You should get a rise at the start of each year in line with other students but apart from that I don't there is any case for a raise as Bewildered has said the budget has already been set out. If there is spare cash leftover you could try to sound out your supervisor to see if they are willing to part with it but I think it might have to relate to research costs as opposed to fund cost of living expenses.

Hi Charlotte,

It sounds like you're pretty certain you don't want an academic career so I don't think it's worth trying to do your PhD which is tough enough even if it's what you really want to do. If you don't have much interest in it, it's not really worth the hassle and stress. In the current climate I'd suggest trying to get a job first before you tell your supervisor so that you've something to fall back on. You don't have to let your supervisor know until you've got it as you can put on application forms "referee cannot be contacted until after interview" so I would think they would only contact him/her if you were successful. I'd be honest and tell your supervisor that you don't think research is for you and you want to do something else which is more suited to your skills. They should understand as not everybody is suited to doing it and it is a very lonely isolating experience so you have to be passionate about what you do as that takes over your mind, body and soul!!! If your project is part of a larger project they should be able to get another student to finish it. Good luck with everything. (up)

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That's the same at my uni (monthly payments) although I think some research councils may pay quarterly.

That's great so you can make the most of it. You may even get some teaching if you wish! Glad it has worked out. (up)

That's hard to say as this depends on the lecturers themselves and how much effort they put into teaching. It also depends on how well organised the courses are. The problems you describe are very common during PhDs so I guess it can occur at any level. You would expect that a course which comes from a reputable uni to be good though there's no way to be sure unless you know someone who has done it or the people teaching it.

Hi Dan,

I would double check that as if you are generally funded by research councils there are usually funds for conferences and training etc... as part of your overall training/transferable skills they are so into but that would depend on your type of funding. If you are part of a project awarded to your supervisor there maybe be provisions for such things but if you are awarded one as part of a studentship quota allocated to your dept then there maynot be extra funds available.

Other sources of funding - there should be a dept research fund for PhD students (well in most depts in my subject though the amount varies) and there maybe a travel fund or similar fund for PhD students to bid to for extra expenses incurred. The uni may have a fund which you can submit bids to usually through writing a proposal. These are usually competitive but worth a try. As you've have mentioned there may be funds specifically for your area for research that you can bid for. Try talking to other students in your dept to see where they get funding from.

Good luck with it all. (up)

That sounds like the old imposter syndrome playing up - we need to believe we are as good in person as on paper!  Though this is tough as I'm usually have foot in mouth syndrome and feel like a rabbit in headlights as I'm prone to going blank as well but I think this is due to a lack of confidence!

The key is preparation and have a list of possible questions and answers as well as questions which you ask them written down so if you forget you'll have something to ask.  As it has been mentioned if you haven't had an interview for a while you may be rusty so practice really does help.

I really like Sneaks ideas about showing you are a early stage researcher rather than meek student which is an important transition than we must all remember!  We can do it!

It's a hard one to choose between them but it depends on when you are going to hear from the other project. If it's not going to be for a while I'd go for the MRC funded one as it is a definite offer. It would be worse if you hung around waiting for an offer of funding which may/maynot be there and then the offer of the funding from MRC expired. When do you have to tell them know by?

Although you will be given a brief to work to if it is a pre-defined project I would think there would be some flexibility to what you do so that you will be able to take some ownership of it. It may not be exactly the area you are looking for but maybe you can adapt it to suit your interests/needs. Have a chat with proposed supervisor about what the project entails and ask if there is flexibility for developing ideas? Ultimately your project is what you make of it so there will be some degree of ownership - some people just get more than others! It's a good idea to be flexible in your approach as things maynot always turn out the way you intended and new opportunities may occur when you least expect them!

Good luck with your decision!

Wow great location! Good luck. I think I recently saw something along those lines in conjunction with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL, i.e. London Zoo) but I have a funny feeling it was a postdoc or a research position. However, it shows that they do stuff in this area so you can e-mail them and say you are interested in this area and would like to do a PhD/further research in this area and would they be interested? You will need to find a uni that you can register your degree with as ZSL can't award degrees but they might have links with unis/research groups/academics so that may make it easier.

