The UK probably has the
most vibrant archaeological jobs market in the whole of Europe. It has some geographical advantages, the Atlantic climate allowing archaeological work to
be carried out just about 12 months a year and some legislative and structural arrangements
that make archaeological work integral to planning permission on most
construction projects.
There are a small number
of archaeology companies who are branches of local or central government, but the
majority of archaeology companies are private commercial undertakings. Some
have charitable status. There are recommendations for salary levels made by
both the Chartered Institute for Archaeology (CIfA) and by the major
archaeology job advertiser BAJR. These are recommended rather than statutory
rates. There is a national minimum wage for adults of £8.21 per hour (£308 for a 37.5 hour week) or
just about £16,100 per annum.
VISA: At present (May 2019) archaeologists who hold
passports from any EU27 or EEA3 countries are able to work in the UK without a
need for a work visa. However the UK is in the process of leaving the EU and
this in time may affect the ability of non-UK citizens to work in the UK. Employers
are obliged to ask all new employees for evidence of their right to work in
the UK. This normally requires that
employees show their passport to the employer.
Living and working in the UK: The UK
has a relatively high standard of living, but accommodation is expensive and with
varied legal protection, especially for short term letting. Taxes are low
(20%), but National Insurance (12%) is also deducted directly from wages and
Council Tax may also be payable depending upon home ownership or rental status.
There are few restrictions on the sale and availability of alcohol. Drugs are
proscribed although there is moderate use of cannabis and marijuana. There is
generally a low to moderate crime rate which rises for inner city areas. Drink
driving is strongly discouraged.
Finding somewhere to live:
Accommodation can be very expensive for folk seeking short term accommodation. This
is particularly true in inner city areas and in university towns. Many
archaeology companies will provide accommodation where a project is designated
as ‘away work’, but staff are expected to supply their own accommodation when
working out of the office on a daily
basis. Where accommodation is provided it may be free, but a charge may be made.
Some units pay a daily subsistence allowance along with supplying accommodation.
Digging season: Due
to a mild climate, most archaeological field work is carried out all year
round.
Archaeological job adverts: The
BAJR web site is the major archaeological advertiser, but individual
organisations also advertise through their web pages, CIfA have their own Jobs
information service (JIS). Projects
might last anything from a few weeks to several months or even longer. Short
and fixed term contracts predominate. Advertisers normally ask for CVs, but occasionally there
are employers who utilise application
forms that ask for details of qualification and experience of site and post-ex
work. Advertisers do not normally reply to unsuccessful applicants.
Archaeological work website: BAJR.org
Qualifications: There
are no fixed qualifications required for archaeology jobs in the UK, although
most participants are educated to degree level and an increasing number have Master’s degrees or higher in an archaeology
relevant subject. It is possible to work in UK archaeology with no formal
qualifications and with non-archaeological qualifications. Extensive experience is valued as well as
formal qualifcations. Some specialisms are more employable than others. A
driving licence is normally required for supervisory posts..
Languages: Written and spoken English is a
pre-requisite for most jobs.
Excavation methodology: The
majority of UK archaeology companies use the single context recording system
and stratigraphic excavation methodology. A combination of digital and analogue
recording methods id widely used. Photogrammetry is increasingly used. Planum excavation
methodology is occasionally used. Experience of all of methods and techniques is desirable.
Pay: Wages in archaeology
are low compared to the average national salary. There are minimum salary levels set by CIfA and
by the BAJR jobs page, but these are not mandatory and a number of employers
pay below the recommended level.
Self-employment: It is
possible to work in UK archaeology on a self-employed basis and a number of
organisations ask for applicants to indicate their self-employed day rate as a
pre-requisite to employment. Self employment requires registering with HMRC
(the tax office) and individuals become responsible for calculating and paying
their own tax and insurances, including National Insurances. There are BAJR
guides to self employment available at the links given below.
Gender balance: Field
teams M 50% F 50%.
Professional body: CIfA –
Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. www.archaeologists.net
Facebook groups:
Organisation job sites:
Historic England jobs - www.historicengland.org.uk/about/jobs/vacancies/
National Trust (England and Wales) https://www.nationaltrustjobs.org.uk/
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