Archaeology: Uncover an ideal career
By Justine East
Published: 02 July 2007
For anyone interested in a career in archaeology, now's an excellent time to get trained up. "At the moment, employment prospects are good," reports Dr Mick Wysocki, senior lecturer in forensic archaeology and anthropology at the University of Central Lancashire. "There's a fairly intensive programme of development going on around the UK in terms of roadworks and building and in its wake, lots of sites are being excavated. In fact, the demand for archaeologists is greater than the supply at the current time."
Slightly less than half of all archaeologists work in field archaeology, excavating and surveying. The rest are divided into four career areas, the first of which is for local government agencies, where archaeologists might maintain historical environment records or advise a planer about what archaeological work needs to be done. Secondly, there's university work - teaching, research and widening participation. Thirdly, there are a growing number of careers in museums - mainly conservation and curator work. And finally, there are a range of national agencies and organisations like the National Trust and English Heritage, which employ archaeologists.
Archaeology suits anyone who has a shared interest in the natural landscape and history, says Wysocki. "You'll also need to enjoy outdoor life and solving puzzles," he adds.
Many archaeologists specialise, he adds. "So they'll have a particular interest in, for example, Roman or Medieval periods or in bones or pottery."
Although there is a range of courses in archaeology - such as the new vocational qualification in archaeological practice being offered by Education Development International (EDI) - most archaeologists are trained via an archaeology degree. The good news is that even people who do this degree and ultimately decide they don't fancy a career in archaeology, still wind up armed with a range of transferable skills recognised by a wide breath of employers. "I'd say about 50 per cent of people who do our degree decide not to do a career in archaeology, with many knowing full well this is the case before they even start," says Wysocki.
He points to the recent research from the Association of Graduate Recruiters, which found a number of graduates lack soft skills such as communication and presentation skills. "One of the great things about an archaeology degree is that it teases out these skills among students, alongside problem solving and team working. Indeed, they often have to spend summers working on digs doing intense work in intense conditions. You have to get along with your team and be sufficiently analytical to make it a success. I'd also say that archaeology students tend to excel at critically assessing the worth and value of other people's opinions, as well as understanding scientific data and constructing logical written arguments."
Wysocki would like to see more careers advisers informing young people that an archaeology degree is worthwhile for these very reasons. "Careers advisers need to make sure that students understand the degree will give them really good job prospects, as well as offering an exciting three years where they get the opportunity to travel round the country and visit amazing sites. I think it's one of the best degrees you can do."
Don Henson, head of education and outreach at the Council for British Archaeology, agrees. "The reality is that archaeology degrees suffer from an image problem, largely because careers in archaeology are not terribly well paid and can involve travelling round the country to find good jobs. But archaeology graduates come out with this amazing set of transferable skills that means they don't have to go into it as a career, and it would be nice to see careers advisers telling young people about this."
Unlike history or geography students, archaeology students get to have direct contact with the past and with landscape through artefacts, he says. "The sheer emotional thrill of this, as well as getting to use your intellect to interpret and analyse, is enormously rewarding," he remarks.
Because archaeology covers both humanities and sciences, the degree suits people from both camps. In fact, in many universities you can do a BA or BSc. "The BSc usually entails core laboratory based courses which are simply options for BA students," explains Dr Terry Hopkinson, admissions tutor in the school of archaeology and ancient history at the University of Reading. "Students don't generally have to choose one or the other until the end of the first year," he adds.
Students in universities such as Reading also have the option of doing a single honours or joint honours course. So if you want to study archaeology alongside related subjects such as ancient history, anthropology or geography, there is bound to be a course out there to suit your needs. "The joint courses are popular and they don't preclude people from going on to do a Masters or PhD," says Hopkinson.
Although there is an A-level in archaeology, it is by no means a pre-requisite to get onto an archaeology degree, says Dr Alistair Pike, senior lecturer in archaeological science at the University of Bristol. "We're always impressed by people that have done it, but it's not very common. We're just as interested in people who have built up enthusiasm for the subject through the media or even better, going out and getting some direct experience."
Pike advises students to look for courses that are flexible. "For example, in the second year, our students get to choose from 11 courses varying from the archaeology of Africa to ceramics in context. Because archaeology is such a wide subject, I think it's important to have a wide breadth of specialisms on offer," he says.
Students should also think carefully about the location of the university where they wish to study. Some universities are in cities that contain relevant museums or host relevant archaeology seminars and conferences, whilst some are in more rural settings with a great selection of archaeological sites such as prehistoric hill forts, Roman gold mines and medieval castles at their disposal.
"You'll need to be prepared to get your hands dirty and work in bad weather if you want to get the best out of your course," adds Kathryn Whittington, assistant administrator at the Institute of Field Archaeologists.
