13th July 2007, 07:23 AM
I'm contributing here as someone who recently applied for a couple of the finds officer positions recently advertised on BAJR, was shortlisted for both of the ones I applied for, and has recently been offered one of them (I'm twiddling my thumbs while my references are being checked).
I'm perhaps a particularly severe example of someone who's moved around to find work; I've been fortunate in that my material and period specialisation has allowed me to move between the UK, the USA and - most recently - Australia. In what's perhaps a sign of borderline masochism, I'm now preparing to pack up and return to the UK from Melbourne in the space of only 2 1/2 months.
But as Melandra has pointed out, this isn't always practical. This is the first time that I'll be making a move like this since marrying 3 years ago, and if there had been any children in tow (which there obviously aren't), I'm not sure this rapid turnover would have been feasible. I also have a very sympathetic and supportive wife! Again, I recognise that I'm an extreme case of moving to find work, and not everyone can have this level of flexibility.
While I'm going to be discreet here about the identity of my not-quite-absolutely-confirmed new employers, I think it's worth noting that they are offering to pay me at the top end of their grade 6 (just over 22k), and are also throwing in a not ungenerous 2,000 pound resettlement package. I hope that helps to show that a decent wage is possible for finds specialists/officers once you have gained the experience, though I recognise that this payscale is by no means universal for this sort of position (and I have both a PhD and supervisorial experience on 3 continents, so I make no claim to being typical).
Oh, and a quick edit to add a thank you to BAJR for helping me find my new job!
I'm perhaps a particularly severe example of someone who's moved around to find work; I've been fortunate in that my material and period specialisation has allowed me to move between the UK, the USA and - most recently - Australia. In what's perhaps a sign of borderline masochism, I'm now preparing to pack up and return to the UK from Melbourne in the space of only 2 1/2 months.
But as Melandra has pointed out, this isn't always practical. This is the first time that I'll be making a move like this since marrying 3 years ago, and if there had been any children in tow (which there obviously aren't), I'm not sure this rapid turnover would have been feasible. I also have a very sympathetic and supportive wife! Again, I recognise that I'm an extreme case of moving to find work, and not everyone can have this level of flexibility.
While I'm going to be discreet here about the identity of my not-quite-absolutely-confirmed new employers, I think it's worth noting that they are offering to pay me at the top end of their grade 6 (just over 22k), and are also throwing in a not ungenerous 2,000 pound resettlement package. I hope that helps to show that a decent wage is possible for finds specialists/officers once you have gained the experience, though I recognise that this payscale is by no means universal for this sort of position (and I have both a PhD and supervisorial experience on 3 continents, so I make no claim to being typical).
Oh, and a quick edit to add a thank you to BAJR for helping me find my new job!