Volunteering

The CBA is at the heart of Britain’s archaeology community. Our aim is to create opportunities for everyone to partake in archaeology and ensure this fascinating field is accessible to all.

We keep you up to date with what is happening in British archaeology, whether you are looking to participate in a dig or join a local archaeological society.

There are also a number of ways you can get involved by volunteering with the CBA, from helping protect historic buildings, to supporting your local CBA Group or Young Archaeologists’ Club. Find out more below.

Help to Protect Historic Buildings

Do you care about historic buildings and want to help protect them? If so, why not apply to be a Casework Input volunteer.

Each year the CBA receives more than 5500 listed building consent applications for England and Wales. Our role in the planning system is to flag up any issues that proposals might have on the archaeological interest of a place. We provide specialist advice to ensure Britain’s historic environment is safeguarded.

We run a database that we record all these applications on with the help of volunteers all over the country. Our volunteers receive training on who we are, what we do, and how we assess LBC applications, as well as how to use the database of course. They then make a commitment to receive and upload a regular amount of applications onto the database each week.

Take Part in a Dig

Many excavations and archaeological projects welcome help from volunteers, although some take a fee for this opportunity. Information about archaeology projects can also be found on the sites below.

CBA Event Calendar: We promote fieldwork opportunities from a variety of sources.
British Archaeological Jobs and Resources: Mostly advertises employment opportunities but sometimes offers fieldwork placements.
Dig Ventures: An independent project that sets up crowdfunded digs for volunteers around the world.

Get Involved with your Local CBA Group

The voluntary CBA Groups around Britain provide information, publish their own research, and organise events, to raise the profile of archaeology. They run their own membership schemes and welcome new volunteer committee members, both archaeology professionals and enthusiasts. Joining your local group gives you the opportunity to learn more about the area’s archaeology and meet like-minded people who share your passion for the past. Click here to look up your nearest group and get in touch with them about volunteering opportunities.

Inspire Young People

Our Young Archaeologists' Club (YAC) has a network of branches around the country, run by teams of volunteers. We are always looking for new adults to get involved as branch leaders, assistants, and helpers.

YAC branches offer their members a variety of different activities that you might find yourself organising and running. For example, you could help young people:

Discover how archaeologists excavate
Try their hand at historic crafts
Visit archaeological or heritage sites
Taste foods from different time periods
Take part in a real live dig!

Help is also needed to run the branch and look after its membership administration.

Volunteering with the YAC will also provide lots of opportunities to help enhance your CV through training opportunities offered by the CBA and through the experience you will gain by running a club. It's also a lot of fun and our YAC groups often get special access to exciting archaeological digs and behind the scenes tours of museums!

You can find out where your nearest club is by using the interactive map over on the YAC website. To learn more about volunteering with a branch visit the FAQs section of the site or get in touch with the YAC team.

After speaking to one of the YAC team, click here to complete the YAC Volunteer Application Form.

Volunteer at the CBA Office

At the CBA headquarters in York, there are often opportunities to help us with our day-to-day work, from listed building casework and the Festival of Archaeology to campaigning, marketing, and fundraising.

We are also looking for CBA champions to help raise our profile at a local level and promote our membership programme.

If you would like to volunteer your skills, contact us at [email protected] to find out about any current opportunities.