And I never know whether it is spelled Lyon or Lyons... but I think both?

Btw, where was your exotic conference pic taken? And was that actually part of the workshop?!

Wow! Thanks for sharing your experience. I must say, it sounds a bit like you were unlucky! So far, I am much preferring it here in terms of the day to day running of things, and how people and intellect are respected, rather than just rank or position. Maybe I am just very lucky to be in a good lab. Good to hear a different perspective.

Love it! I don't have a pic on this PC, but my fave conf was in Lyons. It was a great holiday!!!

Yes, what tru says is true! How did it go?

Hi kt123, it is as if you wrote this advice for yourself! :) Hope it helps!

It sounds like you want to stop now, so go for it! I haven't read a single reason to continue in your narrative, other than that you don't want to disappoint people. You do say you don't want to disappoint yourself though too... so does that mean that actually deep down you want to finish this and not quit? Just probing! For me, I think not enjoying it and not wanting to pursue a career in it would be good enough reasons to decide to call it a day. And if you explain that to the people you fear disappointing, then they should understand. :)

Hi stc954

Sorry to hear about your current conundrum. It sounds a bit odd, given that you already had a working relationship of sorts with this person and had discussed things. I'd certainly have expected an answer by now, unless I knew they were away on some field trip or something.

So it could be:
a) they genuinely haven't had time / have forgotten to reply to your email (AND the follow up email), or may have fallen ill, be away, or whatnot (you'd expect an out of office though)
b) they changed their mind b/c you didn't get the 1st and yet they do not have the decency to tell you this (or rather the decency to discuss your options - getting funding is still possible but might be harder)
c) they might have changed their mind but they aren't sure and are just biding their time - maybe they had another student they also discussed a project with and so now they are thinking they will wait and see what happens with that and then get back to you (not pleasant but how some people work)

Those are three things I can think of as to why no reply. If b) or c) painful as it is, it's probably a lucky escape - as it's better to have a supervisor who respects you. I guess I would write one more email and make it short and clear - like I am still interested - I realise I didn't get a 1st - but can we still go for this? And if no reply then I think I'd be looking elsewhere. Congrats on getting your degree. To address your Q of whether it matters (i.e., first vs high two one) - in the scheme of things, no I don't think so. But in terms of getting PhD funding, could make it a notch harder. You can of course build your application to make it stronger in other ways (such as getting a good masters, publishing a paper, getting great research experience).

Hope this helps!

Thanks MyWorld. I'm there at the mo actually, just for a year, then the plan is to find a longer postdoc either here or elsewhere. But it is just so vastly different here to my experience in the UK that I wondered if anyone had / could share their experiences. I guess I just have to be here and will slowly begin to adjust and realise what's similar, what's different, and how to navigate things. It's all good fun!

Hi there,

I wondered if anyone here has worked in States for a postdoc or other professional role and might have some general tips they could share. Tips when it comes to differences between the UK and the US culture in things like work relationships and interactions, style of supervision, expectations, etc etc in the workplace...

Thanks
Tudor

Thank you Tru!!!

Yes, it's normal. They tend to use the Summer break for research, marking, admin, preparing to next semester, and the Easter one for marking, admin etc. It's not like they actually get huge amounts of time off. In fact, the hours per week they work are probably higher than many other professions. Same goes for other academic members of staff. You're just working a lot of the time! Not a 9 to 5. Oh and fewer days off than what rewt says if you are in the US. More like 20! :/

Hi Agustina! There is a little grey box that say start new thread or something like that , just below where it says My Account. Click that to post a new thread. No one is going to see this here really. As to your question - I'm not sure - have you looked into Canada?

Thanks Timefortea!

Ps. If you do decide to talk to someone, it is probably best not to criticise - no matter who it is you talk to (unless you know you can trust them!). If you want to switch supervisors and/or projects it might be best to say something about realising that actually you are really interested in X and would love to work on X/Y with Z. Not sure if this is even the way you might decide to go, but just wanted to add to my earlier response in case you do!

A good friend of mine switched. Best decision she ever made. It was toward the end of her first year. However, what helped was that she had already identified another program and other supervisors and funding. Could you try and do this - just for your own peace of mind that you have something to go to? Otherwise, you could just quit/get MPhil and then seek a new PhD. Try and identify people who can write references for you (maybe you advisors from your undergrad?). Not a good idea to ask your current supervisor or any of the club there!

I have to say your supervisor sounds like someone I would never want to work with. Promising not to tell anything bad about you if you quit now. This is blackmail! And as for your advisor breaching your confidence. Well, that says it all! Not uncommon unfortunately. Academia needs more decent human beings in it.

I just want to encourage you to move on from this as quickly as possible. By the sounds of your previous record, you are more than capable of doing a PhD. It sounds like this context / supervision isn't working for you. And the longer you stay in it / listen to what they say, the more your confidence will be undermined and you will be questioning yourself and your abilities - and missing out on opportunities. Move on quickly! All the best and good luck!