Hi all,

I am posting here as a last resort as I am unsure who to turn to.

I am a current PhD student but I also teach casually. I am in different posts right now in teaching, and one of these posts is at an institution different to the one I study at and had been causing me to be very unhappy.

I won't go into too much detail, but to summarise, a member of staff has made it clear that they do not want me there. This is a member of staff I am supposed to contact to ask questions about my teaching duties or for any support. Working at this institution is new to me, so of course, I have had a couple of questions since I started. The first time I asked a question said staff member complained to my manager. Another question I asked was replied to with a very abrasive response. On the whole, I feel very unsupported and as though I am ruffling feathers just by being there. I dread going to work.

I am required to work here until the classes I am teaching finish at the end of the semester. I have a strong work ethic and would never consider leaving a post half way through my commitment, but I feel very pushed to do so. I do not know who I can seek support from in the institution without making things worse, but not seeking support on need-to-know course related things to carry out my role effectively will of course hinder my ability to do the job.

I know that leaving would be very unprofessional and would not be fair on my students but I do not know what to do. I am feeling very lost and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Just to add, I teach elsewhere and I thoroughly enjoy it and put a lot of hours into supporting my students, lesson planning and the like- so it is not that I dislike teaching.

Thank you

Zutterfly, I'm sorry to hear that you're having such problems cause it's obviously not your fault. Is there anyone at your own faculty, maybe your supervisor, who may be able to give you some advice about dealing with this delicate matter? If you don't have anyone trusted who would come up with a better idea, then maybe you should decide to talk overtly with this person - stating that you can sense that your presence is not welcomed and that you do not wish to work there much longer - all you want to do is finish classes you teach and leave in peace. I wonder if this can somehow make things worse but maybe it's a safer option than complaining to someone else. Is there any possibility that this manager-person answers your course related-questions...? You may ask him/her for help and explain that you don't want to waste Unpleasant Staff Member time because you have a feeling that s/he's been busy lately...
I hope you'll manage to sort things out!