I also agree with the 'having time out' suggestion. It sounds like you need to take a step back, and re-evaluate you circumstances without having to juggle so many things. Do you plan to pursue an academic career? If so, you're always going to need your own space, and maybe that's just not compatible with your current partner and his family...

======= Date Modified 08 Apr 2009 22:16:29 =======
Starting at PhD at 30 (or early 30s) is hardly doing it 'later in life' - the average UK completion age is late 20s for a PhD, and if you end up working in North America your completion age will be below their average completion age. However, you should consider the possibility that you'll be away from the job market for 3 to 5 years (if you do a complicated PhD or need to 'catch-up' on knowledge because of your new direction, don't expect it completed in 3 years).

That said, I'd say you'd be mad at the moment to give up a good job in favour of a PhD when the economy is bombing. A part-time PhD does sound the way to go.

From a UK perspective, consider a PhD to not have funding attached to it, unless otherwise specified.

Broadly speaking, science PhDs have funding attached to them, and you'll often see these advertised. On the other hand, most humanities/soc. science PhDs will be not have funding attached to them, and you need to initiate the PhD application process.

It's up to you to find funding from funding bodies, university studentships etc. if there is no funding attached to the PhD. If you're an international student, funding opportunites are limited.

Funding comes in the form of grants or studentships...i.e. a non-taxable amount paid monthly - they are not considered 'salaries' as they don't constitute remuneration for employment. Some European countries do offer proper salaried posts (eg. the Netherlands and Sweden...if I remember correctly).

Ah - I love the credit system in Canada...the way you can swap uni's.

You may be wise asking this question on a Canadian focused forum, as most people who post on here are in the UK.

The importance of the reputation of your uni rests heavily on your discipline and what you plan to do next - entry to postgraduate courses are usually based on grades, and not the reputation of your alma mater.

I suppose one question to pose is will McGill want you back?

I always wonder does an examiner read a thesis cover to cover - now I'm sure most do, but I bet a few don't.

Buzby, that doesn't sound right, unless the examiners have already signalled there will be delays in examining the thesis. Examiners often don't exam over the summer months, so you could be looking at oct, nov, dec for a viva, but next year does sound excessive.

Has the article been through the copy-editing process by the publishers yet? If not, you'll still have time to add the page number when you get to the copy approval stage.

======= Date Modified 04 Apr 2009 19:06:09 =======
Hi,

This is mostly a UK forum and UK students do not study for the JD (but the LLB). I won't go into details about JDs here, as I'm sure you'll get better advice on a law forum. 30 isn't old to start a law career as a JD is a postgraduate degree, and students will be around 24/25 when graduating (if not older), so you'll be a bit older but with a PhD too. I know lots of people who started law careers in their 30s and 40s (however, not in the UK which is quite ageist).

But bear in mind, given that you are 26 now, I'd say it would be a tall order to have your PhD submitted, and law and bar exams etc, all under your belt by 'nearly 30'. Also, take into consideration that the law industry is bombing at the moment (like financial services).

An academic with no printer...'nuff said.

I've heard such varying tales about the actual hours academics work (ranging from 35 to 80 hour weeks) that I'd like to gauge some opinion on here...particularly as we cover a large variety of disciplines.

I know some academics who must pull 80 hour weeks to produce their huge publication lists. Now while I'm not lazy, I do prescribe to the old adage that one works to live, rather than lives to work.

So, in reality, what would you say is the average working week for an academic in your department? And for those of you who will pursue an academic career, how many hours to you intend to work per week?

Hi everyone, I'm still plodding along with writing-up. I'm actually relishing the thought of joining you all in the viva preparation stage!

Has anyone prepared for that horrible question 'Explain your PhD to a lay person'? Grrr those types of questions drive me nuts.

I'm not in psychology but another competitive discipline, and usually a student has to get a first class degree to move directly to a PhD. Unfortunately, most students have to invest in a masters before moving on to a PhD now.

======= Date Modified 26 Mar 2009 19:36:07 =======
£9k will be tight, but she can work to up her income, or possibly get a student or professional loan. My studentship barely covered my costs, and I had to get a bank loan and borrow from parents (I'm a UK student btw).

Your friend should be very happy she actually got a studentship as they are not very often awarded to international students.

Your friend should also check out that she meets the new student visa requirements - I believe the rules have been tightened up regarding maintenance.

======= Date Modified 22 Mar 2009 09:15:45 =======
Some comparisons (albeit not norms) can be gauged here as South Africa is a fairly developed country and a member of the Commonwealth. Generally, Commonwealth countries follow the British academic system (or variants of it). There is research that compares salaries in some Commonwealth countries (inc. S. Africa), but this is adjusted for PPP so it may nnot be helpful for you: http://www.acu.ac.uk/policyandresearch/publications/salarysurvey20062007.pdf.

Working 37 hours certainly isn't normal at university level, and frankly, I'd consider impossible unless the lectures are very repetitive. In the UK, I find lecturers teach between 2 to 10 hours per week, and teaching fellows considerably more. I just wonder are you actually working for one of S.Africa's major universities, or are you working for some sort of private college? Talk of 'branches' and 'CEO' makes me think this isn't a typical university set-up.

Hey sleepyhead, I'm glad to see you aren't just rolling over and taking things on the chin. Too many people seem to get screwed in academia and do nothing about it.