To train as an Archaeologist?

[Todecide]

I am nearly 40 and have been a SAHM for a while.

I have the opportunity to study for a degree in Archaeology & History.

However, I am having doubts as to whether I would ever get paid work in this sector. My last career was in something office based.

I know that there is not much recruitment but there are opportunities for dig work experience. At the end of the day, I am just wary of studying for all that time and volunteering but never getting a job.

Any archaeologists/historians out there?

Patapouf Tue 05-Jan-16 15:19:12

Have to say, that in all my years in arch I never met a woman who had young children on site.

I can say that I have, and that was as recent as 5ish years ago!

Really? Was it commercial fieldwork though? Very surprised if it was but hats off to anyone who can make that work!

One person in five years isn't much though.

DP was studying Archaeology MSc when I met her, she had previously done a BSc - this was mid 90s. She's never worked in the sector, has been a SAHM for 11 years and is bemoaning her poor choice of uni course.
Of her 4 course mates she kept in contact with, only one has worked as an archeologist and is doing very well as a senior lecturer, the others never worked in archaeology.
Not saying you will be the same, but the opportunities are sparse.

Hmmm, it does seem that this would not be a career choice for me.

I must have a re-think...

I did a BSc and a PG Dip in Archaeology, in the early 90's. Absolutely loved it, but like most of the people on my course, failed to get a job doing it and am now a PA. Some of my friends ended teaching in schools, others completely charged career completely and the very lucky few ended up actually doing it.

Those lucky ones all tended to have worked in archaeology before their degree, spent every summer off digging and basically hard grafted their way to a low paid job. Its no fun in the middle of a freezing winter to be stuck digging somewhere as a friend once texted whilst I sat in a lovely warm office.

You need to read this, approximately 5500 people are paid to do archaeology:

www.archaeologists.net/sites/default/files/Archaeological%20Market%20Survey%202015.pdf

And here for salaries, all be it from 2007:
www.landward.eu/2013/10/archaeology-labour-market-intelligence-profiling-the-profession-2012-13.html

On average, full-time archaeologists earned £27,814 per annum. The median archaeological salary was £26,000 (50% of archaeologists earned more than this, 50% earned less). The average salary for those employed in the private sector, which employed 59% of the archaeological workforce, was £24,757. By comparison, the average for all UK full-time workers was £32,700 – so, overall, the average archaeologist earned 85% of the UK average as was the case in 2007-08.

hi, i'm an archaeologist working in the commercial sector atm.

I'd say do it, but do it with your eyes open. In commercial archaeology, as others have said, there's not much money to be made. Site assistants, maybe £15-19000pa, most Project Officers (so usually 3/4+ years experience) probably earn between £20-25000 only. There is more to be made in academia, but your looking at going down the route of BA, MA, PhD, before earning as a post-doc, and even then they're mostly short term contracts.

Some caveats: it's often long hours, commuting to various projects and sites, and it's cold, especially at the moment!
However, there is plenty of commercial work out there, particularly in the south and as long as the construction sector doesn't suddenly nose-dive. As for working away, it really depends on the nit/company you work for. At a previous company (pre-children) i probably spent 7 months of the year at least working away from home. In my present job (pretty much doing the same thing) i think i've had two nights away in the last two years.

As for the poster that said they don't know any women with young children working in the field, i just don't recognise that. i know, and have known quite a few. that said it can be difficult, depending on what your childcare arrangements etc. are.

One piece of advice i would give is to take every opportunity you can to gain excavation/field experience, as many units will require a minimum of a few months before considering you for a post. site assistant jobs (diggers) are often on short term contracts, but not always. Posts sometimes come up for 6month/year (or longer) contracts. often it's a case of getting in with a unit, and then getting rolled form job to job until they have to take you on. Again, this might be difficult, depending on how secure you are financially etc.

Have at look at ((www.bajr.org/ bajr)) for more info and for current jobs in field archaeology (and i think volunteer opportunities)

link fail: bajr

Polgara25

Ah, but they're all miserable fuckers in the bajr site hut

the bajr facebook page is more more positive

Sorry, me again, but i forgot to mention archaeological consultancy, another route into the profession, and a sector that's really growing atm after all the changes to planing regulations

Paleo would post grad be needed?

Before becoming a SAHM I worked in a Classics department as a lecturer but not as an archaeologist. To get an academic job in archaeology is like other Classics disciplines - very competitive, small number of jobs available and on short term/part time contracts. Generally, you will need a PhD and publications. A good friend of mine lectures in Greek archaeology and did her PhD in her 30s and managed to get some good but temporary contracts. She has a couple of monographs though and had to live in a different city to her DH and children.

I also used to work in the back office of a commercial archaeology unit attached to a university. The project officers were mainly office based and permanent but the field archaeologists were all on temporary or low paid contracts, often hourly paid, with high staff turnover and were sent all over the country staying in B&Bs or cottages with the rest of the team. Sometimes it would be digs but more often watching briefs for constructions companies who had to have a development site checked over. Most of our staff were young and unattached and trying to pay their way through a PhD. A recent reshuffle has led to 50% redundancies in the department.

DH is a archaeology graduate and has never used it - works in uni management. But archaeology is quite broad and I know little about forensic archaeology for example.

todecide
to work in a commercial unit/company as a field archaeologist? Not essential no, experience is more important in terms of getting a job. However, an increasing number of colleagues do have Ma/MSc's, and it might become more important if you want to climb the ladder to project officer etc.

You got an 'ology'!

