Academics Chat Thread

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

I believe the old Chat thread has fallen off the front page of this section, and I thought it might be time to reinstate it. I know it's only sporadically useful, but sometimes it's nice, right?

I am a lowly postdoctoral English Lit type. Finished my PhD in 2014, teaching associate for a couple of years, and now part-time while DD is a baby. I'm currently working frantically to get my book manuscript to the publisher by my deadline (October), and also trying to regain enthusiasm for the job market.

Who else is lurking around here?

Back at work is going slowly but surely, I am in the UCU and now of course there's the new strike. I have one day I'm supposed to be on campus and one at a meeting off campus and while normally I'd just strike for the whole time I think I'm going to have to go with "not crossing picket lines" or "not attending anything in person" because I need to keep my momentum up.

Oh and half an hour is WELL worth it. I'm just about to glance at a resubmission (I think it's finished, but I want to double check) and hopefully submit today, which will be a half hour job. But last week I did two separate half hours to finalise a paper and managed to redo one set of analyses (just running the same analysis again but with something corrected) and write that into the results, if you do it little and often and mark where you were you will be able to pick up again the next day.

Hi worst, glad to hear you're moving along slowly.

I'm really struggling along at the moment. Still absolutely exhausted from my weekend activity last weekend - lay down all this weekend, but it wasn't enough to recover. And have had solid lectures since I got back. I'm not sure how much sense I'm making. Still have another full week of morning and afternoon teaching, and worried no one is going to understand me as I can barely think straight! And still haven't gotten caught up with emails from my time away, now 2 weeks ago.

I actually tallied up the time I spent working on my trip, and it was 89 hours (both the thing I was doing, plus emailing and marking for back home). Given two of the 5 days were weekend days, one would think I should be able to take off nearly a week in lieu or something, but that's never going to happen.

I almost feel like I should tell someone I might collapse any moment, but I'm not sure who. It's going to be the teaching that needs to be done if I can't manage, and our DoT is currently away. And I'll likely struggle through anyway. I'll probably give better lectures than someone covering for me at short notice.

Any way to swap topics or get a postgrad to do seminars or anything like that? We quite often swap topics if one of us is sick.

Made it through. No real opportunity for swapping unless dire emergency (and for a lecture they'd probably just ask me to condense the needed info for the exam into fewer slots), although I told DoT how hard things were (trip was a teaching activity), setting perhaps a precedent for asking for some relief next year, as the timing looks the same again. Also warned him I've heard the central position I failed to get 3 years ago may be coming up again and I'm planning to apply - and I'll want out of a lot of this teaching if I get it.

And, BTW, the central position I applied for 3 years ago - the very first one I posted about here asking advice! - might be up for applications again this spring. If it does, I'm planning to go for it.

Still utterly worn out, even after another weekend of doing nothing but absolutely essential laundry. But at least have a bit more thinking time and getting caught up with some emails.

Hi there, I’ve created a separate thread for this, but posting here for more traffic :

What are people’s thoughts on asking Mumsnet HQ to consider renaming this board as Academic Common Room by analogy to The Staff Room board, as there seem to be quite a few people posting here by mistake, when they’d be better off on Higher Education? Even better, we might increase traffic from people actually in the industry. Who knows, we could use some self support at the moment.

Could I (recent name changer) pop in to ask a question: like, how do you deal with the knock backs? Hourly-paid casual and precarious research staff whose only chance of a fixed-term contract depended upon success of one grant application and/or getting my current findings published. In the past month, I've heard that the bid has failed and all three submitted papers have been rejected - and so, I'll be back out the door at the end of the current financial year. Any ideas how I can pretend to look motivated and focused and positive when I am so disillusioned?

That sounds miserable, Hannah, and totally unfair. In my experience what helped was making my research inherently collaborative, so collectively responsible for success, and less lonely when failing. Not much help to you right now, I realise. Sympathies.

Well I'm officially back at work on a new timetable (but using annual leave) and no strike or sick leave this week, and filling in my new flexible working thing.
Really torn as I do want to do more research and I like teaching when it's actually possible not a poisoned chalice. And I'm partly doing it to be less stressed yet all my spare time is taken up with destressing the DCs. Just praying for no sickness before Christmas, to get a clear run at it.

How's everyone's new year?

I'm already back in full-stress mode. So many things to do and already massively behind. Really struggling to keep research up (or do it at all), with all the admin work necessary.

And perhaps somewhat contrarily, I've heard the central admin position I failed to get before will definitely be back up again - and I still want to apply! But it would mean I'd get out of the Dept-level stuff that's taking up all my time now (which is also good application-material for this position - and it would be a conflict of interest to be both, so I'd clearly have to be let off it) and perhaps even some teaching.

How are you doing worst?

Hello @murmuration. Good luck with the application - sounds great (though frustrating to be reapplying).

I can't really complain about research time as I'm settling into a research postdoc (I've been teaching-focussed before). But we all had flu over Christmas and it knocked me right back. I am currently waiting to hear if I've been longlisted for the (very desirable, very long-shot) job I applied for in December. I don't expect to get further than the longlist, but I will admit on here that if I don't get longlisted I will be slightly gutted.

