A former PhD student of mine asked if I would support her over a difficult issue at work. I gladly agreed to help her avoid the sack, but without realising the extent of her problem. She just couldn’t behave politely in public.

The day that I joined her at work, she was called to the boss’ poky office to explain why she had been performing magic tricks in the dining room. Although his preferred technique of chastising her was a cuddle, I could still tell that he was very annoyed with her.