Research assistants/students aren't on an hourly wage as such (there is no such thing as overtime pay!). Student bursaries are typically in the region of 12K GPB. Research assistants may get slightly more BUT (unlike students) they will be taxed so generally take home pay is not much different.

In my lab, the PhD theme tune is 'Under Pressure' by Queen

Humanities is not my field so I cannot comment.

Any academic with the funding and a decent project (approved by research degrees committee as appropriate for a research degree) can employ a research assistant.

You will generally be provided with the work space required for your project (be that lab space and/or office space). However, many departments are overcrowded and space is at a premium and people have to share facilities. It's worth asking at interview about this if you are concerned.

I think it's highly unlikely that you will be allocated a whole room to yourself. It's much more common for students to share office space (either with other students or with post-docs etc).

I'm curious, what do you mean by 'sth'?

In UK universities, the academic hierarchy goes something like:

undergraduate student-->postgraduate student-->postdoctoral researcher-->junior lecturer-->lecturer-->senior lecturer-->reader-->professor

So he's not an assistant prof as such (that's an American thing where practically everyone in academia who isn't a student is some kind of prof ) but he's fairly high up the academic ladder.

Thank you Wickid for keeping us amused, inspiring us with your vegan chocolate cheesecake and for starting the world's best forum thread

Well done Wickid!

I love bounty bars too! What gets left in giant tins of Roses/Quality Street in your family homes at Christmas? In our house, it was always the nasty creams left at the end (all the toffees and fudges were eaten first). My friend's family used to do the complete opposite

DanB, everytime I've gone to a conference (huge international meeting to tiny local event), I've got a certificate of attendence? maybe it's a medical thing...

losing, not loosing, I wish we had an edit function!

To get back on topic, I remember loosing 2 wobbly milk teeth on a Wham bar which I was eating on the school bus on the way back from the swimming pool - ah happy days (not the swimming lessons, evil psycho swimming teachers!!).

Sorry to post something vaguely serious in this otherwise hilarious thread but...

DanB said "THe other day I got a certificate for having attended some training courses here at uni ! FFS I'm 25, doing my PhD, I do not need a f**king attendance certificate ! Shall I send it back with an angry DanB type letter?"

They give you these silly-looking certificates so that people can prove that they have been undertaking continuing professional development (CPD). They might not be useful to you now (unless you are already a member of a professional society?) but in the future if you do join something (Royal Statistical Society perhaps?), and particularly if you achieve chartered status, the society will stipulate that members must undertake CPD and the annoying certificates are proof that you have!

(Otherwise DanB I completely agree with you about the ridiculous level of PC rubbish that infests our schools!)

Poor you, bad morning sickness? I think it's generally acknowledged that there is never a 'right' time to have a baby. If you want an academic career, then after your PhD you'll be doing the post-doc thing which (in my experience) means you have work just as hard as during your PhD (if not more so because of the multiple projects and the constant striving for funding) so you might as well go for the baby before/during your PhD (accepting that you might take a little longer to complete)! Best of luck with everything!

P.S Have you tried ginger for the sickness? Apparently very helpful - a friend of mine kept ginger nuts by her bed for early am nibbling! Also could try Preggie Pops (Google for an online supplier), I bought some of these for friend of mine who had really severe morning sickness and she said they helped (I suppose she might have said that to be polite though!).