Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights. Here is the latest dilemma – what are your thoughts?
I am 53 and after graduating in 1983 I worked mostly in the voluntary sector in paid roles, with mixed success, until the opportunity arose to return to university. I left with a PhD in 2005, having worked throughout as a part-time sessional or fractional lecturer. My intention was to continue to do the same, but work has become harder to find every year, and this academic year I have finally drawn a blank.
I still mark public examinations and do the odd piece of freelance training but do not want to join the ever-growing number of consultants without clients. I also became involved in online education but after a review my subject area was effectively removed from the curriculum.
There is a possible option to study part-time for a counselling qualification but it effectively means the PhD has led nowhere. Financially, I am restricted to where I can travel on public transport, and for family reasons I am only looking for part-time jobs, which universities appear not to have heard of.
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
