Job of the Week: Not much money and no house
NewsSouthwwark Cathedral is advertising for a director of music, in place of Ian Keatley, who died tragically while on holiday this summer.
The pay is £55k, which doesn’t go far in London these days. And the lovely Georgian house that used to be offered with the job is no longer part of the package.
Tough times in the CofE.
You do realise that’s a very high salary for a musician, even in London, right? It shouldn’t be, but it is. Because pay in the UK is APPALLING.
Quite. But mainly because UK audiences are not willing to pay for the goods.
UK audiences don’t have the money either.
For an expensive glass of cheap white wine in the interval they do.
This is not a good salary for a position such as this in central London. If the house (which is very close by, nestled between the Globe Theatre and Tate Modern) was included then it would be a fair salary l, especially given the amount of work involved. I wonder if the Dean is still living in the house next door to the one formerly designated for the organist? This retrograde step is presumably to save money.
The cathedral’s Dean and Chapter should be investing in its new Director of Music and building on the work of the late Ian Keatley. The DoM needs to live close to the cathedral for the better performance of his/her duties. That’s why these jobs came/come with this benefit. This, IMHO, is a short sighted decision which will doubtless deter the best potential candidates. What a pity. Is it any wonder so many decent people leave the “profession” or don’t even start in it? It’s just not worth it.
One notes in the job description the necessity of being available early, late, or at flexible times (presumably both at the same time…) – and sometimes more than six days a week…!
It’s considerably easier, and perhaps more reasonable, to be available like that when you’re living on-site…
Quite!
In view of all that’s been happening in the church recently, who would really want this job and work in a failing church now anyhow??
But of course. there will always be some ambitious young musician who thinks this job will better his ladder climbing career and will accept anything on offer for his CV before moving on.
Welby and his evangelical dumbing down of music in liturgy has a great deal to answer for.
And what’s the latest on the Winchester Bishops report and that destructive church music mess?
Who really wants to be working in church music these days?