Take train to less strain

Postdocs keen to pay off their student debts might be interested to hear of the job deals available at South West Trains. The company, which has recently been plagued by strikes by members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union demanding more pay and shorter hours, is advertising job vacancies for commercial guards, offering a starting salary of £21,000 plus a regional allowance, unlimited free travel on South West Trains and membership of a continuous learning programme.

Pay rates for British academics average £21,800 a year, according to lecturers' union Natfhe.

Meanwhile, Birkbeck College is offering a ten-week course on the future of London transport. Students attending the seminars at the London Transport Mus-eum, called "All Change", will hear from commissioner of Transport for London Robert Kiley, vice-chair of the Transport for London board Dave Wetzel, and Liberal Democrat Susan Kramer, who sits on the board.