In article <9601162041.AA17958@corb> [log in to unmask] "Indianapolis Art Center" writes: > > 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. > > > > How sneaky! I understand the "...commensurate with qualifications and > experience" verbiage because often there is a salary range within which the > actual salary could fall, and the q and e makes the difference between the > lower end and the higher end. However, I don't see how advertising for > lower qualifications adequately represents the position in question. Isn't > there an awful lot of mismatch between the people in the positions and the > job requirements? > > Julia Moore > Indianapolis Art Center > My first job in a museum was one of these. The advert was very open: it described the position accurately (basic curatorial and conservation work), stated that the minimum requirement was four O'levels at grade C or above, but said that the appointed person was likely to have a degree. I don't think that anyone without, or not currently studying for a post-graduate degree in Museum Studies made it to the shortlist. 3/5 of the job _could_ have been done by a responsible, intelligent person with a basic education, but they would have needed more training and much more supervision than the resources of the museum had available. The remaining 2/5 of the job would have needed someone with experience of research at an undergraduate level, and then much more training than I did. So, there was no mis-match between the person in the position and the job requirements - just between the grading of the job and the job itself. Looking back, I suppose I could have tried to do something about it - arguing for a re-grading review, perhaps. But then, as now, museum jobs were very difficult to come by, it was a fantastic place to work, and I was allowed to get experience of work far above the actual grade, which was not really essential, and I think that could have been stopped if there was a danger that it could raise the grade of the job even higher. The salary, by the way, was dreadful - I spent a quarter of it on the season ticket! -- Patricia Reynolds Keeper of Social History, Buckinghamshire County Museum / Freelance Curator 16 Gibsons Green Heelands Milton Keynes MK13 7NH ENGLAND [log in to unmask]