Whilst it isn't the best time of year to start looking for a PhD and it's probably too late to apply for projects marked 'Funding May Be Available' if you want to start in October, universities are still adding new opportunities to FindAPhD.

Ads that come out on FindAPhD at this time of year are usually ones that were unsuccessfully advertised elsewhere earlier in the year or ones where the prospective student didn't get a good enough degree or pulled out for other reasons.

If you're looking in the arts and humanities then only a very few opportunities will be available this time of year.

Try www.linguistlist.org

It is generally considered to be the highest academic qualification that you can study for. However a PhD is a research degree - a training in research methods. If your chosen career has no need for research skills, then another qualification or some work experience will be much more relevant.

There are also other degrees and society fellowships which are often conferred on very senior academics for important contributions to their field. They are higher qualifications than a PhD, but you can't exactly study for one or usually even apply. They're kind of like a lifetime achievement award at the Oscars, but for clever people.

See our Funding and PhDs Explained sections for links and information.

It depends on how your current boss views you. You could approach him and ask if he will let you register for a part time PhD, based around the work you are already doing in the lab. Depending on your supervisors attitude and who is paying the money for your salary this could be a possibility.

PhDs by publication are generally only awarded to people who have a close association with the awarding university (usually an employee or long term industrial/professional collaborator). It is possible, but we would not recommend that route.

Applying for another Masters may be costly and probably unecessary. Often even when international students are able to obtain funding, it only covers part of the costs involved. If you are able to work for 12 months you may be able to save some money to help with your future studies

You can go straight to a PhD from a BSc but not in all subject areas and not if you are an international student. Most UK universities require that international students have an MA or MSc before embarking on an MPhil/PhD. In many arts and humanities subjects it is expected that MPhil/PhD students will already have an MA. Ask you current (or past) tutors for advice.

Working Families Tax Credit has now been split into 2 separate Tax Credits with the intention of being more inclusive. They are now called Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit and claims are made through the Inland Revenue. Some part-time students on a low income may find they are eligible for Working Tax Credit. Lone-parent students and parent students with a low family income should be eligible for Child Tax Credit.

We have had great dificulty finding a clear answer on the web. As your grant income is tax free this will probably not be taken into account. The best we can do is reccommend that you visit www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk and fill out their 'Do I Qualify' forms

See our PhDs Explained section for links and information on qualifications. For most UK PhD positions you will need a 2(i) or a 2(ii) plus a relevant Masters degree.

As boredpostdoc says you can see copies of references written about you under the freedom of information act. We are not sure of the legalities of exposing confidential information (it would probably depend more on whether that information is confidential in law than if it was information you gave in confidence). Referees are obliged however to comment on things like punctuality or the number of days taken off sick.

In most cases there is no pressure on supervisors on what nationality of student that they appoint. However the funding is not always available equally. Most funding in the UK comes from the UK research councils. They provide a maintenance grant plus fees to UK students, fees only to other EU students and nothing to anybody else. As the fees are much greater for students from outside the EU some charity research funders will stipulate that all are eligible for funding but they will only pay fees up to the home and EU student level - if a student from outside the EU applies they must be able to pay the extra fees themselves.

We can't really advise on the problems you're likely to face whilst based away from your institution. Swapping seminars for two years in a tropical forest seems like a simple choice to us. As Zara says PhDs like this are few and far between, if you don't accept it there's a whole big que of people behind you.

Our new article on PhDs in the Arts & Humanities is relevant to social scientists as well. You can view it at www.FindAPhD.com/students/arts.asp

We've put together some information for students looking to do a PhD in the Arts and Humanities. We'd like some feedback from those who've been there and done that, so please take a look. It's largely aimed at UK students, but we will be adding more information for international students very soon.

www.findaphd.com/students/arts.asp