The National Archives of Ireland is currently recruiting for several Assistant Archivist positions.When I first saw this I was very excited! I've been waiting for a good opportunity to pop up.
Unfortunately, these positions are through FAS (the Irish Training and Employment Authority). That means these jobs are intended for people currently on the dole. The duties include:
"Assisting in the re-housing and cataloguing of archival records.Creating box- and shelf lists and schedules of records using modern ICT software... Person specification: 3rd level degree and 3rd level qualification in archival science both essential. Must be orderly and methodical in work practices, with attention to detail"
The person who takes this job is expected to work 35 hours a week for nine months for absolutely no wages. Granted, if I thought I would be unemployed for the next nine months, maybe this would seem like a sweet deal. And I'm sure the National Archives is benefiting from not having to pay these workers. They are recruiting for 9 Assistant Archivists, so they will be able to get a good bit of work done all right (they are also looking for people to work on their census website). I'm not saying that this won't be good experience for someone who needs to build their sills, but 9 months full time and no pay - god, how depressing. Is that really all this country is willing to invest in its archives?
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