Academic parents - welcome to the Senior Common Room of Requirement

[BoffinMum]

Welcome to the Senior Common Room of Requirement. You find yourself in a discreet space with a view over rolling lawns from large period windows, and a roaring log fire, with the College dog asleep in front of it. A number of comfortable Chesterfields and wing-backed armchairs are thoughtfully positioned around antique occasional tables. A selection of reading matter is on the medieval chest near the entrance, including New Statesman, Economist, New Scientist, Nature, Prospect, THES, every conceivable daily paper, Spare Rib and the Socialist Worker. Peters, the College butler (sponsored by a successful alumnus with a top domestic employment agency, so at no cost to the public purse) is on hand to fulfil all necessary demands. This is the place for MNetters of academic leanings, and post docs and student parents are welcome to knock on the door should they require academic or pastoral advice. Sit back, quaff your sherry, Fair Trade coffee or even a smoothie made from fruit grown in the College grounds, and enjoy.

[moodwing]

Hello everybody. Is this chat room still going? I have just been turned down for two lectureships in what felt like BRUTAL terms. Would so welcome somewhere to chat about the trials and tribulations of establishing (or maintaining) an academic career!

[googlenut]

I'm up for a chat as trying to get back into academic life. Doing well on short term contracts in quite an up and coming area. Hate public speaking though so have to get to grips with that if want to progress

[moodwing]

Hello googlenut, thanks for joining. I can just about deal with the public speaking (if it's not job interview paper presentations of which I've just done two and been comprehensively put in my place)! My biggest issue is networking with other academics. I am quite introverted and I don't feel at all confident about my research or my intelligence really (although I have published in several 4* journals) and I absolutely hate seeking to 'make connections' with people on a really instrumental basis. I just don't even really know how to do it. I'm also in a subject area which is going down a particular road and my research just doesn't seem to fit in. So this job feels really hard at the moment.

[googlenut]

Networking I don't mind as find it quite interesting to see what other people are doing but don't like presenting and spend too much time worrying before it. Everyone else looks so confident!!

[Familyguyfan]

This sounds terrible, but its rather nice to hear other academics feeling the same way I do. I work in a male dominated discipline, in a male dominated sub-discipline, where all my colleagues have wives to look after their children. Their idea of childcare problems is having look after their offspring on a Saturday for an hour when they rush off to the supermarket.

REF is killing me, and the whole system I fear. I dread going to a job I use to love. It's terrible really. But at least we're all in it together!