My funding finishes in October. My ideal job would be more research. I love working by myself in my own little reclusive world. However, my sup has told me there will be nothing at uni. The popular jobs site for these things has nothing on week after week, or if it does they are in places I can't travel to. i can't move because my hubby provides the stable good income (although not enough for me not to work). There are no jobs in my field in research or not in research.

So I was wondering if anyone is in the same boat? I probably won't have finished in October, so will be writing up, any ideas on the kinds of jobs I can get to support myself?

Biggest problem is I have a bad back, although not bad enough to claim beneftis, but I can't work most min wage jobs e.g. waitressing, checkouts etc. because of the strain it puts my back under.

Hi Sneaks
I cannot remember/dont know which field you are working in, but would it be possible for you to do some freelance work? Could you e.g. be writing articles for print or online media or similar? Or some kind of consultancy work?
I am not exactly in the same boat, as I will (most probably) have a job at uni initally, but I have wondered what other things I could do. I know, the whole freelance thing sounds daunting, but it could be more rewarding than checkouts etc.. Alternatively, could you try and get a fellowship to do more research..? Fellowships tend to be like gold dust, but one can but try, I'd say..
Sorry, I have no real good ideas, but since you still have some months of phd-ing, you can start on those (fellowship?) applications....
All the best,(sprout)

My field does have consultancy in, but this has been hit very badly by the credit crunch, many of them have gone under and many of my friends from my last degree - in my specialty have been made redundent. I live in a small town, so my field is a little too specialist for this area - no one really knows what it is and wouldn't value it.

I tried to look at fellowships but got stumped by the whole thing. Can I apply for them without a supervisors backing?

I'm fairly certain that (for some fellowships at least) you can apply as an individual, then take the fellowship with you to a department - who will then usually welcome you as the glorious golden calf because you come bearing funding! One of our postdocs arrived that way and got subsequent extensions on dept money once he had his foot in the lab. But would your current supervisor not support your applications anyway?

my sup is very strategic, so will apply for things that will help her strategy, rather than just to get me a job if that makes sense. So I doubt she would want to be on a bid with me :-(

Hmmm, I share your worries Sneaks, although I am only halfway through my PhD so I have a little more time on my hands. At the moment my sup and I are in talks about post-doc projects and potential proposals we could submit for funding. This would be ideal for me (and she is very keen), but in reality the chance of success with these grants is pretty slim. I did have a look at fellowships and in my subject at least, it's pretty tricky without having done a post-doc first, though I guess it varies from subject to subject. So yes, I worry about going through all this and then not having a job at the end of it. How come your supervisor is so unsupportive? Surely most supervisors would welcome potential projects and possible funding with open arms and aupport you all the way, or at the very least write you a nice reference?! Best, KB

Hi Sneaks

Yes, I'm in the same boat. Post-docs in my area and few and far between, competition is steep, and I've noticed that some of them are already going to established academics with a few years under their belt, rather than new PhDs. Tough times indeed...I also wanted to apply for funding with my sup, but she's too busy...

None of this helps you tho...there's been a few posts like yours around, maybe have a read of those. I think I'm not going to have the option of working in academia and will go back to the civil service, where there is work and the pay is OK. You could consider that for a bit, altho don't know how many jobs there'd be in a regional area...

thanks sue Civil service is first on my list of potential employers. I was very keen on the local government graduate schemes (travelling to london based gov't departments will cost me £6k per year) but they announced those 10% job cuts today in local authorities D'oh!

My sup is generally very supportive, and will happily put in a good word and provide refs etc. Its just that she has her own strategic set of bids going in to funding councils and I don't think she will want her name on one that doesn't fit her overall plan - she has got a very 'political' strategy with funding bids and think, although she would be supportive, would not want to put in a joint bid or anything with me. She is super busy, and she has loads of other projects running at the same time as my PhD. All her other supervisees have had rich partners, so I think she assumes I do to, but I don't - he's rich enough for me but not enough for the mortgage :-)

Research institutes and researchers in HEIs have been hit hard over the past 18 months due to university deficits. When an HEI realises it's spent all it's money, the first people that get a kicking are the researchers - believe me, I've been there on three seperate occasions in the past three years. My colleagues and I have all had contracts terminated / curtailed or have been made redundant. Many research centres are running on the minimum possible staff and relying on them to undertake ridiculous hours (with the temptation of rewards) then they get rid of them and pass the work down to junior staff or force teaching staff to take on extra research work.

I have loved research, the processes involved, the people I've met and many of the people I've worked with. But I have been screwed over once too often by HEIs and have watched people literally destroyed by the callous and cruel practices of short-term contracts and ridiculous income targets.

The last research centre I was on had its staff halved, through a range of pretty horrendous processes, and had its income targets virtually doubled. I got out before I lost my mind!

I am, of course, bitter and twisted, but that aside I would say be very careful about going into research and go in with your eyes wide open and a healthy dose of scepticism.

Hi Sneaks,

I have the same worries - due to finish June, but thinking more September. Hubby and I are relocating to Australia at the end of the year. Although it's exciting I feel like I'm starting all over again. I know folk here in the UK, enough to pester for nods for 'whats occuring'. Been sending out my CV to all the majoy universities where we will be living in Oz (becoming a bit of a pest) but for the past 12 months there has been nothing advertised work wise that I could apply for, which I'm spooked about. (very much the same here though). I've really enjoyed researching and working from home, but don't think that's going to happen - unless a nice book deal comes through!. :p