but, if this survey is directed at unit managers/directors etc - i strongly suspect that their perceptions of happiness will be at some odds with that of those who are on the trowel edge; and while not necessarily at odds with, certainly not the same as those of freelancers. Would this question in such a case be even appropriate.
It's a bit like going to Davos and asking whether all things considered they feel that we're all in it together.
I hope that the CPD survey to be launched shortly by Diggers' Forum will be the place to ask questions like this and many, many more, and to get answers from a majority of practioners across the discipline rather than just from those who are running units.
After all, the skills loss, the low pay, the employing of people under less than appropriate conditions, the under-training; all these things, and worse have been seen under the watch of those managers and directors. And rarely has anything been said about the failings, apart from by some members of DF and mein host.
We at DF will be looking for a few people to beta-test the survey before it goes online. PM me if you're interested. It will require a dummy run as well as the real thing.
My final words will be to agree with many of the contributors; but to add that to profile the profession we need to find out what the majority are experiencing, not the minority. The latter is nothing more than the Forbes Rich List, or Debrett's or Who's Who. Handy, but unrepresentative.
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24th January 2013, 09:32 AM
this thread is doing an excellent job in highlighting the fracture and discontent in our industry. gwyl (the sage) once again has a finger on the digging pulse, whilst redexile portrays frustrated isolation between a rock and a hard place. everybody knows kevin is where he wants to be! doug's survey will be short shrift for the captains and their moneyers but little succour for the auxillaries. if unit was allowed back she would demand an 'archaeologists' survey. me -i'd give it all up for a decent pension.
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers
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24th January 2013, 06:52 PM
Doug Wrote:PS redexile. I should also say you have had some very good constructive criticism of the work so far. I was wondering if you would be willing to send me a list of the problems you found with the survey
Yes, if you're willing to give me the same hourly rate to do it as that paid to the doubtless hugely expensive consultants who put this shambles together. I'm not a member of the IfA and couldn't really care less about the survey - it's just further proof to me how utterly out of touch the IfA is with the 'real world' of archaeology
\"Whoever understands the pottery, understands the site\" - Wheeler
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24th January 2013, 07:55 PM
(This post was last modified: 24th January 2013, 10:42 PM by Doug.)
Removed- As my wife pointed out I was being to snarky in my post. I shall simply ask what gives redexile. Why are you taking every opportunity to attack, I am just trying to help?
Doug
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24th January 2013, 09:02 PM
Quote:thread is doing an excellent job in highlighting the fracture and discontent in our industry. gwyl (the sage) once again has a finger on the digging pulse, whilst redexile portrays frustrated isolation between a rock and a hard place. everybody knows kevin is where he wants to be! doug's survey will be short shrift for the captains and their moneyers but little succour for the auxillaries. if unit was allowed back she would demand an 'archaeologists' survey. me -i'd give it all up for a decent pension.
Sadly true.
I fear that this is seen as an attack on Doug - a person I like and would say is a friend of mine. BUT I understadn that this is more a feeling of growing frustration. Archaeology - if we keep this up, then we won't have to fight enemies of the profession any more as we will have killed ourselves in a fabulous internecine battle.
And know the news of the support needed to ensure the IfA don't drop the minima. If that goes... then it is back 25 years my dears. !
ps Unit is now free to post again.
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