Hi bluejay,

It is probably that she would have preferred to go through the preparation with you - could you perhaps send her an outline or your ppt slides to put her mind at ease tht you have a good talk planned? The thing is that supervisors tend to get blamed internally by their manager if any of the PhD students give poor presentations, or are unable to answer difficult questions, so the more conscientous tend to prefer to help their students prepare and check their material for any obvious flaws.

I'd agree my PhD wass probably less stressful than any of the fairly high pressure jobs I'd done up to that point, and would even go so far as to say that apart from the continuous need to job search, my postdoc was nice too. I would say though that I think there is a huge difference even between being a postdoc or RA and a fulltime lectureship. It's true - the RAs in my department do work sane hours, although their contracts are not as secure and I did myself as a postdoc. Yes you have some stress but it's only in one area - research outputs. I think a lot of stress in a lectureship (particularly if you work for a research intensive university so have to care seriously about the REF) is around trying to meet your REF targets (publications in top journals only, impact and research income), while simultaneously chasing improved NSS scores, when often the two sets of targets pull you in totally different directions. That internal contradiction is what gets to people. If you only have to do one then I'd imagine it would be easier (although saying that a friend lecturing at a teaching-led university has just been signed off with stress, so maybe the grass is always greener...).

Someone a few comments below said surely it would be possible to just do your job as a lecturer and not try to get any further, and have a fairly relaxed life - it is possible but only if you are prepared to be loathed by all of your colleagues for never contributing to the collective good eg by taking your turn at the big admin jobs, serving on the numerous committees, helping prepare for internal and external audits, taking on the PhD student that has fallen out with their original supervisor and about whose topic you know little etc. Some people can freeride without a qualm - others can't.

I must admit I don't understand the concept of a PhD where you know the outcomes already from what you write and which has no potential whatsoever to take unexpected turns, but maybe this is a science thing. Certainly, what I thought was a well-planned straightforward PhD several weeks in turned out very differently and most people I know had the same experience. I'm a social scientist so maybe biology PhDs are different. But are you absolutely sure that you know 100% that it won't get better. Many science PhD students are brand new graduates and perhas do need more handholding and structured projects than you would, but I'd have thought there would be some scope for development.

Two other things - as far as I understand it, there's very limited career progression in science if you haven't got a PhD - would you regret it if you gave up? And will you actually be able to get another job given the job market at present? Finally on the social side, it almost certainly will get better and you will find things in the area that appeal. Google culture shock - it might ring some bells. I've hated everywhere I have lived at about the 1-3 month stage. Basically, I'd stick it out for a bit longer.

I think a lot of it is that people (including many PhD students) have a very idealised idea of the profession. I enjoyed my PhD and didn't find it particularly stressful, I also enjoyed TAing. I thought like many people being a lecturer would be a great job - you'd get to do your research and you'd teach bright enthusiastic students. What I didn't realise until I got a lectureship was the extent of the administration work and dealing with student problems that there is involved in the job. And of course all of the things Delta mentions that increase the pressure - there is a sense that even if you performed miracles on a daily basis on the research, teaching and admin fronts, you'd still miss the targets. I think as well that people who do PhDs tend to be fairly competitive, we know getting an academic job is tough and so we tend to put it as our next goal (there's a socialisation process going on as well during the PhD, that success equates to getting an academic job). That said I was amazed at the amount of PhD students I met who assumed that they'd walk into an academic job with ease, so I wonder as well whether there's a bit of naivety about it all too. There's some really open and honest material on becoming an academic on Manchester University's website: http://www.academiccareer.manchester.ac.uk/ I think it's well worth reading.

Could you accept both and wait for news on funding? If you get offered PhD funding at uni A I'd jump at it (you may be able to get extra time to learn the language - I know the ESRC for instance lets you do this). If not, but you get some funding from uni B, then go there, learn the language that would make you a stronger competitor for funding the following year, and see how you like it? You could them put in funding applications to both unis the following year or just A if you find you hate B. If you thought about an initial move to B for just a year that would only require you to be there when teaching was on, could you manage a LDR for the first year and then your partner wouldn't need to uproot until you were sure it would be a longer term move?

Two other thoughts:
1) Can you ask an academic whether the Oxbridge cachet actually does help on the job market (assuming you're after one of the very rare academic jobs)? Counter-intuitive I know but in my social science field it doesn't, except for Oxbridge jobs themselves which are admittedly a bit nepotistic, and the fact that Oxbridge PhDs rarely get any normal (i.e. not just supervisions) teaching experience actually puts them at a disadvantage elsewhere. It really does go on what you have achieved not the institution you graduated from.
2) You also need to think through the scenarios if you don't get funding at either place. It might be worth going into debt for an Oxbridge Masters for the long term career benefits but remember if you get a career development loan you have to start paying it off at the end of the course not after your PhD. It almost certainly isn't possible to self-fund a fulltime PhD unless you are wealthy or you have parents or partner willing to bankroll it (and you need to think whether than is something you would be comfortable with). Part-time is feasible. Given the numerous threads on post-PhD unemployment here, you need to be very realistic about the job market and weigh the risks accordingly.

