Hey, thought I'd reply as you're facing the same dilemma as I did a few years ago! I always feel awful about going to the hairdressers to get my highlights done as I know the bleach isn't cruelty free. I've started going to Toni and Guy and taking my own shampoo, explaining that I'm vegan and I only use cruelty free products at home...they were fine about it and I had a nice to chat to the hairdresser about vivisection! You can always tell a little lie and say you've got sensitive skin and sometimes react badly to different products...my mum started doing this when she turned veggie in the 70s cos everyone would've thought she was mad back then!

As for the job situation, I gave up working in charities (in an admin job, similar to you) 2 years after I finished uni as you're right: the pay is disgraceful, you can't live on it unless you have a wealthy partner and a lot of jobs are fixed term contracts so you can't get a mortgage cos your job isn't permanent. I went back to uni and re-trained as a teacher (ho hum another not very well paid job but better than working for an NGO!), which I love but isn't the same as working for a good cause that I'm passionate about...however, the fact that I can now have a mortgage, some work-life balance and a bit of free time to volunteer for animal rights organisations made it worth it. Maybe you could do something like that? Find a job in the private sector for a couple of years so you get the experience and skills necessary to transfer back into a public/charity sector job at a higher level or do what I do and get involved with a charity in your spare time so you still get that buzz but you can afford the bus fare home at the end of the day!!

You're not a bad person cos you can't survive on a pittance paid by a charity...the number of young people I met during my 2 years who have now gone into the private sector or re-trained in some way is shocking! I don't know anyone I used to work with who could stick it out long term without either living with their parents or having a rich boyfriend or husband.

Hope I've helped a bit...or at least let you know that you're not alone in these dilemmas!

Cat xx