Paid Archaeology Internships

Cultural Resource Analysts (CRA) is seeking graduate and undergraduate students interested in a career in archaeology for paid internship positions within our Hurricane, WV office. 

Employment Type: Temporary internship with the potential to lead to temporary or full-time employment. 

Compensation: $15/hour 

Specific Skills We Are Looking For

• Ability to follow directions and safety guidelines including wearing a hard hat, high-visibility vest, safely using tools, and being alert for changing environmental conditions
• Possess the ability to work independently or in a team in variable settings ranging from an office/lab environment to rugged Appalachian terrain where access may require long hikes in all weather conditions with limited to no cell phone service
• Good written and verbal communication skills

Potential Opportunities

An internship with CRA will provide you with a broad overview of what can be expected from a career in Cultural Resource Management and provide foundation skills and experience which may be used to obtain an entry-level archaeological field technician position.

Tasks may occur in the office as you assist us in archival research including gathering information from online environmental data mapping services, courthouse or historical society records, analyzing historical maps or photographs, reviewing archaeological site forms and survey reports, and then using this data to write background histories and help develop plans for additional research needs and/or field work. Skills you may learn include how to locate and cite genealogical and primary source historical documents, how to read a topographic map, explain when projects may need an archaeological survey and why, determine what types of landforms and environments have a higher likelihood of possessing archaeological sites, and how technical reports are drafted and produced for clients.

In the field you may help CRA with archaeological survey including overnight travel and hiking into project areas to test for the presence of prehistoric and/or historic archaeological sites or large-scale excavations of known archaeological sites. Skills you may learn include compass, GPS, and topographic map navigation, identification of historic-period structure remnants and homesteads, excavation methods and safety precautions when working around open trenches, backhoes, and potentially sensitive archaeological remains, identification of soil types and how to record a basic soil profile, and how to identify and document buried cultural materials.

Or you may help us in the lab sorting and processing artifacts including projectile points, stone tools, historic artifacts, or botanical samples. Skills you may learn in the lab include identifying different types of prehistoric lithic tools, determining if a site is “historic” based upon types of ceramics or glass left behind by the occupants, how to clean and process artifacts without damaging them, and how archaeologists use artifacts, excavation data, and the scientific method to hypothesize and interpret why societies change, where we come from, and what your history teacher didn’t tell you. 

Qualifications

• Completed a minimum of two-years of coursework leading to a BA or BS degree in Anthropology, GIS, geology, history, or other related field
• Approval from an overseeing professor in your field of study
• Ability to read and process information from academic journals and professional publications

Have other qualifications? Let us know where you excel!

Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer