The British Psychological Society (BPS) web site has some useful links and information, as does the Local Government Employers Organisation.

You have the necessary teaching qualification and teaching experience. From what we can gather to receive funding for a Masters degree in Educational Psychology from local government you need to have taken a conversion course to get a BPS recognised qualification beforehand.

Cat - the thread with over 200 messages was deleted to make more room for this one - also it was just a list of people asking for funding that nobody replied to.

Congratulations Ann, but until you get a job you're just going to have to use 'other'. Don't know if we've mentioned this before, but thanks for all your posts - you save us a lot of typing.

I'm afraid its Fees Only.

The Research Councils UK web site has some information which may be useful.

Unlike undergraduate days, PhD study affords a lot less free time to get out an meet new friends. Whilst you may have met many lifelong friends in your first 5 months as an undergraduate you can't expect to do the same in a new place as a PhD student. Give yourself a bit more time to settle in.

There are no institutions in France or Italy who have adverts currently running on FindAPhD. We encourage institutions from all over the world to use FindAPhD.

The other point to add to this is that your final year project may not be entirely new research - it may be trying to repeat the recently published work of another research group or may look at some previously published work from a different angle. Work carried out for a PhD must be novel and make a 'significant contribution to knowledge'.

You are right that you only have to pay fees at the UK rate, and if you find a research council studentship you will qualify for a fees only award. This will mean they pay your fees, but no living expenses. The best thing to do is look out for places funded by charities or EU bodies - many of these will be available to all EU applicants.

It's OK to ask them about contradictory research - but for your interview stick to asking rather than contradicting or interrogating. Most supervisors will be flattered that you're that interested in their area - those that take offence may tell you more about them than they learn about you.

We're in charge and we'll win it when we want to

As far as PhD studies go there's probably quite a few. Certainly there are academics in Edinburgh, Oxford & Cambridge Universities who have an interest in Italian Philology.

Supervisors will expect you to have read any references they gave you. They will also hope that you understood them. Have a look to see if either of the references cite a Review Article, this will be much more useful in helping you understand the topic.

You should be given plenty of opportunity to show that you've read the papers, but if not you could always ask them to clear up somthing you haven't understood.

Try searching this forum for 'interview' - you'll find plenty of advice. Also see our PhDs Explained section for links and information.

You may be able to move subjects, but only if your current expertise is relevant to your new area of research. For example if you were developing software for pyschological research or investigating how people interact with computers.

Your experience gives you a good chance of getting a funded studentship. However unless you are a UK resident there may be very few funding options open to you. Your best option might be to continue working as a research assistant and registering for a part time PhD.