What am I supposed to live on while I do an unpaid internship? How would I pay the transport costs and lunch expenses? The rent and bills?

I've already submitted heaps of prospective applications; most ignored me, while some were at least kind enough to say no. I don't think there's even anywhere left to apply to prospectively, I've already approached a lot of companies and been turned down.

My CV is as good as I can make it; I have several CVs for different levels of jobs, and I'm still unemployed. I've already been supporting myself on debt for the last two years while I finished the PhD; I haven't had an income since 2009 and I'm desperate. I'd take a shop job or a waitressing job if I could get one, but it's extremely depressing and humiliating when you've worked so hard to get top level qualifications and you can't find a decent job to support yourself and your family. I'm a huge burden on my parents and I cost them money every single day; it shouldn't be like this :(

I really can't move. The only way I can work and have a social life is if my parents babysit my daughter while I'm out; childcare is too expensive, I need their help so so I can't move away from them. I'm certainly not going to move and leave my daughter behind. I'd also have to give up all my friends, all my hobbies, sell my house, and have a long distance relationship with my boyfriend. Moving away is pretty much impossible.

I recently completed my PhD, and I've been searching for a job for five months, without success. I have to remain in my current location because of family ties and my boyfriend's job, and there aren't exactly a lot of jobs around, especially with the recession.

In five months I've seen three decent jobs advertised in my field. One was a lecturing job and another was in industry, they both turned me down without giving any reason. The third job was also in industry, and they admitted that I know more about my subject than many of their employees do, but they still turned me down because they said I lack commercial experience and research experience gained at university doesn't count. Their reply said "We believe you would be happier in academia and this job is not right for you" - I want to scream that there are no jobs in academia and surely I should decide what's right for me!! I emailed them back and begged, even offered to work for min wage on a trial period, but they just ignored me.

I can't even get a shop job - I keep getting turned down for everything. I called one shop to ask why they turned me down, and they said they wanted a permanent employee and someone with my qualifications would obviously leave as soon as a better job came along. I guess I can understand their point of view :(

I've even altered my CV so it sounds like I was an assistant at the university, not a PhD researcher. I sign everything Miss instead of Dr, and it makes me feel like crap because I basically have to hide the qualifications I worked so hard for. One of the degree students I used to teach has a job in my research field, and I have a PhD but can't get a similar job - it makes me so depressed, I feel worthless.

I applied to work in a call centre alongside all the uneducated people I went to school with, and I just feel like my whole life has been a waste because I made all this effort and I'm no further ahead. I spent a decade at university to provide a better future for myself, and it was completely futile because I'm still looking at working in a min wage job alongside people with no qualifications. I'm beginning to feel like I should just commit suicide and be done with it, because there obviously isn't a place for me in the world :(

My colleague once told me that Liz had called and left a phone number for me to call her back. When I rang the number it turned out to be the number for Buckingham Palace.

I have known people swap the keyboard cables so two computers back to back are plugged together, and they can type on the other person's screen which completely mystifies them. A similar thing can be done with two telephones, swap the handsets and ring one, and the person answers but theres nobody there cos its the handset for the other phone.