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I totally agree with Alan Ryan ("Why I...", THES , May 31). No rational person would become an academic in Britain given the remuneration.

I recently saw advertised a postdoctoral position based in London, offering a salary of more than ?16,000. The same day I was walking past McDonald's in Oxford Street, where I could get a job as a junior trainee manager at a starting salary of ?20,000. The staggering difference in pay tempted me for a split second. But with four degrees, I suspect I'm truly overqualified.

Katherine Brown
Department of music
School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London