I did a project overview in my first term of which I've used about 500 words in the write-up. I also did a couple of funding applications for research costs and I've used about 5-600 words from those. After my second year I co-wrote a book chapter during my maternity leave which was a blessing in disguise as it will form the basis of my lit review, after updating. My co-author and her sup gave me ruthless feedback on it, so at least I nkow it's been thoroughly checked (my sup didn't read it of course).

What is frustrating is not how little I wrote during the first 2 years - it's trying to read and organise my scrawled notes from that time.

Hoenstly, it sounds to me as though it is going to take you some years yet to really find the right path for you. I also started out in biochemistry, did part of a PhD, then spent many years working overseas, and now another PhD. These are indeed difficult interests to rationalise. You are being very sensible in your choice of topic. I also started out in cancer reaerch - but unlike you I hated lab work so I expcet you could do this perfectly well if you choose. But actually, as I've got older, I've got less sensible as I've realise my 'real interests' are not going away. Maybe you will settle happily into a long career in biochemical research - or maybe you will reach a point where you need to take more of a leap of faith and not worry about your family's opinion (believe me - that gets a lot easier with age).

But you need to do something right now. If you can't take time out to travel (language or science teaching is very portable and will take you anywhere - your family might find that more respectable too) then the PhD in Australia seems like a good compromise for now.

I noticed that! Can you paste it here instead?

Tricky! Where were you when I needed you? I had the same problem and just deleted alternate rows zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I have a 3 yr-old and I'm now writing up. From what I've seen, people cope really differently - some better than others. I think part-time is very doable even with 2 kids (I know a couple of people who had 2 kids during thier PhDs - both got through - but one got divorced!). Afterall, many women work full and part-time with kids. When you actually have your 2nd you might need to take a break for a while though. Do you have a partner or family to help out? I assume you will have some child care as well.

Well it's certainly different this time around - better in some ways but worse in others.

The better points are: I'm much more interested in my topic this time around and i 'own' it this time; I'm older, with more general work experience; I'm married and I think being in a settled relationship is helpful (broke up with bf first time around). I think are the things that what will get me through.

Ironically, several things are worse: I barely get any supervision (my supervisors were pretty good last time); it's not as easy to fit in socially as I'm older, married, and worst of all - have a preschooler; did I mention I had a baby during my PhD - probably not my finest peice of life-management but hey ho; a bizarre number of things have gone wrong, both personally and work-wise, compared to the first time which was potentially pretty straightforward.

So it's been the best of times and the worst of times. I don't regret it (apart from just occaisionally....). I do find it pretty stressful sometimes mainly due to time management issues and lack of supervision (you have to be very confident not to get anxious when you get very little feedback) but I can't think of anything else I'd rather do that I could do, given my circumstances.

Have you made a big change in subject area? How does your new dept compare to your old one? Have you identified a potential supervisor?

All expt work done in 6 months! :p

Well lucky you! But I can assure you that is not possible for a lot of people.

Sounds to me as though you are doing the best you can. I have known people working in some very unpleasant research groups and seen how sressful and miserable it can be if you don't fit in. If the group leader doesn't deal with it's nigh on impossible to change. Some labs are great though - like families. Always pays to ask around first - espeically people who have just left!

I'm struggling to undestand the extent of your problem here - I think it might just be too difficult to get the full picture via this medium. Sounds serious though - I think you should see your local counselling service who will be better placed to advise you and get the full picture.

Badhaircut makes an iprotant point about moving for postdoc contracts. We absolutely cannot move in order for me to do a postdoc - we depend on my husband's permanent job and my daughter is settled here and registering for school. We dont' want to move her around too much anyway. This is a problem but not totally insurmountable. You just have to really ingratiate yourself at your local institution(s) ;-)

I know a few women in science with kids and they've all done things differently.

On has two kids and a very high-powered academic job. I don't think she took much maternity leave but she's very assertive about the rights of women and mothers - I think she's as involved with her kids as she can be but is definitley not 9-5. Don't know her well though.

