How long have you been in post?
Three years and two months.
Could you briefly describe a 'typical' day?
I'd better give you some background first. Most of my work
centres on the need for developers to take archaeology into account
when they want to build. Almost all archaeology in Britain is
privately-funded and there's a whole system of commercial
archaeological contractors and consultants that a developer will
employ in order to satisfy a planning authority's requirement that
important archaeology is either preserved or recorded on a
development site.
So I go through lots of planning applications and search our
records to identify vulnerable sites and then advise planners on an
appropriate archaeological response. Usually this involves telling
the developer to fund fieldwork to evaluate a site's archaeological
potential. That evaluation could then be followed by a full
excavation or by changing the development to preserve important
remains. This fieldwork is carried out by private contractors who
tender for the work so we have a big monitoring role - maintaining
standards in a privatised industry, checking reports and visiting
sites, seeing the archaeology as it is being dug up.
We also all try to make time for wider work - helping out our
community archaeologist on digs, giving talks and advice to local
groups and spreading the knowledge of Kent's heritage.
What is the best thing about your job?
My colleagues - Simon, Wendy, Dave, Anders and the rest.
Is there anything you would change about it if you could?
We need to do more outreach; too few people in Kent know what we
do or about all the archaeology that is found. There is a great
role for heritage in fostering local identity, better public
amenities and civic pride. Sadly it often gets ignored in favour of
unsuitable, incongruous identikit development while the actual
archaeology gathers dust in an archive somewhere.
How would people get into this sort of work? (any particular
career path/qualifications needed? If not how did you get into the
work?)
A degree in archaeology is vital these days, followed by several
years' experience in the field working in commercial archaeology.
To be honest, archaeologists also need a willingness to put up with
some pretty grim pay and conditions!