Piglets, lambs, what next, calves?

Mind you, I'm not one to pork fun at people.

He did mention he was going offline for awhile. I seem to think he was around at his parents (someone correct me if I'm wrong). He made a brief appearance on Messenger last week when me, Lamb and H had a bit of a chat with him. Fear not, he's coming back!

I have one here in London, but then I'm leaving for an area with a known shortage so I'm going to get any work done before I leave.

It depends somewhat on the nature of the application procedure. If it involves an application form with lots of bonkers personality profiling questions then your covering letter should be minimal (i.e. please find enclosed my application for X position etc.). At a push, you might be able to emphasise a particular point you'd like them to focus but keep it simple.

At the other extreme, if you're writing a speculative application you'll need a detailed covering letter written specifically for the person to which it is addressed, detailing who you are, what you're looking for and what you can bring to the organisation. You put this in front of your CV.

What sort of application is it?

In terms of PhDs, future earning power depends on the usefulness of that subject to industry/commerce etc. For many PhDs (mine and your area for instance), the rule of thumb is that undergraduate and Masters degrees give you good earning potential, but a PhD then reduces that earning potential. I'm a career changer heading out of commerce into academia knowing full well that it will be years before I make it back to my current wages. But then I'll be doing what I love and life is, after all, too short.

It can be pretty tough getting a studentship. As I've mentioned on here before, I got my PhD position not by responding to an advert but by approaching the department directly, getting to know some of the staff and seeing how things developed from there. When positions did come up I was already well known to the dept which made my position very strong (and ultimately successful).

I can't emphasis enough how important it is to talk to potential supervisors BEFORE submitting an application. Good luck with it. Where there' a will, there's a way!

sufferin' succotash

Ooops, sorry, pressed wrong button

and if only you'd known about Belford earlier

I wouldn't say I loved the house but there's nothing else in the area that's any good for the money.

I don't think the lender will give a loan until the structural issues are fixed, guaranteed and pass a structural survey. This at least protects me from unforeseen costs, but as you say, it's a time issue. Fortunately, the vendor has a problem, he has completed on his next house already and needs to sell this sharpish. His only other option is to rent the place out but of course he's sat on a ticking timebomb and if, for example, the house has movement then it's better he fixes the problem now before things get any worse.

So the vendor cannot escape from fixing the problems.

Folegandros? Need I go on. Please, just tell us!

Andros

Amorgos

Thinking aloud here, but the structural issue is very straightforward. My lendor will not lend against a house which has structural issues so I don't need to negotiate the price, instead the vendor is forced to get the work done or he'll never sell it. Presumably then, it has to have another structural survey and then vendor provide the builders' guarantees.

Sorry if I'm boring you all, but I need you guys to sound off with as I can't talk to anyone here because they don't know I'm leaving!

I ran with that idea for long time. In fact it was Plan A. So keep London house (which is rising fast), rent it out and then rent where I'm going. The reason I didn't go through with it is that rental yields barely cover my mortgage payments (which are huge). This means that any time the house stands empty I have to cough up £1,000 a month.

The other problem is that I'm going to be 5 hours drive from London, so I cannot manage the property very easily. When it comes to selling it, I have to split the profits with my ex. All in all, its very risky and could bankrupt me.