Oh gosh, your experiences sound really bad Trilla and Chickpea. Fortunately I never had those problems. Well, there were poor managers, but they were poor because they could not manage or hold the team together. In most cases, in my experience though management usually meant sitting in strategy meetings, reporting upwards and downwards while the teams kind of managed themselves and ran the technical projects.

Right, received some intelligence from my potential supervisor: expects excellence but is very supportive, sociable and generally lovely. On the other hand, the second supervisor is said to be a micromanager, but a generally great person to drink a specialty ale with and a person who gets you to every conference you want to go to. Well, both was already my impression when talking to them. No surprise.

I can absolutely deal with micromanagers and I hope with people who expect the highest standards. Now I just need to find some self confidence for the second.

How is your experience with your supervisors?

My supervisors are lovely and supportive and positive - I cannot fault them, especially as they took over when my original lead supervisor left, and it had not been on the cards for them to supervise me. Glad you've managed to get some info on yours upfront, yirara!

I'm not sure what others think about this, but I can't really liken the supervisor-student relationship to a manager/boss-employee one. For me, it has been completely different. I'd say it is more like a marriage, or very longterm relationship (but no, more like a marriage - because your funding is involved, etc so no way do you want a divorce!). Your PhD is like the baby. If you're getting on, great. If not, then there is a very different kind of stress/feeling until you can work it out with them. You don't leave your PhD in the office (even if you technically do) - it's more than a job.

But it's something you navigate once you get to know them. It would be hard to know beforehand if there were going to be issues. If you're determined to do a PhD and enjoy the process, you'll make a way for it to work out if things do get tricky on the supervisor front.

My supervisors are also great!

I am glad for you people whose supervisor is not their boss.. my main supervisor is, well, not just my boss but an absolute monarch who gives conflicting information and sometimes has temper tantrums (this has been confirmed by all her students... I thought I was doing something wrong until I started asking around...) she is also very very good and even if her criticism is delivered without tact, she is very often correct. I have worked with lots of academics and she's by far the sharpest - she just knows how to make an argument 'work', catches up 'holes', suggests ways to strengthen the argument etc. SO... this is just to say... your supervisor may be your 'best friend'... Lucky you... but it's not always that way and for some of us it is a subordinate relationship and one has just got to get on with it and try to finish quickly and move on!

It seems everyone's student-supervisor relationship is different. Books suggest this too! I know some people who are like best friends with their sups. They like that - I wouldn't. Fully agree with Trilla - age doesn't matter. Issues can arise whatever variables are involved. Most important thing is determination that you want to achieve the thing!

I know what you mean, yirara! My supervisors are so positive about everything that I sometimes think my viva will be a nightmare if I get someone really critical! Still, I am glad not to be dealing with a lot of conflict along the way.

Dear Friends,
For doing a PhD (Aero) in the US, I got positive response from a few universities. I am 32 now (Single). I am planning to get married in between PhD.

Is it possible to work a Full time PhD with part time job (in industry)?. I have 5 years R& D work experience. I think Its possible. For that, I have to convince my supervisor as well as the University.

As a single, there no financial difficulties (Univ. PhD stipend is more than sufficient), but once married, I have to earn money for survival along with spouse.

Any Advice and suggestions will be greatly respected.

Sorry for not replying back sooner. My funding was via an external doctoral fellowship rather than a university scheme. My funder paid my fees, costs for some external courses, conferences and research costs and the salary I was on before starting my PhD and included pension and the relevant incremental annual rises / pay increases for my grade. There may be similar schemes in your field but they are very competitive. Mine involved working with my proposed supervisors in advance to submit a full research proposal and a bunch of stuff about why I was brilliant and why my proposed supervisors and institution were brilliant and, for those shortlisted, an interview with half a dozen nationally recognised academics. After all this they gave me the grant and I had massive imposter syndrome for at least the first year because I just knew they'd made a mistake and got the wrong person or something!

Wow, that sounds great Yve! I wish such opportunity would pop up anywhere for me. I can imagine how you felt about getting accepted. When I applied for a graduate programme after uni I could not believe I was selected, and surely they got the wrong person out of the 800 or so applying O.O

Btw, does anyone know whether it is possible to get additional funding when you get a stipend already, something like 'women in science' or similar small amounts? And working, what can one do? Assisting during tutorials is possible according to the supervisor and they always look for people to help out during field trips. Up to 6 hours per week. But I suppose those opportunities are not available every week? How is this generally paid? What other options might there be at a uni?