As I remember, Kemmis is the guru on action research, I think I referred to him a lot. Worth looking up, I think he has a website that was useful. Published? Sadly not. I didn't try to, mostly because I got part-funding from my employer to do it, and whilst the research was helpful to my particular college the findings weren't exactly earth shattering or useful anywhere else I'd have thouhgt.

Hi

My Masters was in this area. If you have access to learners to test it on, action research is the methodology I used with a mixture of surveys and semi-structured interviews for evaluation. I also used web analytics to generate other data. Does that help?

My advice? Don't bother! Certainly not loans or credit cards. Mortgage? Only if one hundred per cent sure you've found somewhere you want to be for life. Budgeting - everything costs twice what you think it will!

Hi. I have a perspective on this.

Years ago now, I worked in marketing / PR with a plain old BA in English. I got in through a little bit of voluntary work, and turning a temp job into something permanent. I found that people without a specific marketing degree often did a professional qualificatiion - Chartered Instititue of Marketing, CAM foundation, CIPR etc. Because my role was public sector, and lots of dealing with the press / stakes holder communications, my employer paid for me to do the CiPR qualification. but you already have a PR degree, I'd say that should do. It just ticks a box. Marketing is such a fast moving field, with digital and mobile etc (when I did it, twitter wasn't even a thing...) you'd be better making an effort to stay abreast of stuff like that in your spare time than any course. Find a local charity, do some pro bono work setting up a blog or social media campaign, something like that.

A masters is a lot to spend in both time and money and honestly, employers are often not that wowed by them, especially non-vocational ones and would rather have experience. I wouldn't imagine that dong one would automatically make someone a better writer in the way you're hoping for. I did become a better writer doing mine, but only a better academic writer and honestly, that means very little in marketing. Customers tend to like the snappier end of the spectrum! Remember marketing is very results orientated. Someone with no qualifications but who gets results will get a job over someone with all the qualifications but no results.

I hope that helps. I'll qualify all this by saying I left marketing a long time ago for something totally different - didn't float my boat in the end, but that's just me, many people love it - but I think it all still stands!

Well yes, that I can understand, that perhaps the day job might effect the research quality. certainly something to consider.

Yes, it's purely that I'm railing against. I think ultimately, people should be able to fund a PhD however they want. Bursary, work, a mix of both...mum and dad...whatever means necessary... All that should matter is the quality of the research. Heck, I'd probably, like, sell crack or my booty if it got me where I want....(only joking!...just).

That's interesting what you say about external conference grants and the like. I have heard that also. In fact, I've read of one case where someone got close to ESRC levels of funding by accessing various different pots. I did this to a small extent when I did my Master's. I was working full time, but wrote off to a charity specialising in my area - they sent me a cheque for 500 quid, no questions asked. I could have managed fine without it, but on my CV now I can put that I was funded (a bit cheeky, but you've got to what you can). Mind you, I've also heard it said in some cases the amount of form filling and hoops to jump through for tiny amounts can be a distraction in itself. I guess it depends on each individual one.

I fully appreciate that. I was in the same situation in that my grant for doing a PGCE made me better off that working when I did that. Perhaps I have been overly polemical. I think my broader point has been lost, somewhere - that self-funding shouldn't automatically be seen as a red flag to hiring committees when it depends entirely on the person.

As I've said before, didn't intend for this to turn into a slanging match, I'm just saying things as I see it and speaking from my experience. My point was simply that a funded PhD would see me, personally, out of pocket compared to doing it part-time and I don't see why, should I choose to do the latter, that should count against me long term. But lets's do some maths anyway. Maximum bursary is 14, 15k, that about 1200 a month. Average UK rent these days - about 800? Now I know EXACTLY what it's like to live on that as my first graduate job paid that fourteen years ago after tax pension and the Great Student Loan Robbery. Then my NQT salary was about the same again when I started with that ten years ago and there's no way I would go back to that. If others can, then fair play to them but personally I smell something fishy because even taking home more than double that, I have a two bed flat, bus everywhere, buy clothes second hand, shop in Aldi. Half term in a week so me and my partner are treating ourselves to a hostel in the Dales for one night. Come summer, we might manage a week in a cottage in Wales. That's if I can get some free time from my second job as a team leader for a national charity, taking kids out on expeditions. Or is that my forth job, after examining, and associate lecturing? Do anything I can to make ends meet basically. Why? Because my partners wage is only a little over what a PhD bursary would be and she struggles at times just with keeping her ten-year old car on the road. If I was on that too, we'd be up a creek and no mistake. So don't think it adds up, all this 'holier than thou'.

