No. I'm using questionnaires and validating a new question is such a big job I needed to use one that had already been through those stages. Some people make the development and validation process part of the PhD but if you don't want to do that - 'stick by the tried and tested'.

A good friend of mine did his PhD part-time while they had two kids. His wife was quite a high flyer and definitely the major bread winner. It was very tough though. She only took 3 months maternity leave and did find it very distressing - sometimes she resented not being the one to stay home. He also found it very er, challenging being at home with the children (it can send you a bit batty). They've come through it now and he has a lectureship which he has negotiated down to 4 days/week to help with childcare.

The breast-feeding issue is something a lot of people don't think about until it's too late. You can express, but there's more too it that just the milk (sorry for those who are squeamish - stop here). I nursed my daughter for a year which meant I couldn't be away from her for very long. A senior academic here told me she nursed her 9 day-old at a dept-meeting so I guess it can be done (and my dept coffee room was OK for me) - but it's something to consider if you think this is going to be important to you.

My husband used to say he would like to stay home with the baby. He is a doting father but there is no way that now, experiencing the reality of it, he would ever volunteer to do that. Even I, quite frankly, would not want to do that 7 days/week - I'd go out of my mind. Part-time work is perfect for me personally - I went back 2 days/week when she was 1. My husband looks after her on Saturdays while I work. They have a good time but that is the limit that he could handle cheerfully and willingly. It's hard to know how you will really feel about splitting childcare until you get to it - so it's worth considering different options.

I'm in the UK. Most of the women/men I know who went part-time had to take a demotion at work because they were junior/middle management and/or had major travel committments that were incompatible with working part-time. It depends on the profession you are in and where you are on the career ladder. Employers only have to consider flexible working - they are under no obligation to agree and can radically change the nature of your job to do so. It would be professional suicide for my husband to go part-time at this point and we have chosen to keep one strong career going while I try to keep going part-time.

I'm hoping to negotiate a part-time post-doc but I don't see too many women doing that - I don't know any at my university. I went to a meeting about negotiating flexible working and all the others were non-research staff. I'm very fortunate that my dept and supervisor are very child-friendly in an insititution which tends to the attitude that academic priorities should come before anything else in your life. The bigger problem is being on short contracts and the financial instability that brings.

I think if both parents can go part-time that can be a great option for the family. But in my experience, it's not always a realistic option, especially if one or both parents is also on temporary contracts.

Alice - it can be a problem in professions/positions that don't have a part-time option. It can also be a problem if it means a major demotion to go part-time. In many cases, two part-time salaries are considerably less than one full-time salary.

I'm funded by the university. I don't know what the holiday policy is and we've never discussed it. I take holiday when I want and don't inform my supervisor as I rarely see him. It's entirely up to me to manage my time. I'm not sure how much hiliday I take - probably about 4-6 weeks/year.

I had my daughter during my PhD. I rely on my husband having a steady job - it helps if somebody does. I hear a lot of potesting about how terrible it is that one parent should have to compromise rather than both go part-time or downsize to share childcare. Well, the reality is, it helps a lot if one partner (if it's a two parent household) has a steady job if the other is a student or on contracts. If both parents are financially unstable it can be done - but it's very stressful.

He definitely sounds creepy and I think your instincts are right. How long have you got left? He sounds like someone who has no idea about normal social boundaries and is unable to read social cues that would normally prevent inapropriate behavior. It seems like you are doing the sensible thing trying to neither encorouge him nor piss him off. But if he ever crosses the line you should tell eg your other supervisor.

Sorry to say there are quite a few socially challenged supervisors around.

What on earth is 'PhD by research only'??? Everyone has to write a thesis - even scientists!

Looking at the article I think he's just referring to the actual writing (not the research part) - in which case 12 to 18 months is certainly more than enough.

Congratulations. Another comrade made it though the escape tunnel to the post-PhD world...

Do you mean money for your actual research itself (rather than living and fees)? You must be very clear with your supervisor about this and have some rough idea of how much these costs will be. He should be able to tell you whether there is dept/grant money available for your actual reserach costs or whether you will have to apply for a grant to cover those costs - and you need some kind of Plan B if you can't get money for the costs.

Be careful - I thought there would be money for my reserach costs and it turned out there was none and I had to find a small part of the required amount myself and manage as best I could.

Most universeries have means-tested burseries to help with childcare costs. You should contact your university fincance/admin people and ask about that. That is the only help available for graduate students (as opposed to undergtraduates).

I didn't qualify as my husband works. I got a grant which I spent on childcare.

I think you should speak to your supervisor directly - this does seem unreasonable. Our dept sometimes has a long wait - 4-5 months. I am concerned mysefl as I am planning two overseas trips this summer when I hope (in my dreams) to have my viva.:$

Deep snow here too! My three- yr-old id itching to get out and play in it - it's still snowing pretty heavily though. We must drive into town this afternoon too :p

Me too Aloha. I stopped dying my hair about 2 years ago. Partly I just couldn't be bothered (afford..) to get it done properly and also I think I'm passing the age where it doesn't look a bit desperate :$