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I know exactly how you feel as I was like that for most of my PhD particularly as it was very problematic (especially my supervisor but also data collection/analyses) which I won't go into otherwise I could be here all day!  I thought I was about to go crazy towards the end as I was under so much pressure to do all the very time consuming data collection and analyses with a very unhelpful supervisor who wasn't interested in it all! Getting very little sleep didn't help either!  The sanity was definitely slippery there! I was questioning why I thought it was a good idea even though I knew this is what I wanted to do! 

My supervisor's classic line was that they were under pressure too and had loads on their plate etc .... though I'm not sure what (I've have yet to see evidence of this!) and I was a mere inconvenience! I don't think this particular academic got used to it as they didn't seem too good at dealing with stress but that could also be do with their odd/dysfunctional personality! 

I don't suppose it does get any easier but what I think helps is to improve the way you handle stress and try to keep on top of things! I know I definitely need to be more organised in the future as it's very easy for me to get lost in very time consuming data collection and trying to write when you are forced to do so under pressure is very difficult especially as you've been stuck in your project so long!  Or even coming up with new ideas is hard too! I seem to find that ideas come to me at the most random of times generally when I am more relaxed and least expecting it! 

I would like to strive for the top (or die trying ;-)) but at the moment the chances of getting anywhere is pretty slim that I don't know what to do with myself if I don't get into academia as that was my goal of getting a PhD! I think what helped me get through it all was knowing that it was going to end and that I would hopefully be getting somewhere (i.e. up career ladder!)  It hasn't work that way so far :-( but the stress levels are not at PhD levels yet!!!! Though I'm sure that no one who does a PhD is actually sane ;-) so perhaps this should be rephrased how far as you willing to go to lose your sanity? :p

This is a great idea - I can definitely do with all the help I can get as I'm rubbish at interviews too! 

I think the most obvious point is to prepare and research your area well so that you know your topic/proposed topic inside out and show your knowledge of the wider topic area as this was flagged up at a postdoc interview I had. I think being confident is a major selling point so I need to work on that so that I can answer the questions better! 

I think practice is important as it does get easier the more interviews you do although in current climate we may be rather limited in that one which is a real shame! At least we know what to expect though according to all the friends I asked in academia about their interviews they all said that each one they had been to was different so it's kind of hard to generalise.

Hope this helps.  ;-)

I would check with the uni regulations but I don't think you would've to pay the money back.  I know someone who left at the end of the 1st year and didn't have to pay the money back.

Similarly you need to check with the regulations of your uni and/or funding body about the conditions attached to your funding. I think you will need to be registered as working towards a degree to get the funding.

A MPhil is still a highly respected degree which follows the same structure as a PhD except you don't need to do as much work so you hand in a shorter dissertation.  I don't think there is any requirement to attend classes as it is basically a research degree although not as in depth as a PhD. I would check the requirements of your uni as these vary between unis - have you got a dept handbook which you can refer to? 

Good luck with your new piece of work. It must be heart breaking to be in such a situation especially as your supervisor has not been much help.  Have you made it clear that he hasn't been much help as that help towards your argument for continuing with the PhD. Have you a chat with your postgrad tutor/welfare officer/impartial director of research as I think you need to make it clear that your supervisor isn't pulling his weight and it has really affected your work.  Have you a second supervisor who you can go to for help or ask for a new supervisor? I think you've got a good case to do so.

I really hope this works out and your supervisor isn't going to affect your chances of getting your PhD! You can do it! (up)

That's great news - I'm glad it has all worked out and it gives us hope! I'm applying for all sorts of things at the moment so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Ownership usually stays with you unless there are special conditions attached to your project, e.g. if a company sponsored you to do it they may lay claim to your results as it happens with some PhDs so they can't publish the results for X no of years. They are told this at the start and must agree to these conditions before they start. Even for research council funding the ownership belongs to you so you can publish the results. As I mentined earlier it is usual to put the place where you did the research as the affiliation and if you have moved on you also include your current address too.

Usually people put their address as the place they did it and an asterisk to show their current address if they have moved.  It's common for academics to move around so this does not pose a problem and everyone gets to share in the credit.  

If you've done it a long time ago (more than a few years ago) it would be understandable to put current address and then acknowledge that it was your MSc from your old uni especially if you need some publications for current job!