Hmm. Access Uk manufacturer was worse. Study was orignially supposed to be comparative. I managed to get one interview with a union official then all the contacts I managed to seek out gave me the cold shoulder. Hence the shift to just France since I had firmer contacts and more interviews.

It may be possible to get 5 in-depth interviews with a bit of pressure from my side, but I can't see how I can get a decent size group like yours which is what I'd prefer (I was aiming for 15 absolutely minimum. I'm looking at the impact of precarious working conditions in the car industry. It's a case of a factory North of Paris. So far I have a number of interviews with union officials, the company refuses to speak to (which I expected) and the main gate keepers who I have met twice with a clear outline of what I needed have not delivered. It's taken me months to get to this stage. I was previously doing another factory, got 2 interviews and then my leads went cold. I get the impression this is happening again with this one.


It all seems to be going pear shaped.....

Thanks Sneaks. It's more the gatekeepers promising more than they are prepared to deliver so I end up wasting a lot of my time and money. I'm at the stage of thinking of trying to address my research area without in-depth interviews. But it is conceivable that I am clutching at straws here.

I am in desperate need of advice. For over a year now I have been trying to get interviews for my Phd. I keep getting promised introductions to potential interviewees, make the journey (to another country) to interview them or organize interviews and then find myself let down by contacts who had assured all was in hand. I now have less than a year to submit and only have interviews with background informants rather than the core in- depth interviews I had planned.

Is there any way I can salvage this phd. Is it possible to turn in into a half decent phd by using documentary analysis, secondary sources such as readily available stats? I am just about ready to throw in the towel!

Thanks for your responses, words of encouragement and suggestions. I think for me its probably a question of trying to work out when I am capable of getting my ideas across and when I should just take a back seat (like in last week's seminar). I felt I had to have something to say since it was was broadly in my area but really should have realised that I'm not that good at expressing myself "spontaneously" in that kind of audience. I shall see it as a learning curve and focus on what I am good at, whilst trying to improve as far as I can what I'm not good at (expressing my ideas in an academic crowd, or in any other crowd for that matter).

Just wish I could stop reliving that cringe-worthy moment in my head......

:$

Has anyone else here completely lost it when trying to make a academic intervention in a well attended seminar given by an important academic in their field. I had what I wanted to say all clear in my head and then panicked when I was speaking, resulting in my mind going blank.

I now feel totally humiliated and I'm assuming that I'm just not cut out for the academic world. Speaking in front of people has never been my strong point but I've always pushed myself to do it, to varying degrees of success, accepting the fact that 1) I'll never be a great speaker and 2) I can't do anything about the fact that I go bright red when I speak. This experience seems to have undone all the progress I've made in the past - I don't what to risk a similar experience in the future. Can one get by in the academic world without opening your mouth (apart from presentations which I can just about do as I'm well prepared)?
:-(

Thanks Sneaks. I think this is the way I'll go. Though the Ipod touch I have in mind to use is not mine, its my partners - I shall have to convince him to part with it when I'm in the field :-)

Thanks Satchi,

A mini disk is digital recorder commonly used for recording interviews. It comes with software for transfering to PCs but not Macs. I'm not a technical geek in any sense of the term so my understanding of this kind of equipment is very limited. It sounds like if you are recording on your mobile phone then an the Iphone recording apps shouldn't be a problem.

Has anyone used an Iphone or Ipod touch for recording interview and if so, is this a good idea? I have a mini-disk but don't particularly like using it, plus I can't transfer the data to my home computer as its a Mac.

An advice/insights gratefully received, including on transcription issues flowing form Iphone recordings.

Thanks.

Spacey,

If you follow the advise about loads of preparation you will be fine. You'll still be nervous but will pull it off and feel great afterwords. I loathe public speaking and everyone knows I'm nervous because I come out in red blotches all over my neck and face. Its a real psychological effort to ignore this, but it is doable if I'm well prepared in advance and therefore confident that I know what I'm talking about. Also try to anticipate possible questions. If I can speak in public anyone can!

One of my tricks is to focus on the time just after the talk, its only 30 minutes or so - afterwards you can have a nice relaxing drink.

Good luck.

I find some people on this forum so uptight and downright rude. Perhaps they are practicing for a life in academia.....

Orian,

I agree with you.

Idealists? Lucky the women who a century ago fought so hard for the right to vote didn't hold your view....

No it isn't "life", it's an expression of a grossly unjust and unequal society. It doesn't have to be that way. Political will and action can change it.

Actually, Pamplemousse, it is our business that universities pay "celebrity" names vast sums for doing very little whilst at the same time cutting jobs and thereby increasing the workload of less revered academics, which is what Manchester University is currently doing, including sacking Sheila Rowbotham and Terry Eagleton, two renowned academics who are worth 100 Martin Amis'.

It also doesn't help that Amis is a vile Islamophobe who's writings verge on advocating collective punishment on the Muslim community for September 11th.