Historian here. I'd say it depends on whether you're looking at it as a path to a career, or for personal enrichment. It's true that there aren't that many full time professional career posts, but if that isn't a priority, I'd say go for it.

I did my M.A. and Ph.D. chiefly because I wanted to, not because I thought they'd lead me on to a career (although some opportunities did arise as a result.) I've never regretted it.

History, I think, is a subject that is all the better for being studied as a mature student. One has a much better understanding than is possible at eighteen or twenty.

You might not be able get a 'proper job' at the end of it, but you'd probably be able to pick up some teaching and lecturing in the Adult Ed. field.

So many great responses - thank you. It has been great reading them.

It looks like the best option is to look at alternative careers in the sector. Archaeology is not going to be a career for me.

I did history and archaeology at uni. Blumming loved it. While I worked out I didn't like sitting in a wet muddy trench I did find a love of historic buildings and now am gainfully employed in this sector.

Wouldn't change it for the world.

You don't go into it for the money, but there are jobs out there and they are paid ok - not fantastic, just ok. The private sector is an expanding market. Go for it!

Ps. I have an MSc too in historic conservation - so you can always do a broad undergrad degree, then specialise in a vocation if you know what part of the general 'heritage' industry you'd like to have a career in. You could look at museums, or material or historic conservation, or landscape, or specialise in a period of history.

My friend graduated from a RG uni two years ago with a very similar degree and works in a call centre. Do it if you think it sounds interesting though! Life's too short, do what you enjoy

Yes what about something in history or history of art and restoration? Are you handy or crafty? Aiming to do something that could end up with you consulting on historic buildings etc could be for you? I was reminded of watching the recent documentary on the Landmark Trust- fascinating. Something like that is very niche and I could imagine you could specialise and be an authority if you find something really to your interest.

I'm halfway through a History degree at 35. I agree that the subject is far more enriching as a mature student.......the degree is also very academic and rigorous. I would highly recommend it.

Laughs. I lived in a house with two people studying archaeology at uni. One went on to a do a masters. Dh also did archaeolody as first degree. The one who did a masters worked for free but had a fab time in france for one year in France living in tents and drinking wine by looks of fb photos. None are doing archaeology now although one of my housemates still hopes it take off. He works behind a bar and is in his 30s because he could drop that job quickly if he got a dig.

However it's a very interesting and enjoyable degree. (I did an a level in it). Dh has never regretted doing it and does miss learning such an interesting degree. However unless you teach you not going to get paid as alot of people enjoy doing archaeology for free. (Claim to fame growing up in somerset i pretty much meet half of time team)

I was an archaeologist for about 12 years after graduation: of my cohort (about 30 people - 20 years later) afaik, 4 people still work in archaeology, and from those I have dug with (because you need a lot more experience than your degree gives you in order to get paid work in the field) over the years, other than those who were already working with a unit when we met, there are about 5. There are jobs out there, but they are few and far between, and you will need to be able to travel in many cases - also, in addition to considerable field experience, many people also have PG qualifications too: perhaps not from the beginning, but in order to advance, you almost always need to specialise.

My BF was a later entrant to archaeology from another discipline: she started retraining around 26, and is now 50 and working for a unit. She regularly commutes across the North of England, has two specific MAs she paid for for herself, and she earns around £30k.

This isn't to say not to do it - but be aware, it's a lot of hard, physical work, for low pay, if you do actually want a job in archaeology: and if you want to go into academic archaeology, you are going to need to be able to be in the field for weeks on end, which raises issues perhaps over childcare.

Do it because you're interested and passionate (and mature students tend to do very well at their studies, btw) - but not necessarily because you plan on making a career out of it: 4 mature students were in our cohort, but none ever worked in archaeology, which was sad, as it cost one of them his home, his marriage and his family in the end.

It's a great, great life - but it's not for everyone. (Fwiw - I quite because I worked overseas, and had got far enough up the totem pole that I was spending more time on admin and paperwork etc than I was in the field, which wasn't what I wanted. I still miss it - very badly - now: but it was right to quite when I did.)

I would love to study Archaeology or Art Conservation and Restoration. Love to. Dream jobs. Too late now but I would love that.

I was married to an archaeologist. It is hard physical labour and the pay is absolutely appalling. He would come home filthy, stinking (the smell of pollution from a lot of sites (London) was overpowering) and knackered - and he was a big bloke. The ones you see on telly brushing soil with little paint brushes? That's not how it is. He loved his job though.

His degree was in history, incidentally.

I qualified top of my year with a first class degree in archaeology from one of the leading universities. I do not work as an archaeologist any more. My personal experience was that to work in the field you needed to accept low wages and high levels of job insecurity with lots of travelling. Fine (and quite fun) in your 20s. Less so in your 40s with a family. Also having PG quals, I then tried the academic route but found archaeology to be one of the last bastions of white male privilege (unsurprising given the history of the discipline) and more bitchy than your average production line! Even though I personally never experienced anything other than friendliness, I was horrified at the pomposity and two-facedness of it all and realised a career in those circumstances would simply make me miserable.

I now work in something so completely unrelate the only value my degree and PG quals have are that they demonstrate my ability to learn to a higher level.

However, that was all well over 20 years ago, so may be very different now.

All that said, you can always try a role closer to teaching - colleges/museums/heritage industry often have educational outreach roles for archaeologists.

I have two friends in real life who did this and am online friends with a couple of others and some museum curators, and it looks like the most fun you can have with a shovel. Go for it.