3rd November 2011, 01:07 PM
From speaking to friends who work for some small companies, I'd say that the pay rates seem to be marginally higher than for similar jobs with the big companies. Possibly this is because they don't have such substantial overheads in terms of maintaining offices and specialist staff, so they can set a charge-rate that's lower than the big companies, and so win tenders, but is high enough that they can afford to pass slightly more on to the diggers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the rates are likely to have any city bankers jumping ship for a career in archaeology, just that they seem to be slightly better paid in terms of day-rate.
I'd also say that I have in the past worked for fairly small companies and one-man bands, and I found that you actually learn a lot more. Digging for a big company, you can become just one digger among many, expected to simply excavate and record on site. Working for a small company, you'll probably have to do a bit of everything, from dealing with developers and curators to running small sites on you own. I found it offered a greater sense of responsibility, and I felt that I learned a lot more about the practical side of commercial archaeology, including an understanding of where it fits in the planning and development system.
I'd also say that I have in the past worked for fairly small companies and one-man bands, and I found that you actually learn a lot more. Digging for a big company, you can become just one digger among many, expected to simply excavate and record on site. Working for a small company, you'll probably have to do a bit of everything, from dealing with developers and curators to running small sites on you own. I found it offered a greater sense of responsibility, and I felt that I learned a lot more about the practical side of commercial archaeology, including an understanding of where it fits in the planning and development system.
You know Marcus. He once got lost in his own museum