The necassary...

First Year

5 weeks approved fieldwork. for what is classed as fieldwork, see the

Current Second Year

With Archaeology Practice, 10 weeks from the end of Summer term to the beginning of 4th year.
No Vacation Grant available after this summer.

Without Archaeology Practice, nothing. And no vacation grant for anything you do.

Firstly, find your fieldwork...

There are (or will be) two searchable online databases on this website, containing University of Edinburgh and
non-University of Edinburgh fieldwork opportunities.
(the 'University of Edinburgh' and 'Independent' links on the fieldwork page)

Each entry is linked to the official site if one exists.
You should ALWAYS read these.
The ArchSoc databases are only intended to speed up finding experience and are not comprehensive.
The 'Independent' database holds only a fraction of the non-departmental excavations and places such as the Current Archaeology website offer much larger searchable databases.
(See the links section for further links)

The other source for dig information is the noticeboard in the Gordon Childe Room
With a bit of luck, the information here will also make its way into our database.

You need to keep certain things in mind when looking for fieldwork...

When?

If you are doing an Archaeology degree then you are supposed to complete 5 weeks practical experience for the first year.
Remember, you have to allow time for travel and you can't go
missing end of term exams.

Where?

Remember, 1st year students are not allowed on non-University of Edinburgh digs outside the UK.

What?

What type of experience do you want?
There are different kinds of fieldwork, including such things as lab work and survey work as well as excavation.
Which of these would you enjoy most? Which would help you expand your knowledge the most?
(More detail on what these involve in the "Types of Archaeology" section)

What time period are you interested in?

Bear in mind, whatever fieldwork you get has to be passed by the University.
To ensure you get appropriate training you must fill in a form detailing what you expect to do.
While on the dig, another form must be filled in by the director, detailing what you have been doing.
There is no point finding something where you don't have to do any work, because it won't count!
(More information in the Fieldwork "Forms" section)

(NB: Some digs describe themselves as training digs and so charge more,
when in fact they give no more training than any other. So be careful.
We will help you when we can, but we rely heavily on people's feedback.)
Send information to ed_archsoc@yahoo.co.uk

How Much?

This is the last year the University will contribute money towards both travel and living expenses, but it can't pay for them entirely.

At the end of it all...

At the end of it you will need to write a report on what you did. Guidelines for this is available through the 'Forms and paperwork' section.