Could you get any mileage out of the fact that there was no evidence in their archives - eg does this allow you to critique the existing literature for its assumptions or if it's the case that there should have been evidence there does that tell you anything about attitudes in the organisation?

I'm not a scientist but spent last weekend drinking far too much wine and trying to brainstorm with a scientist friend who is in a very similar position to you but in the UK. Do you have someone you could do likewise with? I've no idea about her subject but at least understand that universities can be horrible places to work when everything isn't going right. In the vague hope some of it might help, as she's pretty much at the end of her tether too, here's what she's thinking about.

1) She recognises that having spent years feeling a failure as a postdoc that she's probably not presenting herself as well as she could in her cv and application forms. Her uni does offer some career transition support to postdocs they're laying off and through that she got the name of a careers advisor who knows about science careers to work out how best she can present her postdocs. Might this be an option for you too? Academia can really destroy your confidence and I'm beginning to think it's even more brutal post PhD than during your PhD.

2) Are there any aspects of the postdocs you've had that you've enjoyed particularly, that might take you beyond the obvious science options? My friend really enjoyed mentoring students and so is wondering whether secondary school teaching or some sort of student support role might suit her rather than a science job. She's fixing up to shadow someone in both roles to get a better idea.

3) Thinking about who you've worked with in the past, do you know people who've gone into industry? Could you get in touch with anyone to get some advice - LinkedIn seems quite good for a bit of gentle stalking and non-embarassing recontacts and there's no harm in people, who might help, knowing you're looking for a new job.

None of this is the answer I know but I really do wish you every luck with the search. Could you afford a holiday at home if you think it would help get you in a better place mentally? If you can, go for it.

I have two friends who took academic jobs in Australia. One loved it and is still there flourishing and one hated it and came home asap. Based on their experiences, I'd suggest thinking about the following in making your decision:

1) do you like the sound of the city you'd be living in? Trawl expats forums to get a sense of how other Brits have found it. Remember how big Australia is - if you don't like the city, it's not as easy to escape as it is in Europe.
2) What support does the department offer in terms of conference travel? If you want to keep the option of returning open, you probably have to keep networks here and attending the big conference in your field is probably the easiest way BUT it isn't cheap so you can't self-fund as you might here.
3) Is the department a decent academic fit for you? The friend who came back agonised over going to Australia but forgot to think about the dept and found himself intellectually isolated there.

Good luck with the decision.

======= Date Modified 01 Dec 2011 15:01:55 =======
Liz - these are a few unconnected thoughts that may or may not be helpful:

1) I would suggest beginning with an informal letter of complaint to the Head of department - if there are embarassing issues for them, they might be able to offer the resits without fees and be pleased to find a way out without it going to the university administration. You need to read the examination regulations - there's probably a copy on the website to make sure that you aren't asking for something that they cannot actually do. If you can find a win-win compromise then you might avoid the awkwardness for your partner in resitting courses with the staff knowing he'd made an official complaint. If you go down the official complaint procedure then make sure you include as much evidence as you can and make your complaint as factual as possible. You need ideally to show that they haven't followed their own guarantees / policies / procedures to get anywhere. It takes time but unsubstantiated allegations against members of staff won't be taken seriously. If you want to go to the Ombudsman you have to have completed all stages of the university complaint procedure before they will look at it.

2) I would second Epiny in saying your partner needs to have an unemotional think about how much this is about his own ability in this particular subject as well. It's horrible to fail anything and when we're upset we tend to blame everyone but ourselves, but if it turns out that he's really picked the wrong Masters, it might be better to walk away rather than try to resit and turn his efforts to something where he can excel. If I understood your OP correctly I think if he's passed 1/3 of the course, he might be entitled to a PG Cert without resitting anything, which while not ideal is better than nothing.

3) You might want to edit your OP to make it less easy to identify your partner - it's a bit dangerous to be as open on the internet when you're still engaged in the complaint process.

Just to add - I think the key thing is not to expect academics to behave better or worse than any other professionals and not to believe the ivory tower allows a life of contemplation shielded from the real world. If it ever did, I don't think it does any longer.

