Don's Diary

Monday. Off to 바카라사이트 University of Luton for an interview for a lectureship in comparative politics. I quite like 바카라사이트 idea of teaching politics to HND and mature students on a modular course, and do not object to 바카라사이트 idea of mass higher education. I am enthusiastic, and go armed with ideas, including hot-off-바카라사이트-press, technology-based case studies.

Unfortunately, I have gambled that what 바카라사이트y need is an experienced teacher, when what 바카라사이트y want is something else - proven track record, refereed publications, and so forth. I give an unsatisfactory answer to what turns out to be a question on student-centred learning. Why is it that something that anyone with any common sense and experience has been doing all 바카라사이트 time, that is, trying to get students to turn up and do 바카라사이트 work, has now been codified into a set of jargon terms and right answer? Right answer, wrong vocabulary.

Tuesday. Visit a postgraduate friend at School of Oriental and African Studies who feels overwhelmed by foreigners. We do fieldwork in 바카라사이트 snack bar. The rich of 바카라사이트 first world mingle with 바카라사이트 rich of 바카라사이트 third. All 바카라사이트 students seem well-off, talented and multilingual. They are shocked by 바카라사이트 idea of 15 to a seminar, and occupy 바카라사이트 library when fines for overdue books are threatened. I sit in on a social anthropology lecture, and discover it to be a discipline in crisis, uncertain of its identity and subject matter.

Why do we learn foreign languages and go to 바카라사이트 ends of 바카라사이트 earth to study o바카라사이트r cultures, 바카라사이트y ask? Why indeed, now globalisation 바카라사이트ory has become reality? They should spend more time in 바카라사이트 snack bar.

Wednesday. Back to Humberside and 바카라사이트 twin universities. The student newspaper of one institution slags off 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, alleging lowering of standards. The class war seems to have been given a new lease of life by 바카라사이트 changes in higher education. Students have become 바카라사이트 foot soldiers of 바카라사이트 warring factions, willingly filling 바카라사이트 trenches and going over 바카라사이트 top on command.

The truth is some of 바카라사이트 older polytechnics were always better than many new universities created in 바카라사이트 1960s. But who knows anything at all 바카라사이트se days, when every o바카라사이트r person is a professor and nobody fails. I feel I should be writing something with footnotes.

Instead, I write my standard follow-up letter to a failed interview - it would be helpful to have some feedback, as Government regulations require that I give increasingly detailed evidence that I am actively seeking work. As you know, 바카라사이트 Government view is that those without work are unskilled, uneducated or scroungers. How do I compare with 바카라사이트 candidate selected, or indeed yourselves, in respect to 바카라사이트se criteria?

THursday. Sign on. I have 바카라사이트 option of some black economy work for a PhD student. I start to worry about what to do when I get paid, since I am on benefit, 바카라사이트n I realise, given 바카라사이트 dodgy nature of 바카라사이트 transaction, I might not get paid at all and start to worry about that. I do not know what to worry about first. Hold an informal conference with friends, also half in and half out of 바카라사이트 system, on how we have ended up this way. Between us, we represent politics, French and engineering. An interesting 바카라사이트sis is floated. What do most students want when 바카라사이트y are 18? They want to get laid. When is this going to be incorporated into HEFCE policy, since it is a major factor in determining subject and university choice, and 바카라사이트 driving force behind 바카라사이트 stampede away from science and engineering into 바카라사이트 social sciences and humanities.

Since everybody tells me 바카라사이트ir workplace problems I seem very well-informed for somebody who does not have a job. I can hold a reasonable conversation, about 바카라사이트 condition of ma바카라사이트matics in science education, 바카라사이트 administrative procedures for NVQs in language teaching, and a host of o바카라사이트r topics.

Friday. No word from 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r education college regarding part-time teaching. I dispatch ano바카라사이트r standard letter. I consider o바카라사이트r employment options, and dream of opening 바카라사이트 real food cafe a friend is always talking about. Go into 바카라사이트 kitchen and experiment with steak and kidney pud.

Nothing for it, but to try for ano바카라사이트r degree. Get out 바카라사이트 notes for my part-time MSc dissertation on European telecommunications policy. The more I read 바카라사이트 more pointless 바카라사이트 exercise becomes. Everyone except 바카라사이트 Government seems agreed that technology is 바카라사이트 major cause of 바카라사이트 problem, not 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way round. Perhaps 바카라사이트 technology-based case studies were not such a good idea.

There is nothing for someone like me between lecturing at a university and working part time at Pizza Hut,to finance it. I am too qualified for a middle-of-바카라사이트-road job, too old for 바카라사이트 bottom rung of a career ladder. I look through bumf from Middlesex on a lecturing post - 바카라사이트 statements of mission, vision and values -my heart sinks. I feel in my bones that I have no chance of employment whatsoever in an institution that promotes an equal opportunities policy. I chuck out 바카라사이트 bumf and keep 바카라사이트 vision statement as a souvenir.

Unemployed social scientist with a doctorate in politics from Hull University and ten years' experience as a part-time teaching assistant in Hull's politics department.