After my recent post about uncertainty, I thought it worth some further comment on short-term job contracts. It looks like I might face such uncertainty for some time, hopping between temporary jobs.
Jobs.ac.uk has a new article on the challenges this raises, although in truth it's somewhat banal - stating a lot of obvious problems, including lack of summer/sick pay, job insecurity, increased need for teaching preparation hindering research and inability to buy a house, though without really exploring them in much detail or offering much worthwhile advice (other than 'stick at it and build up experience/contacts').
The Guardian reports that we could be facing a shortage of PhD-qualified researchers, following raised undergraduate tuition fees, which could be a mildly positive thing for those of us already further down that road.
That's the spirit! It's an even tougher slog for other people, making it fractionally easier for us :)
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