What am I? Please help

[ManyAardvarks]

I no longer have a post at an HE institution, but continuine to research and publish, and do freelance work and consultancy. I am known a bit in my area within subject and sector, but struggling to find my next post atm.

The thing is, now I am no longer attached to an organisation or institution, when I attend academic conferences etc the badges usually same your name and your insitution. I went to something again today where I know lots of people, but it still caused comment and I feel a bit embarrassed. Everybody looks to check where you are, if you are still there etc. So what should I put?

I really don't like "independant scholar" or independent researcher (this maybe around my own prejudices), but I don't know what the alternative is. Some consultants have companies, but that's a lot to set up just to have a pretend affiliation on a conference lanyard!

Many Aardvarks - University of Life

Many Aardvarks - Formerly employed

Many Aardvarks - Gis a Job?

I guess I could go with more of a description so - [My Area] Researcher and Consultant.

Any suggestions? It's bad enough not to be working without feeling like a lanyard-failure.

Independent scholar.

it’s what you are.

Is there a possibility of an Honorary Fellowship post somewhere? You could then use that university as your institution.

You'd be 'Independent Researcher' by default if you published in one of the journals I work on. What don't you like about it?

I wouldn't feel embarrassed, I know so many academics who are either at risk of redundancy or out of work. And the rest are stressed to the eyeballs because of workload.

"independant scholar" reminds me of slightly batty people who were quite rightly not in academia because their scholarship was terrible! Semi-obsessive and self publishing.

I mean, this is from a long time ago, but my sector had a fair few "experts" who really weren't but styled themselves as world authorities. It's also people who position themselves outside of academia as "different" or too radical/conservative to be mainstream (they rarely were) the difference was mainly that they weren't particualrly rigorous or were really unpleasant.

The world is different now, I know, and many independents are actually people who are operating outside formal academic insitutions doing great work, but it makes me feel funny to describe myself that way, and then I start thinking is that who I am?

“Freelance consultant” could be a decent badge title.

or persuade a friend in a suitable university to get you named as an associate of her university. Then you can get a university email and journal access and an affiliation.

You’re just the sort of person I avoid as an independent researcher, because you believe your affiliation to an institution somehow gives your ideas more merit. What an unpleasant post.

As @ManyAardvarks says things are changing. It's also very field-dependent. However what @ManyAardvarks wrote in the first few paragraphs of her post is an accurate description of the status and behaviour of independent researchers in the recent past in (at least some areas within) the Sciences. There have historically been a small number of people who have failed to gain employment or funding because of fatal flaws in their 'theories', who none the less continue working on, and aggressively promoting, them. A classic example is retired engineers trying to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity, without first having a deep understanding of either, or the necessary mathematical skills. It's not unusual for these people to bombard professors (in particular it seems female ones...) with long, incomprehensible emails and letters about their theories, and in rare cases issue veiled threats if they don't get the responses they want.

Sorry to cause offence, it's not what I think now (i was trying to describe specific experience within my sector) and I don't believe value is associated with an institution, though it does seem to make things more straightforward. I have freelanced for years, which is no problem in my sector, but in academic settings where it's often hard enough to have practice experience recognised, even when associated with a recognised institution (not university) the discussion about where you are, ime, is instant and i feel like the judgement follows.

i guess with a much larger section of the academic community having to look for work or work differently, independent researcher" will become much more common. I guess for now I will go with
Many Aardvarks- Best Avoided.

Your description of an independent scholar is pretty offensive. Yes, there are people who haven’t secured posts for good reason.

But, for example, there are also a lot of women, in particular, who sacrificed the utterly hard grind of the first ten years after the PhD to establish a career, because they started a family, maybe prioritising their husband’s career, travelling etc etc.

And it would be very easy to say that still, anyone who doesn’t secure a position fails for good reasons. There are still jobs out there, even in the Humanities!

So be careful with your prejudices.

I think, though, to cut you some slack, you’re trying to adjust to difficult circumstances. Just don’t visit your frustration and deep disappointment on an outdated stereotype.

Could your PhD institution give you an Honorary affiliation? At my place, it would mean an ac.uk email address and inclusion in our research activities. I’ve done it for PhD graduates who’ve struggled in getting the next job.

@ParmaVioletTea I take that, but would also say that as other pps have relayed, it's not entirely without basis, but absolutely not true in the same way now.

Your description of women's experience is spot on and close to my own, if you add in changing sector and a late start - i do understand the complexity, but it wasn't those people i was referring to - much closer to what @xxuserxx describes.

I am in fact still doing bits of work at my previous institution, but on a contractor basis , because my contract ended but the work hadn't been delivered. I think I will contact them about some kind of Associate title, but conflicted now as I feel I should own and proudly declare Independent researcher.

I would definitely go with seeking Associate status somewhere. Doesn't have to be your own institution - it could be somewhere where there are congenial colleagues you would like to collaborate with. At my institution this is pretty common.
Would also give you library access and perhaps access to other institutionally-funded resources that could be handy. Good luck, whatever affiliation you end up going with!