5th April 2005, 03:01 PM
What do you mean by traditional archaeologists? Pitt-Rivers? Mortimer Wheeler? A digger? Anyone who works in a field unit? It's quite a broad term and I think consultants fall within it fairly well.
Consultants provide advice. Where they are part of a large engineering firm, they will generally provide that advice to other parts of the firm but they may also be employed to provide that advice to external contractors. Occasionally, they may manage projects for their own or other firms. One thing they do not generally do is dig. Most consultancies are probably not set up to do that so they would employ a field unit to excavate sites. Does that clear it up?
Based on the adverts I have seen and my own experience of them, most consultancies do pay better than field units. WRT to pensions, contracts, etc. I thought that there was a legal requirement these days for all employers to offer pension schemes. I suppose that consultants' contracts are more secure than diggers', but I don't see that they are any more secure than other posts in a field unit. Once you get out of the field, most posts on field units become more secure although they are far from the kind of permanency you might wish for.
As far as their competence goes, some are as evil and blackhearted sons and daughters of the Dark One as you could never hope to meet, while others are reasonable and are doing their best by the archaeology within the current legislative system. Some are no doubt not really competent to do their jobs while others are good at the job. Some will have oodles of experience while others are hired on as graduates and trained up to do the job. Really, the competence and attitude of the consultant is no better or worse than the balance in the rest of the archaeology world. There are incompetent diggers out there, who should have been stripped of trowel and mattock ages ago. In the same way there are consultants who are generally good eggs and want what is best for the archaeology, while there are others who are thoroughly rotten and should be drummed out of the business. I have met a full range of all types in my archaeological career.
Hope this helps.
Consultants provide advice. Where they are part of a large engineering firm, they will generally provide that advice to other parts of the firm but they may also be employed to provide that advice to external contractors. Occasionally, they may manage projects for their own or other firms. One thing they do not generally do is dig. Most consultancies are probably not set up to do that so they would employ a field unit to excavate sites. Does that clear it up?
Based on the adverts I have seen and my own experience of them, most consultancies do pay better than field units. WRT to pensions, contracts, etc. I thought that there was a legal requirement these days for all employers to offer pension schemes. I suppose that consultants' contracts are more secure than diggers', but I don't see that they are any more secure than other posts in a field unit. Once you get out of the field, most posts on field units become more secure although they are far from the kind of permanency you might wish for.
As far as their competence goes, some are as evil and blackhearted sons and daughters of the Dark One as you could never hope to meet, while others are reasonable and are doing their best by the archaeology within the current legislative system. Some are no doubt not really competent to do their jobs while others are good at the job. Some will have oodles of experience while others are hired on as graduates and trained up to do the job. Really, the competence and attitude of the consultant is no better or worse than the balance in the rest of the archaeology world. There are incompetent diggers out there, who should have been stripped of trowel and mattock ages ago. In the same way there are consultants who are generally good eggs and want what is best for the archaeology, while there are others who are thoroughly rotten and should be drummed out of the business. I have met a full range of all types in my archaeological career.
Hope this helps.