Newbie seeking advice

[kevin wooldridge]

Some employers supply hand tools, PPE, boots...others don't supply all you will need, some it seems very little. To be on the safe side I would take boots, waterproofs (English summers!!), a trowel.....some employers don't like you wearing waterproofs/hi-vis emblazoned with the name of a rival firm, some don't care........I guess the same basics you might take to any construction site...and all the appropriate paperwork (P45, passport, driving licence, CSCS card....)

[ladydigger]

Hi Tool,

Well done on getting a job. I started as a trainee on a large scale urban dig back in 2001 and I'm still digging. The first day was a bit scary and overwhelming. Just make sure you turn up at the right place and on time. Hopefully, you will be put with a more experienced person who will show you the ropes.
As for kit, the only essential thing to take is a 4 inch pointed trowel. WHS was the best make but I've heard people say they aren't as good as they used to be. I also have a line level, string, 6 inch nails, rubber, 4H/6H pencils, black (never blue!) ball point pen, a permanent marker pen and a scale ruler. These things should be available to you from your employer though. Your employer should also provide you with the PPE required but you might prefer to get your own safety boots.

Good luck.

[Tool]

Thank you kind Lady and Kevin. Looking forward to it, but with a hint of trepidation. Brave new world and all that...

OK, well I have all that (and occasionally know how to use it... ), so there shouldn't be any unpleasant surprises on that front. PPE arriving on site Monday apparently! Went for their boots, in the hope they suck in water slightly slower than mine do. And if theirs prove too uncomfortable, I have mine as a back-up.
I can't imagine the first day will be overly busy - Site induction, off to the local centre for CSCS card test, that's half the day done already!

Thanks again,
The Tool.

[Dinosaur]

And some lunch!

[Tool]

Ah yes, back to the manky cheese sandwiches...
OK, a thought has just occurred to me. If this crowd is that desperate for labour they're putting me in for my CSCS card, maybe that's a sign that things are looking up in the industry? Otherwise I'd have thought they'd have had loads of better qualified people crying out for the work. Or has it got so bad that people have just given up chasing the work?

[P Prentice]

hello tool - good luck in your chosen endevour - the rewards are there for the taking.
@ bajrites - unit's points are valid - can we have a contribution from some of those qualified staff who were laid off over the last few years?

[Tool]

Thanks PP.

[BAJR]

@ bajrites - unit's points are valid - can we have a contribution from some of those qualified staff who were laid off over the last few years?

I expect not, given that the chosen career has chewed em up and spat em out with less care than a conservative in charge of a coal mine

[Misty]

I was made redundant at the end of 2008. Got a short (2 month) contract in April 2009, then nothing at all. I got a job in Jan 2010, not in archaeology, but it is archiving so my experience in archaeology was regarded as relevant. It's a permanent, pensionable (sorry Unit!), and safe job. I've had regular small pay increases and a promotion so I now get paid much more than I would in archaeology. The downside is that it is totally boring. I go on volunteer digs when I can, just to keep my eye in. I'd chuck the job in instantly if a permanent archaeology job came up, even with a big drop in pay, but I can't bear the heartache and financial loss involved in short-term contracts and then having nothing.

[Unitof1]

Misty nothing wrong with an upfront funded pension. Any bile that might have been construed was only ever intended for the unfunded variety and all those that still sup on them.