Well I didn't think my comments (which at the end of the day are valid, as are anyone's) would be met with such hostility. I expected of course some 'holier than thou'-ing of course, and I got it. And inevitably the old 'chip on your shoulder' - a well worn and all pervasive social construct designed to render working class grit taboo and promote deference to our 'betters'. Fear not, I will get out my sack cloth and ash this morning, say ten Hail Marys to Teresa May and whip myself until I bleed, lest I get above my station again and ready myself to go down t' pit where I belong. Ever so sorry to have troubled all you learned sirs with my ill breeding, ever so humble your honor.

Hi pd1598. Well, my point to the OP is that, personally, I think it depends on circumstance. A blanket view that no funding means don't do it, I think is too sweeping. I have heard of self funded candidates getting jobs, so it has to happen to someone. I was trying to help, sorry if it wasn't clear. I'm assuming that the OP has some form of income, as I,doubt they expected yo live on air for years.

I'm sorry also if you think I'm ranting. My point is, there are (or should be) different routes for everyone. Not everyone peaks at undergrad, and knows at the age of 21 or 22 that academia is what they want to do. Some people, like me, felt it wasn't an option, went off and did other things, then came back to it later. Once you've got a mortgage and stuff, it's difficult to get by on a bursary. But If you've worked, and saved and are prepared to make the sacrifices necessary, why shouldn't that be rewarded? It makes no sense to me.

I have the same dilemma myself. I have a proposal, and a professor - a leader in the field - who is keen to supervise it. But there is no funding, realistically. Especially as my academic history is a bit uneven - I have a post-grad certificate and a masters in different subjects. But I'm starting to come to the conclusion that it's what I want to do, so it's worth the risk. If there are no academic jobs at the end of it, then look at other ways to use your skills, stay on as a research associate or some such. I guess it come down to, is there anything else you want to do? If so, go and do that, but if not, do the Phd. Even a funded phd, from what I've read, is no guarantee.

Glad you've come to a decision. I think it's probably the right one, personally. Definitely you should look after yourself first and foremost! Take care.

Thanks for your reply Jay, that would be great. I'll email you my CV right away. Cheers.

Hi again. I know exactly what you mean. I often do my own head in with my dilemmas. You wouldn't believe how much 'should I, shouldn't I' I went through before doing my MSc. Then I'm the same now with the next step. I've also had mental health problems in the past which have sometimes made things difficult for me. Come to that, I've also had a few financial headaches along the way too. Heck, one time, in the space of a few months, I lost a job, a partner, my dog, then my home and ended up sleeping in cars and living in a Travel Lodge for like a month...seriously!). But it's all good now and one of the most important things I think is to know when the stress is outweighing the satisfaction, then take a break. At one bit I was doing my master's dissertation, and trying to research the best route for my next step, and trying to do my day-job. I stressed myself out so much that once my essay was done and submitted, and I still hadn't decided, I ended up in one of my 'downward spiral / black holes' (again!) and had to seek professional help (again!). Two sessions in, I had some clarity and thought 'why, Onion, are you doing this to yourself?' So I've started to chill with it and just see what comes. Is there any way your uni would let you stick with the PGCert, take a break, see where it leads, then maybe resume at a later date if it turned out you needed the full masters? I think it's important to remember, especially at post-grad level, you're the customer. Universities want your money, and they should be flexible especially when there are mitigating health reasons. Talk to them, is my suggestion. See careers people. Don't let it become a monster!

Hi Jay. I'm working on a proposal at the mo, and this is useful. I'd love your opinion on something. My background is this. I was a straight-A state school pupil who, lacking confidence, ended up studying English at a mid-ranking uni where I just didn't push myself but got a 2.1, with some firsts in final year modules. After, I worked abroad for a year then took a grad job in the comms dept. of a government body where I became bored so retrained as a teacher. Spent 3 years in a school where I became head of media before moving to the 6th form sector. For 8 years, I've taught A-level and for the past 4 have run my own Lit department taking it from 'in need of improvement' to one of the most successful in the country for our cohort-type. Also work with my local university mentoring PGCE students, which has included guidance on M-level research projects and contributing to Viva Voce assessments. From 2012-15 I did a part-time MSc in Tech Enhanced Learning and received good marks - 75% dissertation and two A-grades and a B grade for the other modules. Now I wish to return to the study of English Lit, and am writing a proposal (in what one of my former lecturers says is an under-researched area) in the hope of finding fees funding, with the intention of dropping some hours at work to study. But do I stand a chance? So worried about my 2.1 and patchy transcript from that but hope my other grades and professional experience will atone for it. Everything I've done for the past eleven / twelve years has been working towards this, but I worry that I'm just not good enough. Any hope? Cheers. FallenOnion.