Hopefully you have had a chance to contribute to the 'Invisible Diggers' project by taking part in the online survey at http://www.invisiblediggers.net and hopefully you've told all your friends about it too - plug, plug

It's been running for a while now and, although response levels haven't been great, I think the survey and the rest of my research are starting to yield interesting results.

I'd be very interested to hear if any of you have ideas for the sort of questions you want answers to, whether they're already included in the survey or whether there are questions you feel need to be included. (Perhaps suggestions for future BAJR Polls?)

I'd also be interested to hear where people think I should be looking to publish interim results. I've already agreed to write something for BAJR and clearly it will reach a lot of people this way, but there's no point doing this research if it doesn't reach the people that matter, so what publications do you think will get this information to diggers and managers alike in the most efficient way? I guess something brief for the DIGGER, and more detail for "The Archaeologist" and BAJR should do it. What do you think?

Thanks for the opportunity to pick your brains

Paul

Ok, we've all had to work with someone who's driven us mad, but what I'd like to know is how other people have dealt with being stuck in a big hole with someone who hardly lifts a finger. I know everyone has an off day or two, but what do you do when the person you are digging with is always wandering off or leaning on their shovel looking like they're posing for a workwear catalogue?!?

Help!

I just saw the advert for an archaeology technician. What is that - a lab person or a field person. I once had a job as a field technician but that was just posh speak for site assistant.

Lucy

Come on folks.... the summer [8D] is fast ending the digs are at their height and we want to know who to praise who to avoid.... email your entries to the Digger..

Wages above ?245 ? Yes/No
Sick Pay? Yes/No
Holiday Pay? Yes/No
Accomodation? Yes/No
Free Equipment? Yes/No
Any training available? Yes/No
1 month + contracts? Yes/No
Level of Staff respect? 1-5
Comments (short and clean please!!)

SO if you want to get an archaeological unit a golden globe or a raspberry .... get your entries in.
thedigger@email.com

Is there anybody there?

Simple one here... and difficult to answer - so be careful... Do people understand tax law and the definition of self employed?? DO you realise that 95% of you are in fact PAYE and both you and the Unit are breaking the law??

I hope that all pay tax as I have seen too many 30+ year olds going belly up when TAX catches up...

I might suggest a Poll about this to keep it anon...

comments and suggestions for a poll??

BAJR

In a rare quiet moment I picked up and flicked through my copy of the Current Archaeology handbook. I came across the following advice on a career in archaeology...

" If say by the age of 25 you have not made it - you are not yet a site supervisor and almost ready to become a project manager - you should consider getting out, getting a qualification, becoming a lawyer or an accountant or a computer expert" (Page 33)

Does anyone else find this advice slightly disturbing. If everyone bailed out if they hadn't made it to supervisor by 25 then we'd be in trouble. The best kind of supervisor is one that knows what they're talking about and has experience. We all want career structure and progression, but trying to rush through the ranks is not going to help anyone or serve the archaeology.

At 26 I don't think I'll be hanging up my trowel just yet! [8D]

Ok, so bajr has recommended pay rates attached to levels of responsibility for job adverts. But what about when employers advertise for assistant supervisors, or assistant project officers etc? To my mind either you have that responsibility or you don't, and if you have it you should be paid properly for it. If you advertise say for a L3 but ask for 'assistant supervisor' you are implying a level of responsibility which is not reflected in the stated level or stated pay.

I think that if the word supervisor appears in a job title, then it should be a L4 and if the words Project officer appears then it should be a L5.

Employers should not be allowed to underpay by using disingenuous job titles.

After spending weeks trowelling i am finding it difficult to move my hands and wrists first thing in the morning. Does anyone else suffer from this? I have been digging for about five years now and i am worried if this will be permanent. Is anyone aware of an employers resposibility for avoiding trowelling RSI injuries or how or even if RSI is recognised. It is not a complaint, just worried about my future. Thanks in advance.

As posed by theInvisible Man - is archaeology best served by developer led, developer funded commercial units or would it be better returning to the old goverment funded Rescue Units and University departments?

Over to you........