Tags: thesis, interviews, jobs, money, muppetry, PhD
Date: 09 July 2009 09:56:56
I'm meant to be working, but have a few things to get out of my system first!
HD thought his interview went OK, but they are also interviewing someone else next week so we won't know till then whether he was successful or not. So the usual scriptural prayers that the other person is rubbish (yes of course that's how it works!) are now ongoing.
I finished the online tests, they are being looked at today by the staff tutors and providing they're acceptable the interview next week will be confirmed. I can't think that they wouldn't be acceptable, but still it would be nice to know. They should get back to me later today, hopefully.
Am currently very cross with the housing benefit people. It is looking likely that, because 7 years ago I did something financially sensible HD may not be eligible for council tax benefit. But if we do what technically we could (cash in a savings plan early, which is the issue - because it's technically possible to do this that might affect his eligibility) instead of being financially sensible that would be financially very very stupid indeed, and the only way we could recoup from the financial stupidity of it all would be for HD to be unemployed and claim benefit for at least a year and a half. Which is really daft, but I'm discovering that the housing benefit office specialises in daft (with an impressive sideline in muppetry), so I don't know why I'm surprised. Grrrr.
Found out yesterday that my request for a PhD extension is a bit complicated, so there is no definite "yes". There is a provisional "yes", but nothing more can be clarified until the next relevant committee meeting, which is 2 weeks before submission date! My supervisors are saying that I shouldn't rush to complete by then but stick to my proposed writing-up schedule (which, if I get a full-time job and have to do my thesis revisions in my spare time, would see me aiming to submit just after Easter next year. If I get part-time work (only realistic really if HD gets work) then I'd shave a few months off that. So it's not like I'm going over the deadline by miles, particularly in comparison with other students who sometimes go years over). I'm feeling reasonably calm about it (believe it or not) but we are having to come up with some more reasons why an extension is justified (basically as far as I can tell they're not against the extension per se, just not happy with the reasons my department has given so far for me to need one).
That's it for now. I'd better get back to work (sigh).