For at least 20 years the (UK) Museums Association has refused to print
advertisments seeking qualified curators (ie. graduates holding the
Association's postgraduate Diploma - minimum of 2 years part-time study
and examination/assessment) on starting salaries below the Local Authorities
nationally negotiated Administrative and Professional Scale 4 or
its equivalent, (roughly $22,500 rising to $25,000 US).  This rule
applies to advertismentsfrom the national and independent (non-profit
or for-profit) museums as well.  However, employers can still get round
this by advertising for lower qualifications (eg. the four grades in the age
16+ school certificate for national museum and gallery recruits I mentioned
earlier) even though they have every intention of appointing people
with far higher qualifications than those asked for in the
advertisment.


Patrick Boylan