My only concern really is that my field is VERY tightknit, i.e. you see other lecturers all the time - I work with lecturers in other unis all the time on different projects and our research group is always going out for meals and drinks with researchers from other unis - mainly because at some point they have all worked with each other. They all guest lecture on each others courses as well. As I say, its very tight knit.

So I'm worried that everyone will find out I've applied, OR at least the hiring lecturer (i.e. one I know) will know I've applied and then laugh because I'm so underqualified (or so I think!). And although I work with them, I don't really consider them chummy chums, who I could just drop an email to so see if I was suitable!

ARGH!

TBH I'm not feeling very optimistic. There are hardly any jobs about and I need to earn £8K more than I need because it costs £6k to travel to London (and there are NO jobs where I live) and it costs £2k for dog sitting. My supervisor has already said don't bother asking her cos she hasn't got any funding available :-(

I'm seriously looking at getting a minimum wage shop job in October just to pay the mortgage.

Thanks Satchi - looks good!

My style of writing is definitely thinking about what I reckon is going on, and then finding references to back that up, rather than reading references and then reporting them.

urgh had a really long lunch break and have eaten a load of stodgy pasta because there's nothing else in the house. Gone out for a long dog walk to burn it off (and because she pawed me until I gave in).

Now I have 3 analyses to do by tonight :-(

The pepsi max has been opened!

oh no, go for the boy! forget the work!

I've just been pawed by my dog until I gave up and took her out - big mistake! After walking for 40 mins across daisy filled fields and apple tree orchards in the beautiful sunshine I just want to take a fiction book up to the hills and sit there all day. Although I feel that the picture in my mind is more idyllic than the reality - which would be my dog licking my face constantly.

2/5 done! 3 to go, although after lunch (turkey)

I'm looking for jobs at the mo, to start when my funding finishes in October. I'd be ecstatic if I managed to get a post doc research position or a lectureship, although the latter seems very appealing because there is more chance of a bit of a longer tenure - as opposed to 18 month research contracts.

Problem is, every lecturer post that comes up is about £35k + I just feel like little old me, having just gone straight through with undergrad, masters, little RA role, then PhD - should I be applying for these roles? They just seem too much?

My hubby says apply anyway, the problem is that I often know the professors or other lecturers in the departments, and I don't want them all thinking I'm above my station!

So I wanted to be a little nosy - what kind of salaries are you expecting when you finish the PhD?

i think its the weather! Its soo nice outside - its my perfect kind of weather, not too hot, not too cold!

1 down, 4 to go.

*wanders off to find croissants*

Y'alright my luvvers? (sorry my west countryness comes out in the morning)

I didn't get that last one done yesterday, because I erm got lazy. But I don't want to dwell on negatives!

I want to do 5 interviews today - its a bit of a long shot, but if I can get it done I will be super pleased. Rather than use mytomatoes I am going to give myself a break every 15 sentences - it takes about 2 mins to code each sentence.

Ready, Steady GO!

======= Date Modified 09 Apr 2010 08:57:12 =======
Good tips Satchi. I'm into listening to film music scores at the moment. Its classical music, but not stuff that's very recognisable, so its something on in the background. At the mo I'm listening to the orchestral score from New Moon :$

I think you are totally right keenbean.

My sup has had several supervisees who have done so many studies that it has taken them 8 years to finish. She recently took on a load of foreign RA's, who had completed and found out that their PhDs only consist of 1 study! which is the equivalent of an MSc dissertation. I share an office with one of them and he admitted that he couldn't believe the amount of work we were expected to put into a PhD. So my sup has now said I don't have to do a final study.

However, she also never lets me finish anything. If I start something, she switches me to start something else before it gets done, so I have a load of unfinished projects and nothing finished towards my thesis, not even an intro chapter. its very demoralising.

So my advice would be finish everything and only then if you have time, go back and do a follow up.

Also, there have been several times in my PhD where I've ignored my gut instinct because my sup said "oh no no you don't want to do that" and then 6 months down the line, it turns out I was right and she says "it would have been good if you'd done that, but now there's no time" etc which has ultimately made some of my studies worse than they should have been.

So follow your gut instinct and ignore you sup
(up)

WOO I've finished another interview. I think I was WAY too optimistic this morning. I will try and get another one done tonight after dinner.

I've set out a tight schedule for tomorrow which should allow me to get 5 done. If I do another 10 over the weekend then I will have done 25/40 by Monday. Then the plan is to avoid sups emails until the remaining 15 are done. :p

it won't let me Ctrl C and Ctrl V from word to SPSS :-( but it will let me right click to copy/paste - stupid program.