" I can't help saying it, I love the job I do. Even when spending weeks sitting in North London every day on surveillance it is brightened by the adrenalin that surges when someone suddenly emerges and jumps into a taxi, tempered by a few seconds of panic when you try to find one yourself! (actually training and technique helps - with a bit of practice and forcefulness it's quite straightforward to be in one before the event). Writing a report afterwards is an essential part of any assignment too, and while, yes, that part is a bit of drudgery you do often catch yourself smiling when you remember some of the things that happen"

"For a lot of people, think of a Private Eye and the image that comes to mind is some old guy in a trenchcoat. OK, I am young, and I am female - perhaps not what you would expect a PI to look like, but isn't that the point? I get trusted by people who don't see me as a threat, leaving me clear to get a good result for our clients, who trust me, and that trust is very rewarding, especially when it is a discreet and confidential matter that needs sensitive handling. Not only do Answers have a non-discriminatory policy, they practice it, which, in the real world is quite rare."

Looking my age has it's drawbacks, though. One of them is my photograph being used to illustrate some of the Think 21 and Challenge 21 posters that the company supply to pubs, shops and stores free of charge. Of course, I get ID'd myself in the natural course of socialising but it is amusing to show my driving licence while pointing at the Challenge 21 poster with my pic on it on the pub wall. Some stores are ridiculous - while checking whether stores will ask for ID on behalf of their employer I have dressed in school uniform costume and had a bottle of wine shoved at me at 4.00 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon without the cashier thinking to check. It's for just that reason that our Think 21 programme is kept so busy

At the time of writing I am now studying for my degree but still mixing study and working as a Private Detective. While I have worked full-time in the past I have tempered this with travelling to Australia, the Far East and Europe. Many of the undergraduates I study with have part-time jobs while they study - but I don't know anyone with a job that matches mine!