One old friend (tenured, good uni) has two kids and has negotiated unpaid leve for all the school holidays. He husband is also tenured in science. They also have a part-time nanny. I think she has a very good arrangement but I think she was already tenured when the youngest started school. She is very 9-5 and says you just have to be really foccussed and efficient when you are at work - more than other colleagues. She advised me to get funding for a postdoc first then negotiate flexible terms.

Another friend who was head of a lab in industry (medical type research) went to 3 days/week after the first child but gave up her job after the second. Childcare for 2 children is very expensive and she didn't feel it was worth it - she would have been working just to keep her career going and I don't think she was that in love with her job. She could have continued 3 days/week though. She took one year maternity leave both times.

I have a 3 yr-old I'm hoping to do a postdoc 3 days/week (not lab based). The problem with 2 kids is the cost of childcare - you really need both of you to have good jobs wo make that financially viable otherwise you will have very little pay until they go to school - and you will still need some wrap-around care then.

Another good friend is a tenured lecturer in a medical field - 3 days/week. She has just had her third child (eldest is 3). She took one year leave the first time then 6 months maternity for the other two (but could have taken 1 year).

When you say take a year off - will your partner be OK suporting you (this is what we did - I took 2 years out after my daughter was born although I only planned to take one). It's actualy easier to get tenure first, if time allows, as you are in a stronger negotiating position but you are perhaps not quite young enough to risk that. I recently went to a talk about how to negotiate flexible working for parents - you have the right to request fleixible hours, part-time, term-only etc - but your employer is not obliged to agree. You might want to consult your admin/personel office at your uni for advice about this. Or else try and network e.g. through 'women in science' with science-mums.

The big problem is the 'no-stress 9-5'. I think it can be done but it's partly luck, depending on the culture of the dept you find yourself in, and the exact nature of the work you do. Some projects are more routine in day-to-day nature while others are more pressured. If you prefer academia maybe you could try it and switch later maybe? Industry is definitley more accommodating.

I found the teaching load could really push me to the edge. My best coping method was to dedicate whole days to one or the other - otherwise I got overwhelmed wondering what to do first.

You must impress on her that you are in your third, not second year. My sup can never remember what year I'm in and begins every (very infrequent) meeting by asking me what year I'm in. I was vastly behind at the end of my second year and even my sup thought having maternity leave might be a godsend to help me catch up. This is very common so don't worry about it in terms of whether you are a useless student - only in terms of how to get through it. Sounds like you will just run to a 4 th year like all the best people 8-)

You might have grounds to intermit until she returns, if you think that would help (otherwise - maybe you could have a baby - worked for me!).

Alice - I had to do this PhD here in order to stay with my husband - that's a different level of family committment to my mind. I wouldn't have moved away (although I know plenty who did).

There are two parts to this - going overseas, and going to do a PhD. I lived and worked overseas for most of 10 years and met my husband (from the west coast US) during that time. That was mainly N & S Africa - but I never went home more than once/year, and the longest was 18 months. There is a big difference between being worried your family will miss you and being worried you will miss your family too much. Our families didn't like it (husband's family are still not happy he isn't in the US) but we really wanted to be overseas - we were very driven. I guess I'm saying it depends how badly you want it.

The other part  is doing a PhD overseas. If you see it as like an overseas job, then it's the same kind of experience. I've never worked the hours I did overseas and never inted to again. So long hours don't need to stop you making friends and doing stuff locally. The holiday thing is a royal pain. We still have that problem as so much of our time and money is spent going to my in-laws in the US and I would LOVE to have a 'real' holiday in the other direction. This is a common expatriate problem. But you don't need to come back for a whole month if you think 2-3 weeks is enough. And get them to visit you.

As for telling your supervisor - I would think carefully about your potential projects and work out in your own mind how best to work in some time in europe (I have given some thought to doing the reverse - it's not uncommon - if travel is your thing then you work it into everything you do). If you know your project is the type that will really benefit from that then your chances of a supervisor agreeing must be better. As to when to mention it, I'm not sure. For example, I want a part-time postdoc but I won't specify that until I'm offered a post (if ever!).