Job Hunting

There is one Kiwi government source of science funding for which I am still eligible to apply. Other countries have similar funding processes. However, in order to apply for such grants I require a host institution. The Kiwi universities don't even reply to my emails, and neither do most of the foreign ones. Occasionally I receive a polite rejection. Fellowship applications are ongoing, although now clearly pointless. Harvard sent me an amusing rejection email, but most places don't bother. With so few jobs, one doubts that anybody bothers to read the Job Wanted ads.

Winter is fast approaching. Should I take up a cleaning job or a mountain job? They each have their advantages and disadvantages. Both would require me to move yet again. Neither would give me much opportunity to do research. The standard of living here is not high, for the working class. The average person spends 40% of their income on rent, and food prices are now international. Even with a full time job, my expert budgeting skills would come in handy.

What are the alternatives? In the local news today, health law expert Jonathan Coates said the Bill of Rights Act and common law were clear about a person's right to starve themselves to death, even if other people didn't like it. I guess effective hunger strikes are a real possibility here.

In the past, disgruntled antipodeans would simply leave, never to return. This is becoming more difficult these days, with emigration to Europe or the States requiring either a job offer or tonnes of dosh. Well, at least the sky here is still blue.