Good luck everyone with the new year applications. I’m meanwhile waiting on two collaborative grant applications. One is a third and last shot at EU funding (as we won’t be eligible post doctorate wise, not because of BreXxx).

And I’m struggling a mite with annoying policy people. Two of them who’ve approached me for (of course) free advice, and then failed to be available for booked conference calls. The one who’s blown me out three times now ive told to come back to me after Easter if he’s so busy. Fume. It’s the lack of respect for my time that I resent, even though the excuses sound genuine enough.

I am also following my own advice in pushing back against demands. A colleague asked me to give a guest lecture. None of the offered dates suited and instead of going for the least worse option, I suggested another that suited me and guess what, she complied. It’s a revelation how good it is to seize a bit of control over my mad timetable. Having said that, I’ve six tutorials practically back to back tomorrow. Fingers crossed I keep to time, or I’ll be in a state of collapse by the afternoon.

Oh, yuck, that's a horrible afternoon. Good luck! And with the funding application.

Thanks sarah I survived, thank to being ruthless in getting up to usher each one out to ensure each session finished on time. ( I’ve learned some tricks over time). And also thanks to one student rescheduling. Whew.

Whew indeed.

I survived my 18-hour day yesterday (this is the occupational hazard of otherwise having a fairly free schedule), made a lot easier by finding I got longlisted for a job.

How many people typically make a longlist, anyone know?

18 hours!! Egad!

And congrats. We’d normally go straight to shortlist of maximum 6 for a postdoctoral job or lecturer. I’d say double that for a long list, but that’s only a guess as we don’t use them (though a reasonable estimate as I was on a list of 12 myself yonks ago for a fellowship award). You could ask, there’s no reason why they should mind you asking.

Thanks, that's really useful! Especially the reassurance that it'd be ok for me to ask them. FWIW it's not a postdoc, it's (if I understand rightly) that they want a lecturer or a SL, but haven't decided yet, so are interviewing people at different stages all in the same application process. Perhaps that's why.

Hello, all. Into mental semester number 2 last week, and although I have more or less the same load, it's a bit more manageable as I have two non-teaching days (one of which is Monday - great, as it means I don't have to work on Sundays this year). I am still trundling along with my very very late chapter and the editors are rightfully cross now, so I've had to put my head down and just churn it out - it's not my finest work, but it'll have to do. If it is jettisoned from the collection, so be it. My goal this semester is to just survive. I was very close to burning out last semester - indeed, I still am. But I just need to get through and try to negotiate better conditions next year. Push back a bit more, as others have advised.

It's a bit late, but I'd also say 10-12 for a longlist in my field, depending on who they are recruiting (in a situation like yours, @SarahAndQuack, I've known departments who did make a slightly longer longlist of 12 where 10 would be more usual, as they were really looking at two separate groups for the two 'levels' of candidate). Very best of luck with it!

Hi all. This semester is mad for me too - five students in the lab who need loads of supervision (undergrad and MSc) and I HAVE TO get at least one paper out. Ideally two, but certainly one. I have blocked off two days this week and one next week to crack on with it.

But first I have a tutorial tomorrow at 9 that I have not started 😫 late night coming up...

I'm teaching this term and the sheer number of admin changes and new rules are making me quite depressed.

I have NEVER been so busy. I thought the same this time last year, and I'm definitely more busy again. It can't be even more so next year, as I'm at the absolute limit. I don't understand why this is happening, but I'm literally in meetings for all but 4-6 working hours each week. During which I need to fit in marking, prep, exam design, email, admin, etc. I still have expenses from months ago I haven't submitted, as it takes a good 2-3 hours just to fill out that paperwork and I simply don't have uninterrupted time. Too much longer and I'll be hundreds out of pocket and I'm starting to stress.

And saying "no" is all and good, but how much noise do you make when you somehow get landed with something and EVERYONE ELSE is saying no. I agreed to help with something 3 years ago - I had time then. The others involved have now fallen off right before it happened and suddenly it's all me. I should have been one of the ones to say I couldn't manage this year, but I was so busy it wasn't even on my radar and they got to it first... well, as soon as I'm done I'll say I can't continue.

And... what I'm trying to do is organise an internal seminar day. For my own purposes I wanted gender balance, but ARGGH, that is hard. It's now only a few weeks away, and I have worked my way through almost all the relevant females. Not that I have any male speakers either yet, but several at least who are checking their schedules or asking their (male) postdocs. I've got a lot more men I could ask, but I wanted to try to get at least one woman. What do you do in situations like this? I'm currently making sure I've got N-1 invites out and at least one to a woman so that I don't fill it up all with men. But to actually get it organised I'm going to soon have to just find anyone who will say yes.

I've totally given up on gender balance in the face just finding anyone. Just so worn out and I didn't need this extraneous thing.

murmuration, that is hard. I used to organise a seminar series in my department and trying to get people to give any kind of time was so exhausting. Can you postpone it? If it's an internal thing, could you send an email saying that you've found it difficult to find anyone to commit, and in the interests of gender balance, it's better to try to reschedule? I'm not sure if the people you have been asking are also internal, but if so, a little shaming email won't hurt.

Not useful, but I read "internal" as "infernal" and maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me something ...

So tired ...