Dig Deep – and Make a Discovery

By Hazel Davis

We’ve all sat in front of Time Team fondly imagining the life of an archaeologist, haven’t we? Perhaps a leisurely breakfast of freshly brewed coffee from a tin cup before donning those Thirties khaki trousers and heading off for a jolly day with some men in beards discovering the odd mummy or two before a hearty tea.

It’s not quite how it always pans out (no pun intended), says Roland Smith. "The reality is that we operate professionally as ‘businesses’ with a need for all the other skills required in achieving commercial as well as archaeological success." He adds, " Time Team has been a fantastic success and has contributed significantly to the current popularity of archaeology. It has a place but it does not reflect the day-to-day reality of archaeological practice for most professionals."

Smith is resources director with Wessex Archaeology, one of the largest archaeological practices in the UK. He says, "I have had a full career from ‘digger’, site supervisor, project director to manager and consultant. I am now responsible for the recruitment and professional development within the company." But, he adds, "You can never take away from archaeologists the sheer delight they have when making unexpected and exciting discoveries."

Smith got into the field when he took a year out after his A- levels in the late Seventies to work on an archaeological excavation. He graduated from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, in 1982 and never looked back. He says: "Being an archaeologist seemed to require an ideal combination of practical skills with analysis and research, with the ultimate goal of furthering society’s knowledge. Also, as I have got older, the purpose of understanding our collective past has increased in importance. We need to know where we come from to be able to plan where we want to go to!"

Quite apart from the paperwork, one of the major downsides is pay. Low pay and the need to work away from home for long periods can result in low morale, says Lynne Fouracre. She is a consultant at AOC Archaeology Group in Edinburgh. Like many others, she worked as an unqualified field archaeologist before doing a BA in archaeology and prehistory at the University of Sheffield and an MSC in geoarchaeology at the University of Reading. Despite the pitfalls, she says, the main appeal for her is "the opportunity to work in the outdoors in a profession where interest rather than financial gain is the priority."

She adds: "There is plenty of university training available but permanent jobs are few and far between. Practical training is probably the area in which training is most lacking and the one area where there is a real deficit in skills. There is a bit of a catch- 22 with many graduates from archaeological courses in that they cannot get work until they can demonstrate at least six months practical experience, but it is difficult to gain that experience without getting a job first."

Until now, that is. The Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA) and Education Development International (EDI) have launched a new vocational qualification in archaeological practice, offered at levels three and four and, in recognition of the sheer numbers of amateur archaeologists, available for both amateurs and professionals. "It can only do the profession good," says Time Team’s Francis Pryor, who launched the award at Lon-don’s Guildhall. "In the past it was much easier to get in to archaeology as an amateur.

Since we became a professional institution it’s become much harder. This will encourage amateurs to improve their skills."

Any archaeologist will tell you there is no typical day for them. And there is no typical archaeologist. The IFA suggests there are around 4,500 professional archaeologists in the UK working for consultants, contractors, government, museums, academia, heritage agencies, charities and commercial organisations. Work can involve everything from fieldwork and research to report-writing and day-to- day admin. Contracts usually vary from a month up to to 10 months and the average full-time salary is [pound]17,079.

Martin Lightfoot, senior project manager at West Yorkshire Archaeological Services, says the main reward he gets is being involved with a project that makes discoveries, interpreting them and disseminating the results to an interested society. "The sense of fraternity and teamwork with other archaeologists, particularly on a big project, is a world away from the nine-to-five office slavery which is the fate of most graduates," he says.

But perhaps the biggest advantages of being an archaeologist are that you get a tan, and are able to meet and impress girls … IFA: www.archaeologists.net WYAS: www.arch.wyjs.org.uk AOC: www.aocarchaeolo-gy.com EDI: www.ediplc.com Wessex Archaeology: www. wessexarch.co.uk

How to get in

Find out where your local digs are located, and volunteer your services. The British Archaeological Jobs and Resources site (www.bajr.org) provides a directory of curators, councils, local history centres and education and training opportunities.

Roland Smith says: "Gain as many complementary skills as quickly as possible, especially analytical, research and report-writing skills."

(c) 2007 Independent, The; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.