I am a lecturer. Like any hard to enter profession it attracts competitive people. Universities expect their staff to publish regularly in good journals, bring in research grants, get good teaching evaluations, be able to demonstrate public engagement and impact and a whole host of other things - if you are not willing to play by those rules set by the employers and funders of universities and be evaluated and judged on that basis, then in this day and age academia is probably not for you. In the eyes of my employer, your best is never enough.
It's not what I'd call the politics of the profession though - like any workplace you will have personality conflicts, disagreements over how to do research and people jockeying for position. That's not unique to academia - I was a civil servant and frankly that's much more vicious as a workplace. If though you want to rise to the top, like sneaks said, looking at my own subject, it seems that stabbing people in the back, willingness to suck up to the great and the good, having the skin of a rhinocerous and unbelievable (and often misplaced) self-esteem and a willingness never to subordinate your own interests for the collective good appear to be the necessary qualities. Most people though aren't that ambitious, and you don't need to behave like that if you don't want to hit the top, just keep out of the way of those who do.

======= Date Modified 08 Nov 2011 17:40:34 =======
I think there is a huge gulf in levels of English among non-English speakers studying PhDs here. There are people whose English just needs a tweak for minor grammar errors and then what Sneaks is describing. I think some institutions have been admitting PhD students without a good enough score in the writing elements (apparently 6.5 IELTS in writing is the absolute minimum to give the student a fighting chance of finishing on time) but also there's a lot of allegations of fraud around English testing globally so some of it isn't the universities' fault.

Huhu - could you perhaps go and see a doctor and explain how you feel - your embassy / consulate might maintain lists of doctors able to speak your language if that would make it easier? It really sounds from your post as if you are suffering from anxiety, stress and possibly even depression. Maybe a doctor could help you access some support that your university doesn't offer. I also wondered if you did apply for the extension, would you perhaps be able to finish the actual research by the end of your funding and then move home to write up in your home country to make it financially viable (and perhaps give you a more supportive environment when you need it most)? I would also suggest being very honest with your supervisor about how you are feeling and get him to help you set up a realistic plan to finish. If seeing him makes you flustered or you think there might be language problems, send him a list of questions you need answers to the day before as a meeting agenda or take it with you. You need for example to clarify whether or not you could approach the expert for advice. you are in the final phase of the PhD and however impossible it feels, you really can finish.

Your contract to teach in your home country must feel like a trap right now but remember how much easier it would be to teach in your own language, and in an environment you understand thoroughly. You might even not have to do much research if that's what you dread. But please try not to worry too much about that now, concentrate on getting the help and support you need to finish the PhD and then regroup. As the others have already said, you are a talented and successful person already without the PhD - you wouldn't be doing one with a scholarship if people didn't think highly of you academically and then there are all your non-academic qualities as well. Even if it doesn't feel like it, you will be OK but you need some help right now so please ask for it.

I just wanted to say that in the current financial climate I've heard of a number of medical charities stopping funding research groups with very little notice. In one case where a friend is losing her postdoc job as a result, it turns out that for years and years the funding contract had always said that the charity could pull the funding with 3 months notice. They just never thought it would happen with such little notice but it has and that's the entire research group fired. It might therefore be nothing to do with you as an individual. I suspect the university are not obliged to find you new funding though.

I honestly think you are overreacting simply because this is the first time you've really had anything other than affirmation. I can't think of anyone I know who hasn't had points of complete self-doubt. Actually no I can think of someone who had no self-doubt but he did go on to fail simply because he ignored all criticism of his work as beneath him. So I think you are having an understandable reaction to disappointment but taking it harder than you need to.
When you are hit with a barrage of criticism, it can be extemely hard to separate out constructive from destructive criticism and most of us will hear the bad comments and scoot over the positive bits. Have you got a friend who was present who could perhaps help you put it in perspective a bit - i.e. remind you that person x who trashed everything hates your theoretical approach and so can be ignored but that person y made a helpful suggestion?
Definitely put the journal rejections to one side for a couple of weeks and then reread the reviewers' comments - once the disappointment is less sharp then you can start to see what comments were helpful and which basically just said I hate your approach on principle (particularly in social sciences reviewers can be appallingly subjective and sometimes really unfair). If you're in the humanities / social sciences then if you're trying decent journals most responses are going to be flat out rejections (never compare yourself with scientists by the way - publishing in a non-science field is a whole different ball game), so don't beat yourself up about it. When you've got the chapter out of the way, show them to your supervisor and get some advice on where you might try next and what changes you could make. Seriously this is normal.
With the chapter, given the deadline, could you afford to put it aside and give yourself the weekend off? A couple of days away from it can sometimes really help you to start seeing the wood from the trees. Your peers are probably going to be your worst critics - sometimes PhD students can get so obsessive about the theory or method they use, that they can't see merit in anything else. Your supervisors will pick examiners who are not hostile to your approach so honestly a viva is unlikely to be that bad. Very few people will get through a PhD without hitting at least one nightmare chapter that you can't seem to get right. Sometimes the best way is to leave it and start on something else and return a few months later. This might be worth suggesting to your supervisor if you can't see a way forward at the moment. Most of all talk to your supervisor - they've been through this too. Academic life is all about being rejected for journals, grants, jobs, getting unfair teaching evaluations etc - they will understand and hopefully be helpful.