I've been offered the chance to do some units in teaching (gives you Master's credit) i.e trains you to lecture

Is anyone else doing anything like this and is it really necessary to get academic job? Just wondered if it would be worth doing?

Oh and DanB - studect/lecturer relationships are more common than you think

DanB is right - most universities will allow a personal relationship, but only if it is declared openly to the department and the lecturer has nothing whatsoever to do with the marking of your work. They are often allowed to teach you, but with a PhD it is unlikely that they will allow you any further 'professional' contact.

It depends how strong your feelings are, but I would say that asking for a transfer of supervisor on the basis that you fancy the one you have is not likely to be looked on favourably. You will have to give a better reason

I didn't mean you weren't working - just that most supervisors would insist on one

bazzab makes a very good point - you should have had more notice of being terminated e.g. your supervisor warning you that the work you were submitting to your first year viva may be sub-standard

Wow - really surprised you're getting away without a lit review! I tried to argue that I could get away without one, but my supervisor wasn't having any of that! LOL

*giggles at coastman*

Thanks for the replies

Maybe we'd all have started our PhDs earlier if we hadn't spent our undergrad days drunk in the student bar...

I'm Politics so on the floor below Economics students in our building!

...lit review (social sciences)?

If you can get a 65% you should be fine, even for some of the top universities.

However, I would look closely at the issues they cover and see if they suit your views on IR; Politics departments can be quite 'political' in that they sometimes tend to lean towards one 'view' of IR e.g. realist, constructivist, post-positivist. I would strongly recommend choosing somewhere which complements your ideas, otherwise you risk not getting everything you want out of the course.

e.g. Aber in Wales is considered very good for IR, but I know of at least one person who found it very ideological

Never decide your title until you finish you thesis - then word your title to describe what you've actually written!

My title at the moment literally just describes the general field. Don't worry too much about it as you can change your title. I don't know anyone outside the sciences who didn't change their title significantly and your proposal in general is likely to change over time. They will be interested in the potential of your proposal. but they won't expect a title set in stone

It works both ways - my parents can't understand why on earth I want to go back to Uni and be an academic

You can't guarantee your child will be academic - I'm now doing a PhD, but my brother couldn't wait to ditch school. We've been brought up the same and went to the same schools, but ended up very different

I know I am true PhD student now - for the first time ever I saw my supervisor coming in the opposite direction and hid so he wouldn't see me LOL

What coastman said