AFAN is now INRAP (  http://www.inrap.fr/www/index.html  ). Its is a 
sort of  government agency for a regionally organised state archaeology 
service funded by a developer tax (reduced after complaints from local 
governmemnta nd developers). they have a monopoly of developer funded 
waork in France.
I think IFA is trying to get chartered status and award chartered 
qualifications as in biology, chemistry and geology. There is no way 
though that they would get a monopoly like doctors as EU legislation is 
supposed to open up professional jobs outside the few traditional 
exceptions. The government could impose a licencing system like Ireland 
if they wished  I think you need an MA, so much experience and a healthy 
and safety certificate) but English heritage doesn't seem keen. 
France cited 'cultural exception' to exclude British units from working 
there but they are very statist. 0.75 million Poles have just moved to 
UK and about 0.25 million French work in London alone - mind you parts 
of the Dordogne are now English speaking.
The logic of EEC legislation, the Valetta agreement on heritage and the 
Bologna agreement for universities would be to have an EEC wide 
education standard and registration for site directors
 but if it happens in my life time I would be very surprised.
As for the UK outside academia it is alot easier to pretend you haven't 
got a PhD as you are regarded as some sort of diseased animal while no 
self respecting German organistaion would appoint anyone to lead it 
without one. But I also have to admit I have worked with several 
non-graduate arcaheologists who make many of the MA/PhD level people I 
have worked with look third rate.

paul courtney BSc,MA,PhD, FSA (in case you were wondering)
Occasionally employed archaeogist
Leicester
UK







geoff carver wrote:

>there is/was a working group in the EAA trying to find out just who is/is not an archaeologist across europe
>they sent out a questionaire a few years ago
>one of the replies from italy said that "only professors of classical archaeology" are archaeologists in italy
>in germany there is a fairly clear distinction between the academic faculties of "Archäologie" and "Ur/Vor- und Frühgeschichte" (prehistory & classical archaeology), and some universities actually have 3 or 4 archaeology departments (bonn also has a separate "biblical archaeology" and "egyptology" dep'ts)
>in germany also, you had to have an MA to be an archaeologist (because germany did not have BAs until recently forced to do so by the treaty of bologna), and i was always told i wasn't an archaeologist, despite my BA in archaeology from the university of calgary, because i didn't have an MA and had not studied latin...
>then you have the difference between the academically-trained "archaeologist" and the practical-experienced "techniker" and the unskilled labourers who do most of the digging...
>the IFA in england is trying to set themselves up as a professional organisation, like the bar organisations for lawyers or college of physicians, etc., i think with plans for making membership mandatory by 2010
>the british tend to be a bit more pragmatic in terms of academic vs practical qualifications; i know some very good archaeologists from there who never studied, just worked their way up as "circuit diggers"
>there are also some very good professors with BAs...
>what would happen if, say, martin carver (university of york, currently editor of antiquity) applied for an application to dig in germany...? i don't know...
>the french have another system: you used to have to be a member of a sort of union (AFAN), but there has been so much chaos since trying to reform the system that i really don't know what's happening there any more
>then there are various regulations about who can get an excavation permit
>
>"Denis Gojak" <[log in to unmask]> schrieb:
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>>I may come to regret asking this, but...
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