Position Available

From: Dawn Roach <droach@museums.ca>

The Canadian Museums Association, with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, is seeking qualified candidates to participate in a six-month internship in Athens, Greece with the Canadian Archaeological Institute at Athens. Specific information on the internship is attached.

Eligible candidates for this internship, in addition to meeting the academic and position requirements outlined in the attached document, must be graduates who are unemployed or underemployed, 30 years of age or less, who have never had an international paid work experience in their chosen field of study. Interested candidates should be prepared to leave for Athens by the third week in November. 

For further information, contact: Dawn Roach, Program Coordinator, Youth International Internship Program, Canadian Museums Association; 613-567-0099 ext 233 or contact by e- mail at <droach@museums.ca> ASAP

[The term 'archaeology,' as it appears throughout this document, is used in its broadest sense and comprises all disciplines and sub-disciplines of archaeology, ancient history, art history, philology, and anthropology.]

History of the Institute
The Canadian Archaeological Institute at Athens was incorporated in Canada by federal charter in 1974, with charitable status as an educational institution. The Institute was recognized in Greece on 16 February 1976. In 1980 its name was changed to the Canadian Mediterranean Institute and its sphere was enlarged to encompass other Canadian academic institutes operating in the Mediterranean region. With the partnership of the Canadian Academic Centre in Italy and the Canadian Institute in Egypt, the CMI became a confederation of three Canadian organisations. With the dissolution of this confederation, the Canadian Academic Institute in Athens was incorporated in Canada in 1994. It is recognised by Revenue Canada as a charitable organisation with legal and financial responsibility for the Canadian Archaeological Institute at Athens.

Background to Its Foundation
Since the mid-nineteenth century, France, Germany, the United States and Britain have had 'schools' in Athens for their nationals who were pursuing a variety of studies, initially focussed upon classical art and archaeology. During the twentieth century a number of other western European countries have joined their academic colleagues, through the founding of schools or institutes in conjunction with the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Quite naturally, Greece, conscious of protecting its heritage, imposed strict limits upon all who intended to carry out any form of archaeological work. Such work was carried out by its own archaeologists and by the foreign schools only; the latter being limited to nine permits per school per year (3 survey, 3 excavation and 3 synergasia).

Canadians had always taken part in excavations as members of teams from the United States, Britain or France. With the formation of the Canadian Archaeological Institute at Athens in 1974 in Canada, and its recognition by the Greek authorities in 1976, Canadian scholars were free to apply for permission to carry out their own archaeological fieldwork.

Purpose, Facilities And Activities
The Institute, a non-profit organisation, is a centre for Hellenic studies. It aims to provide practical assistance and support for Canadian scholars of all disciplines operating in Greece, and to promote cultural exchange between Greeks and Canadians by organising events such as lectures, tours, conferences and exhibitions. Most importantly, as a recognised archaeological school, the Institute is allowed the privilege of applying for archaeological permits on behalf of its members.

The Institute's premises, located in central Athens, house a 4,000-volume reference library (largely Greek archaeology, with a specialisation in anthropology), computer facilities, and two hostel rooms for visiting scholars. The Institute's office makes its fax and photocopying facilities available to members, and is responsible for making applications (for permits and passes) to the Greek Ministry of Culture on their behalf. The Institute's staff in Athens comprise the Director, Professor Nigel M. Kennell, and the Assistant to the Director, Dr. Jonathan E. Tomlinson.

The Institute organises an annual programme of public lectures, occasional symposia (published in the Institute's series), excursions to archaeological sites and museums led by specialist guides, and produces a semi-annual newsletter for its membership.

Working Hours
Working hours will usually be 09.00-13.00, Monday-Friday. The intern will also be involved in the organisation of and preparations for events such as lectures, which will require additional hours (afternoons and evenings). Furthermore, the intern will be expected to represent the Institute, and Canada, in the wider archaeological community, by attending events hosted by other foreign archaeological schools and by Greek organisations (evenings). An intern with no knowledge of Modern Greek would be expected to attend classes to gain at least a basic knowledge of the language.

Responsibilities
The intern's major responsibility at the Institute will likely be the accessioning and cataloguing of new books for the library, as well as updating the old catalogue to computer. (Microsoft Access.) The Institute's library is organised according to the Library of Congress system, and reference to the Library of Congress website (Online Catalogue) will be necessary. The Institute is a participating member of the ARGOS project, which links the archaeological libraries of Athens (both Greek and foreign) through their computerised catalogues, creating a powerful online resource.

The intern will also help the Assistant to the Director in the Institute's office as required. Duties will include responding to correspondences by telephone, fax and e-mail (predominantly English, some Greek and French), organising and publicising Institute events, researching and preparing texts for the Institute's website (in preparation), and distribution of the Institute's publications.

The lecture programme for this autumn is attached below. The intern will be involved in the organisation and publicising of a further series of lectures in the spring, and of a symposium to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Institute, which is planned for the early summer. It is anticipated that the proceedings of a symposium on Attic Epigraphy held in March 2000 will be published this winter, and the intern will be involved in the distribution and sale of this volume. The Institute is currently developing a website (in collaboration with a professional website designer), and the intern's input will be encouraged in building the structure and content of the site.

An important part of the intern's responsibilities will be as a representative of the Institute, and of Canada, in the Athens archaeological community. As well as the various Greek cultural foundations and museums, there are now sixteen foreign archaeological schools in Greece. All of these institutions organise a programme of public lectures and seminars, and many offer exhibitions and other events. (The Athens archaeological community is especially active in this regard from October to May.)

Finally, if the intern is interested in taking part in archaeological fieldwork in Greece, the Institute can help in finding a suitable opportunity on a Canadian or other project. (Note, however, that most fieldwork takes place between May and September.)

The "Ideal" Candidate
The ideal candidate must possess a genuine interest in archaeology to fully benefit from, and contribute to, the various activities at the Canadian Institute, and within the archaeological community generally. Furthermore, for the cataloguing of books and for researching certain aspects of the website, an understanding of Greek archaeology would be required. A graduate of classics or archaeology would therefore be preferred.

Fluent English and some French and Greek would be required, both for cataloguing and for correspondence. (No initial knowledge of Modern Greek is necessary, however.) Fluent French and/or Greek would be an advantage. (Some knowledge of German and/or Italian may also be helpful for cataloguing.)

The candidate should be familiar with PC-compatible computers running the Windows operating system, and with the use of word-processors, databases, e-mail and the Internet. (Knowledge of HTML programming is not required.) Microsoft Office 2000 is the software package used at the Institute.

The ideal candidate would be personable and enjoy meeting people; organised, flexible and able to use their initiative in the working environment. Perhaps most importantly, the candidate should prove to be responsible: it would be of great benefit to a small institution like ours to find a candidate who is willing and able to take on a fair degree of responsibility.