I've seen a temporary teaching fellowship at my local university (my PhD uni is 200 miles away).
They want a specialist in Medieval Art History (my area) who can teach some theoretical stuff in the general undergraduate art history modules (I've teaching experience in both first and second year art history courses).
But as usual they want someone with a PhD or close to completion. I'm writing up and hoped to submit September but could bring this date forward. The job starts in January.
I know you don't get if you don't ask but do people think I would have any chance of this and any tips on applying? Thanks Also should I see what my supervisor thinks.

Does anybody know anything about the European College of Liberal Arts? It sound like something from Harry Potter but I've seen jobs advertised and I fancy living in Berlin for a couple of years.

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At least you are talking to a living creature. I have a stuffed chimp who I sometimes put in the passenger seat of my car if I'm doing a lot of driving. I talk to him about annoying drivers, interesting scenery etc. He only talks back if there is another person with us who gets the joke and then I do a silly voice for him. I've had him for 22 years so it's not a madness that has come upon me since starting the PhD.

I know exactly how you feel. You want to be a good friend and help her but sometimes you can just get tired of everyone else's problems and would like some time to yourself or have them help you instead. I'm in that situation at the moment with my sister who is having problems with work, her husband and he has just been made redundant. I have another friend who started divorce proceedings recently. I have had them both on the phone to me, including 3am when I was away working, and both in tears. I have been there for them, supported them, tried to give advice, reassure them etc etc. Then a couple of weeks ago I had a crisis and needed help myself. But I felt they were too wrapped up in their own problems and now I'm just tired of hearing them moan all the time and even though my problems are to do with PhD pressure which on the face of it don't seem important to 'normal' people, it's important to me that I get the help I need because it is affecting me every day. So if someone else tries to burden me with their problems I just have to say I'm sorry but I can't deal with that at the moment as I have other priorities. So - back to you Satchi (I see the irony of my post!) - I would be proud that you are good friend and have helped your friend in the past and maybe babysit once but say you have a heavier workload now than you had when you originally offered so you are sorry but you won't be able to commit anymore time.

I thought the whole point of a job interview was to boast about how good you are - and if you were part of a team responsible for good results then you should definitely refer to them. There is so much competition out there for jobs that you have to boast but not in an arrogant way. If you can show you are the best person for the job and back it up with tangible evidence then they will be impressed.
Good luck.

Great, I e-mailed the course director to say I was unable to teach tomorrow as I wasn't well and I said I was seeing a counsellor as I could not cope with things at the moment. I even gave her two other names of people who have said they will be happy to take over my teaching duties. She has made me feel guilty by saying that she has changed her arrangements in case she has to teach the students and she is very upset at being let down at the last minute. I bet she wouldn;t have said that if I had broken my leg and couldn't teach. why can't people recognise mental illness as being as important and debilitating as physical illness?

Thanks for all your support everyone. It's helped to get things a bit clearer in my mind. Hopefully I'll feel better after seeing the counsellor. I'm going to tell my boyfriend that I'll need more support from him.

Hi Sneaks,

The problem is I don't see enough of my boyfriend! I think I want to be more settled with him rather than spending time up at uni or travelling around for work.
The eating point is good as I didn't have much yesterday and I wasn't hungry today but made myself eat something just now even if it was a ready meal. I've been feeling physically shakey as well as emotionally. When I'm at home I cook with fresh ingredients but when I'm away it's usually junk food and ready meals or nothing if I'm out working and can't afford the cafe at the National Trust or wherever I am!

That's made me think as that is exactly the situation. I gave up a lot for him and I don't feel he realises that or how much stress it is causing me. He is supportive in some ways but he doesn't really understand what the problem is and says I'll have good and bad days and will just have to get through them. I tried to make him realise that it's got to the stage where it's making me ill and I have to do something about it now rather than wait.
But I have done something and have an appointment with the uni counsellor tomorrow. I'va also cancelled my teaching in the morning. I hate to do it but they'll survive and I have to put myself first for a change.

Now we will all get the jobs we want!

I've just had an angry phone call to my uni library as once again they are saying my account has expired. I'm in my writing up year and extended my registration and the library updated this and I've been using my card for the past couple of months but everytime I go in or try to renew online there is always a problem. I got annoyed with the person I was talking to and started crying when I put the phone down. I can't stop now. I don't think it was just the library. I feel overwhelmed and totally unsettled. I just have so much to do when all I want to do is get the PhD finished. I'm living in about three different places or travelling for work and just feel like I'm living out of a suitcase. I spend so much time driving back and forwards up the motorway. All my work, uni, friends and family are in the North West but I live with my boyfriend down south but have no life there apart from him. I have various freelance jobs to earn money but I'm still struggling. I'm staying in the house I own with my ex-husband and there are reminders of our life which is upsetting me. Sorry for this rant but I don't know what to do for the best as I've come to the end of my tether.

I say go for it! The best times I've had recently have been when I have had time to just potter around by myself in art galleries, museums and castles etc. I do freelance work away from home so end up in hotels or b&bs by myself but I like the time to be able to read, watch tv in the evening, eat food in bed, and slob out. Then if I have free time I love being able to visit somewhere by myself.
Mealtimes are probably the worst though but I take a book to read while waiting to be served. Sometimes I get talking to the locals though. If you have a laptop take that with you if you can carry it (if not travelling by car) then you can update us on your travels each day and that should stop you feeling lonely.

I'm 44 and I mainly live with my boyfriend in the South West about 200 miles from my uni. But during the week during semester I come up to the North West for uni and other freelance work I do. I used to live closer to uni with my now ex-husband and we still own a house together. We rent out to lodgers and he was living there as well but now he has moved in with his new partner.
So instead of staying with my Dad when I'm in the North West I will now be staying in my own house. So I actually have three different living spaces which I can choose from!

I've had similar situations with a couple of friends. I won't go into detail but after a lighthearted text comment my best friend took offence and said it might be better of we weren't friends anymore. She can be very dramatic about things and easily takes offence about things since having a number of miscarriages - ie complaining when pregnant women or people with kids are invited to events as if the host was doing it on purpose to upset her. I cannot imagine the heartbreak she has been through but the point is that you have to be so careful what you say around her. My text was nothing to do with that situation though. Anyway, I immediately wanted to text back but I knew it would end up in a worse argument so I didn't reply for a few days. Then I texted saying it would be a shame to lose our friendship after all this time and I hoped that she would reconsider. She did and we are back as best of friends now. We are both going through various traumas at the moment and we are always texting and phoning so I am so glad it got sorted as I would have really missed her if our friendship had ended.
I had another situation where I had to put my Phd first and cancel a meeting with a friend but she got annoyed as she had re-arranged the gasman and got a babysitter. We got into an argument about how she didn't realise how stressful it was doing a PhD and I didn't realise how difficult it was to run a household. We both obviously have very different lifestyles and she texted eventually saying something like it might be better not to continue this friendship. Again I said OK if that's what you want. But a few months later when I was visiting my home town I got in touch to see if she wanted to meet for coffee and we discussed the incident and had a laugh about how precious we had both been.
So I think what I am saying is the semi-colon stuff was probably nothing to do with you but she must have had some issues that she took out on you. If she was scared of you and didn't want to be in touch why did she send you the letter? Maybe she was reaching out in some way. If you value her friendship and want to get in touch again, I'd reply about X-factor or whatever and be light about things. Maybe you could suggest meeting up sometime and perhaps broach the subject face to face if it seems appropriate.

Thanks Walminskipeas, but I just found an article I though might be useful. There's no hurry but if I'm still having trouble I'll let you know.