Fresh Talent/University of Glasgow-- Material Culture and Artefact Studies

Hi all,

I'm a soon-to-be college senior from the Midwest, majoring in history. Due to a long story involving a recently-dropped double major, I never had the opportunity to fulfill my dream of studying abroad. As my final year of undergrad is approaching, I'm kind of out of time. However, in researching for graduate school (I want to work with the research/interpretation of artifacts in either a museum or archaeological setting), I discovered the University of Glasgow's degree in Material Culture and Artefact Studies. It seems perfect for what I want to do, but I have some questions.

First, does anyone know about the program (or, more broadly, the university's Department of Archaeology)?

I also had some questions about the Fresh Talent Initiative. It's one of the reasons why I targeted a Scottish university in the first place. After travelling Europe when I was younger, it's been a dream of mine to eventually settle and work in the region. I was wondering how competitive the FT scheme is. It is basically a matter of "if you meet the qualifications, your application will be accepted," or is there only a limited number of visas for a huge number of applicants?

Also, and this may be impossible to answer if you're not in the field, but what do you think my chances are of landing a job in Scotland in the museum/archaeological realm? Scotland has a long, rich history, and appears to have a decent array of museums and excavation sites:

http://www.gla.ac.uk/archaeology/scotland/index.html#units

Plus, the degree gives you an option of undertaking a work placement, which could possibly yield some important contacts. I know it's a long shot, but I just wanted to know if anyone had a finger on the pulse of the museum/historical site/archaeology scene there.

The more I explore the program, the more it's something I want to pursue. I feel like if I don't take the opportunity go abroad, I'll regret it. I'm sure the non-UK tuition and cost of living will be tough, but then again, its only for a year. Plus, I currently attend a well-respected but dirt-cheap public university here in the States (basically going to school for free), and due to HS credit, I'm graduating a year early. If that means I have to borrow some money to go to my dream program (and possibly get a job) in Europe, then so be it.

Sorry for rambling...it's late and recently I've been doing the whole "pondering my future" thing. When I get on the Internet, all my thoughts sort of spill out. Thanks for reading and (hopefully) responding. If the UK university thing does pan out, I look forward to talking more with all of you!

Claire

I am not sure about the Fresh Talent program, but I have a few friends who went to Glasgow Uni for archaeology.  They enjoyed it, they worked in England for a while and in other European countries on placements, but now the work for telecommunications firms. They were never able to get full time positions and support themselves.

It might be different because you are planning to do a graduate degree though.

Welcome Claire-

That sounds like a really fascinating course. As far as getting a job in the museum/heritage sector when you graduate...I will warn you that it is an extremely competitive area, even with an MA degree. With the Fresh Talent visa, you will be on equal footing with other UK/EU candidates, however, after that visa expires, you may find it hard to locate an employer who will sponsor a work permit. Since funds are obviously limited in this sector, employers are less likely to pay for a work permit, especially if there are qualified candidates without visa restrictions. It's not impossible, but I'm just trying to give a realistic picture. If you do go ahead with the course, my advice would be to get involved in as much work experience and internships while you are still on your course (that's great that work experience is part of that course!), and start discussing job opportunities with your professors and career services people very early on. 

I'm not familiar with how competitive the Fresh Talent scheme as I did my MA in London. You might want to contact the international office at Glasgow Uni to discuss.

I'm a soon-to-be college senior from the Midwest, majoring in history. Due to a long story involving a recently-dropped double major, I never had the opportunity to fulfill my dream of studying abroad.

Hi Claire,

The exact same thing happened to me. (history major too!) I can't tell you much about the program or Glasgow since I ended up doing an MA in Southern England, but I can tell you it was a wonderful experience I wouldn't change for the world!

Even if you aren't guaranteed to get a job afterwards, I say go for it. You'll never regret going, but you might wonder 'what if?' if you don't.

The 'Fresh Talent' Scheme gives all graduates from Scottish Univerisites the option of a two year visa to remain in the UK to work.  Full details are here http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_uk/en/homepage/schemes_and_programmes/fresh_talent__working.html?

Vicky

I am not sure about the Fresh Talent program, but I have a few friends who went to Glasgow Uni for archaeology.  They enjoyed it, they worked in England for a while and in other European countries on placements, but now the work for telecommunications firms. They were never able to get full time positions and support themselves.

It might be different because you are planning to do a graduate degree though.

Sorry to say it, but it sounds about right.  The average starting pay for degree holding Archaeologists is roughly £13,000 in the UK (not much).  However, if you're lucky some firms are starting to do more commercial Arch generally pays more, but its harder to get into and its more of a dig at a building site and then its all gone.   

Just in case this helps you consider more options, there is the International Graduate Scheme operating now here all over the UK.  So if you do a postgraduate degree at any 'recognized' institution (you'll have to check the list), you can work here in the UK for one year on a special visa.

From there you can try and switch over to another visa (HSMP or work permit, financee if you happen to meet a special someone etc).  So if you were limiting yourself to Scotland because you didn't know about this, now you can reconsider.  The good thing is that there are no working restrictions either!

Check it out: http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_uk/en/homepage/schemes_and_programmes/internationalgraduatesscheme.html?

I understand about the lack of jobs for archaeologists. I'm actually leaning toward finding something in the museum sector rather than a dig site. Obviously, I know jobs are still competitive, but the museum angle interests me more. I'd love to work at a historic site, and I'm okay with not making a whole lot of money, but if I find a job (in ANY sector) that's willing to sign me on and maybe eventually go through the trouble of the visa process, I'll take it in a second.

Thanks, Marlene, for the link. I did know about that scheme and the fact that it had been extended to the UK. I just leaned towards Scotland because it's a two-year visa as opposed to a one-year, and if I DO get a job, I figured that two years of experience would be better than one when it came to getting my visa extended. But it is nice to know that I can send applications to the rest of the UK if I'm not getting any nibbles in Scotland. 

Thanks, Marlene, for the link. I did know about that scheme and the fact that it had been extended to the UK. I just leaned towards Scotland because it's a two-year visa as opposed to a one-year, and if I DO get a job, I figured that two years of experience would be better than one when it came to getting my visa extended. But it is nice to know that I can send applications to the rest of the UK if I'm not getting any nibbles in Scotland. 

Remember that the reason the scheme is 2 years in Scotland is because they want to boost their workforce and economy...jobs in specific fields can be hard to get in Scotland because there are just less of them.  And with Fresh Talent you are limited to working in Scotland only so you may have to work that much harder to actually find a job once you graduate.

That's not to deter you from applying to Glasgow, of course! Just to give you a wider picture.

And with Fresh Talent you are limited to working in Scotland only so you may have to work that much harder to actually find a job once you graduate.

Actually, you are not...

You are encouraged to work in Scotland, but as there is no such thing as a 'Scottish Visa' you'll find that you are issued with a two year visa which entitles you to legally work anywhere in the UK...

Vicky

They were never able to get full time positions and support themselves.

This is a universal problem in archaeology, no matter what side of the pond you are on.  It's easy enough to get hired on contract jobs, but they don't normally pay well for the amount of work you do, and it certainly isn't in line with the training you have.  Bulldozer operators with no diplomas are better paid than the archaeologists who are out digging all day by hand.  The Institute for Field Archaeology has started a campaign for a true living wage here, and there is some attempt to unionize, but it is definitely something to be aware of in archaeology in general.  Museum work is a little bit easier to come by, but not much.