See our PhDs Explained sections for coments on interviews. The PhD Life section has a couple of links which may be of use. Also search this forum for 'interview' to see what others have said.

You can only do a PhD with the co-operation of your employer. Speak to them about your options for further study.

Your best hope is to apply for funding from your own government.

Ditto

If you write prospectively then make sure it's only about things you are really interested in - otherwise you're wasting everybody’s time. Studentships for October 2005 are being advertised now - many more will follow in November and December. If you wait until the New Year you will have already missed some opportunities.

Although a very small number of 4 year PhD programmes have begun in the USA, the vast majority run for 5 years or more. Things are subject specific and institution specific. When you apply ask for their average time to submission.

Ask your grant awarding body - it all depends on their terms and conditions.

Under most circumstances there would be a very high chance of obtaining a job in your US collaborators lab after finishing your PhD, and even of spending some time their during your study.

Ask your potential supervisor.

Find out how much holiday you'll get, what hours you can expect to work and the average time to completion in the department you want to work in.

The time to completion for science PhDs in the UK is fixed by the research councils at between 3 and 4 years. In the US it can take much longer.

You can take time out, but it may be worth looking before you go and requesting deferred entry. That way you won't be trying to apply for places whilst your half way around the world (it also makes interviews easier).

See our Funding and PhDs Explained sections for links and information.

It depends on your supervisor (who is presumably also your boss at the moment). Depending on where your wages currently come from (eg via a grant from a research council) the official line may be that you can only work on your PhD outside of your normal working hours and any work carried out as part of your technicians duties cannot count towards your PhD. Anything you receive in writing may well state this.

It would be almost impossible to complete a PhD this way and this is not usually how it works in practice. Ask your supervisor/boss what your technicians duties will be and how much time will be dedicated to your PhD research - you may be pleasantly surprised to find yourself working the same amount as an ordinary PhD student (the only difference being that you have to clock in every morning and pay tax every month).

We're not experts in every field (or any for that matter), but the same should be true when it comes to considering where to study. As for age, it shouldn't make too much difference to your career prospects, you'll should rise up the ladder at the same rate as someone who starts a PhD at 21 - but obviously it'll be difficult to catch somebody up with an 8 year head start.

As you are in a professional discipline I imagine that 29 is not too late. In terms of your academic career study in the UK or the US should make little difference more important will be the quality of the department you choose to study at and the supervisor you study under.

Most funded projects on this site cover course fees, lab fees and tax free living expenses (usually between £8500 and £13500 pa depending on the funding body and any industrial involvement). With a first you'll have a good chance of getting the PhD you want - look out for CASE or CAST studentships, which have increased living expenses paid for by an industrial partner.

When your asked for informal enquiries don't ask too many questions - you might scare people off, and you can always follow up on any reply you get. State why you are interested in their research, sometimes academics don't list what projects they have just a general research area - clarify what opportunities are available. If something is unclear from their ad you could ask them to clarify it.

Don't forget to mention you have a first in biotechnology and where it's from.

See our Funding and PhDs Explained sections for links and information.