The university where I work announced last week that there would be redundancies and our Dean communicated how they are being apportioned across the university. Our department of 6.5 (having already lost 2 in September) will have FTE of 3.5 from next year. The expectation is that in 20122 onwards they will expand but because of student number caps 2011/12 we have to cut back.

The head of department has decided that for mix of expertise etc he will have 5 people on 0.7 contracts (and he made the point that he was included in that - as though that made some difference to how I felt) with one whole person and the 0.5 (who has been talking about retiring for a few years) leaving.

Although we are in consultation period in reality we all know that is just lip service and results in dragging everything out. Because there are two of us who teach our subject the 0.7 will go to one of us and the other will be made redundant. Given I am the newest person in the dept, the other person is bezzie mates with the head of department and about to submit their PhD we all know what that means. His face said it all when he came to "update me on his current thinking".

I am totally devastated - I am the main wage earner in our house and there is no way I can afford even part-time PhD fees on my husband's pension (esp as we have a large mortgage and two children) even though completing my PhD would be the best option for my future. I am also middle aged and so realistically what chance do I have.

Next time I see my supervisors I am going to ask about bursaries, studentships etc but as I am only 18 months into part-time I am not optimistic. Any other suggestions welcome.

aww crap situation to be in JC :-( I fear it will be the same in every department though, sooner or later. I was 99% sure I wanted to be an academic a year ago and I'm starting to think the security of a full time permanent post would be better - even if there are cuts in companies etc at least there is always another company to move on to (there are NO academic jobs in my field at the mo).

Have you thought about teaching jobs in private unis? My friend has just gone to one and at first we all scoffed - we hadn't heard of it and we thought that it was her academic career over with. But when you hear that they are cutting everything and the private unis are the ones who'll probably do well, then it isn't such a bad option.

My sympathies, that's really rotten for you and your family.

The private college route is a good suggestion and would keep you in the academic milieu. Is the OU an option?? Try to sell the life skills you have accumulated by being maybe more mature than some others. Some employers actually like the middle aged woman as at least they know maternity leave issues will not be a problem. At least that's what myself and a pal are hoping will happen when we complete our studies!

Today must seem very black, but hopefully the situation will be clarified for you soon to allow you move on.

A

Sorry to hear that news. Re bursaries etc. have you considered small UK charity funds? There are lots of them out there, often supporting people who meet very specific (and often unusual - like grocers' children in Manchester!) criteria. Obviously you won't be eligible for them all, but it's possible you might be eligible for one or more, and they may be able to help with your fees.

Have a look at http://www.turn2us.org.uk/grants_search.aspx

I do feel for you as it's not a nice position to be in especially with family responsibilities. I'm not sure of your background but what about private tuition i.e. GCSE and 'A' levels?

I really hope things work out.

What awful news for you. I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions, though it seems a lot of good ones have been made already - I hope they lead to something for you. Or maybe a funded PhD position will come up at your uni or another one nearby? I have no idea if that's practical or realistic, but I do hope something comes up for you so you can continue the PhD.

I'm really sorry - that's the sort of news no-one needs and that sadly a lot of university employees are getting. Are you a member of UCU? If so, it might be worth talking to your union rep just to be sure that they are doing the redundancy procedure correctly given what you say about the basis for it.

That is dreadful news to hear. I really hope that there's some kind of funding to allow you to continue. There's already been job losses at my place and any possibility I had of getting anything has vanished.

Really, really sorry to hear this news Jepsonclough. What a blow! Would you also consider 'sixth form' college teaching? When you are teaching the 16 plus group it is an entirely different prospect to the younger teenagers and you do get to use your expertise-perhaps not quite as much as with undergrads but you still stay involved with your discipline. Far fewer discipline issues with this group as well. Are you doing a phd with your current employer-could you cut some form of deal with them if they do let you go as part of the redundancy package regarding the part time phd fees? Will your consultation team offer a package of incentives for the redundancy-I'm thinking here, (based on my ex-partner's experience) is get to financial advice if it is offered-although my expartner ultimately chose to use an independent financial advisor as he said the uni team were rubbish-but your's might not be.

Thanks for the suggestions - I am looking at anything and everything - colleges etc (but as I am not a plumber or bricklayer there doesn't seem to be much there at the moment - maybe I could retrain). I am in UCU and there is a branch meeting on Thursday BUT they have failed in previous (small) rounds of redundancies so I am not optimistic about that (but will go to meeting anyway)