Well, I've done it. The application has gone off. Let's see what happens now.

40 essays by Wednesday! Oh my gosh - no sleep for you then.
More constructively - what I do is divide the essays up into which question has been answered - I don't know whether this applies with yours or whether they have all had to answer the same question.
Anyway, I then read through and mark in pencil grammar, spelling and other mistakes and also comments on when they have written something good or bad or missed the point etc.
Do you have guidelines to follow for marking? What I do is put a few words for each section - eg argument and structure, use of sources, presentation, knowledge and understanding, on a post-it note and then a rough mark. I do this for all the essays on that question then go back to do the formal feedback forms. I have a basis for these from the post-its and also have an idea of the overall standard and can then increase or decrease marks if I think I have been too kind or not kind enough.
I don't know if this helps but I always leave marking to the last minute and end up with great piles and only a few days to go. (the piles probably from too much sitting down!!!)

I'm trying to build up a CV which will get me into heritage/museums, but after reading Chrisrolinski's post I'm wondering if that is going to be as difficult as trying to get into academia! I'm doing volunteer work so I can get experience and also gain access to free training courses. I'm hoping that something will come up in my specialist area. I can probably get a museum job in visitor services as I have done that before but then the money is pretty bad but once you are in somewhere there are usually more opportunities. I've actually given up on the idea of earning a good wage, but if I can pay the bills and have a job where I am stimulated and happy, then that is all I require. Is that asking too much though?!

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll give it a go. Nothing to lose and all that!

I've seen a wonderful job at a very prestigious museum and amazingly I have all the requirements. (A Phd is not one of them) But I know there will be people who have these and more. It would be so brilliant to work there with the collection but I know I probably would not get an interview and if I did it's not very likely I would get the job. But is it worth applying for the experience and perhaps getting my name known for the future.
Also if I did get it (!!) it would be very difficult to get there so I think what is the point. But for something so good and prestigious I think I would be able to find a way round it.
So all in all it's not really a goer but should I apply anyway?

Well done. I'm struggling at the moment but when I hear of other people finishing then it spurs me on as I know it can be done.

My funding ends this month and I've been trying to get a full-time job as otherwise I'll be in severe financial difficulties. I've had a few interviews but I've not been successful so far. I have some work but it entails me spending part of the week away from home and I'm getting so tired of all the commuting and not being settled. I have had no motivation for my PhD as I'm spending all my time working, travelling, applying for jobs and sleeping. I have a journal article due but I just can't get down to work on it and I have my final panel probably at the end of next month but have done no work since about February. I don't know what the answer is and how to get my get up and go back. Just thought I'd have a moan.

Sometimes I'll write ideas when I have had a few drinks and just write whatever comes into my head. Then the next day I'll go back and look through it to see if there is anything that makes sense and is worth following up.

Having just had another rejection - not even an interview I now wish I had never started my PhD. I am over-qualified for most jobs and obviously under qualified for the jobs I do want so I don't know what to do next. I have two years in which to submit my part-time PhD but I need full-time work to do this. I don't want to do a shit job for this time and wonder if it would be better to give up and do another one year course which would be more relevant to the career I want. I'm feeling pretty depressed at the moment, especially as I am in my forties so time is not on my side.

I think I am getting to the same stage as you. My funding runs out at the end of April and at the moment I am working part-time but spending a lot of time trying to get a full-time job, so I've not done much on the thesis for a while. I've just moved house as well and find I never have time to work on the PhD. I don't know how I will do it when/if I get a full-time job. I'm part time so have another two years before I have to submit but I don't want it to drag on and feel that I'm getting to the stage where other things in my life are going to take priority.
Sorry that doesn't help your situation but I can empathise.

It's not as if I'm new to filling in forms and I never just recite my resume off as I tailor applications to the job and flag up the relevant skills and experience to that particular role. Maybe I'm being too thorough in my applications but there are hundreds of people out there to compete against.

I'm coming up to the end of my funding (which I am very grateful to have had) so I need to get full-time work, but it's a full-time job filling in application forms.
Am I doing somethimg wrong - it took me nearly 5 hours yesterday to fill in a form! I had breaks through it but not major ones. I have so much information to put in and most of the boxes don't fit my experience and skills so I end up doing about 3 pages of extra information. What are other people's experiences of app forms?
The annoying thing is I don't really want the job that much and it's not well paid but it's one of the few around that I'm qualified for.

I totally agree with you but if nobody "made things up" then where would the world be. If you're working in arts and humanities, especially historical stuff (I'm medieval) then you have to make things up to a certain extent as there often isn't the specific evidence to back things up. I'm similar to you in that I've come up with my take on things, but it can't be proved. But I'm using theoretical arguments and the evidence that is out there to suggest that these give a strong indication that what I'm saying is likely, and is one way of approaching the area I'm studying.

I feel claustrophobic and feel trapped, it's not too bad if you know you will be able to get off after a couple of hours, but for a long flight I'm worried I'll start to panic. I'm also concerned for safety (I know what the statistics say) but I feel more in control in a car, train, boat etc because if there is an accident there is at least a chance to escape. I know it's irrational so maybe a sedative might be a good idea, but then I would start worrying about any side effects. (Can you tell I'm a worrier!!)

I'm presenting a paper at the biggest international conference for my field, with other members of the project I am working on. It is in America in May and I am getting nervous already about flying. I have never done a long haul flight and the more I have flown in the past the more nervous I have become. This is only with flights of less than two hours.
I spoke to my supervisor earlier this week and expressed my concerns and tried to think of other reasons to justify my perhaps not wanting to go. She said I should speak to the project leader and I could tell that it probably wouldn't go down well.
This morning I have just got an e-mail from the project leader saying I would be reckless to turn down such an opportunity, I would be letting everybody down, especially as I am funded by the AHRC and going to the conference was part of the plan all along.
I have two problems really, firstly I am very annoyed that my supervisor told this woman without asking me as I wanted to think about it all again before making any decisions.
And now because of this severe(almost threatening) e-mail it looks like I don't have any options unless I really want to piss everybody off.
If I wanted a career in academia then it would be vital to go but, as has been dicussed in other posts, people are having to look for alternatives and I am focusing on other careers now. I am nearly at the end of my funded three years so will be looking for full time work while writing up.
Any ideas/advice on how I should approach supervisor/project leader/fear of flying?