Approaching my fifth year of joblessness, I am still unable to find a satisfactory way of describing what I do. It would not worry me ordinarily and it does not seem to worry most people I meet either, but these people all take for granted something I must confront almost every day - that I do not belong to an organisation.

Every time I enter a company building to meet someone I must obtain a security pass that always asks for the name of my organisation. Every time I register for a website I am presented with a long list of job descriptions or sector categories. There is never a box for "don't know". The best I can hope for is "other".