"Currently, I'm coming into uni 6-7 days a week"

First off, don't do that. Make sure you schedule in dedicated 2 'no work' days where you plan a movie, go hiking, window shopping, etc. I like to work the weekends, so my days off are usually Sunday & Monday or split during the week. Even just drinking at home and binging on a Netflix series for the day is really good for resting your brain and makes you motivated to work on the thesis the next day. I know it's tempting to just go in everyday, but it really kills the interest.

Even though the PhD is mostly self-directed, treat it like you have a boss expecting a piece of work at the end of the week. Write a daily target in your planner (like reading 3 articles and noting or writing 500 words). Hitting the target at the end of the week is self-motivation and stops you from procrastinating. You could also try exercising in the morning, I found out that quick-starts my energy for the day.

I also found out that it's not helpful to spend the year mostly reading and noting (even though this is expected for the massive literature review)...I can only do about two days of reading then I start working on the writing and go back and forth. You could try to find a conference or two for the upcoming year as well, writing a paper for it/presenting/arguing it out and networking really boosts the confidence.

For social life, you could try joining some clubs. although it's summer so people will most likely be gone till the autumn.

I also was out of academia for a decade, so what helps me is reminding myself that I don't have an actual boss and making me work unpaid overtime! :) I also like job-searching online, it helps to know how much I can make after the degree & figure out different places in the world that I'll move to.

It's helpful to read 'how to' pieces by universities first. This is a helpful one that I used for an article which got published:

Most people in the incoming class with me are in their 30s. It's smart to get a savings buffer before beginning, so you have the financial freedom to attend conferences or travel during the PhD.

I do the same, Kenzie...except I decide to binge with Netflix and pizza or go shopping to reward a piece of good writing. Unscheduled 'off days' are the perks of this PhD position, and necessary for our mental health so don't feel bad for taking them...you won't be able to once you are employed! :)

For the class that you have helped design and lecture in, is this a defined expected role that was assigned when you became a student? I'm just asking this, because some supervisors do take advantage of their students. I know several that have done most of the conference organising and taught for free, before finding out that they should have been paid. You shouldn't be teaching for free unless it is part of a contractual arrangement, like a fellowship.

Hi Jane,

I think most would be okay to read a fully-written draft, with complete references and abstract, just give them plenty of time and of course don't assume they'll be too eager. That way, they can give you feedback in a similar way to the official peer-review editorial process. They are also very willing to point you in the direction of a journal that would be the best fit, as they have much more experience navigating the journal aims and submission process. Some journals are more accepting of early career researchers then others, as it gets to 'double-blind' process only after the initial editor's glance of seeing if it is worthy to pass to peer-review.

Anything more than that may step into co-authorship, which includes developing the argument or reading over incomplete sections and writing on them/suggesting the direction. Of course, you can ask them if they'd be willing to co-author.

Congratulations and Thank you for this! :)

It takes several weeks or a few months. Each program/institution is different, some slower than others. Plus, there may be two round of admissions.

Hi Pm133, thank you for the somewhat strange reply, however, I'm just quickly replying to state that there is no value in engaging with a debate you on this issue. Any speculation of teachers' behaviour and responsibility clearly derails from the OP's topic and would not be useful for a forum focused on postgraduate issues. Let's keep the topic on assisting someone with choosing to do a PhD while working.

PM133, please refrain from insulting a profession that you have not clearly experienced. Laebae stated, 'one of the most tiring jobs', and it is true. As a seasoned teacher who has switched into higher academia, I can vouch that teaching (especially in the primary/elementary school setting) has an extremely dedicated force of people who have to be educators, counsellors, conflict disputers and social workers while being a positive role model for 9+ hours a day. This is a role that is draining and exceeds the salary that they are afforded. Plus, there is a constant awareness of providing a safe environment for children so you can go to work. Academia is mentally exhausting (and, even depressing), but much less of a risk as a job and less physically exhausting as teaching minors in the classroom. I've worked in five different industries (including hospitality and the service industry), and teaching is one of the the most rewarding, yet draining jobs.

Back to the OP - laebae has excellent advice. I think a part-time PhD route is a great option, if a funding route is there for it. I know some colleagues that did part-time PhD (some as teachers!) and some as workers in other professions. It allows for a better pace of study and learning how to research. Don't worry about the possibility of others undercutting your research--the thesis topics in the arts and humanities become very niche. Also, the MA dissertation supervisor may be able to take a look at your research proposal and give feedback on how it can be strengthened (if you haven't done this already).

Hey Lucedan,

It's fine. It's quite common for established scholars to shape a conference paper into an article. As Bloop pointed out, the feedback from the conference may help strengthen the article (and know what critique you'll have to 'fend off' in the editorial review process!). Some articles even have a short acknowledgement, stating that this article was developed from a presentation at ___. (The self-plagiarism only comes in if you hit the plagiarism limit, which is basically copy-and-paste 6+words in a row, it's fine to re-write the paper in order to extend it into an article). However, if the conference paper is never officially 'published' in a set of conference proceedings (and you remove it from any online submission), I would think it's okay to put sections directly into an article, because it's not 'published' anywhere else.

I agree with Thesisfun. Co-authoring is a great opportunity and what you learn from collaboration (drafting, editing) will strengthen your writing skills for a solo paper later. Especially if the co-author has experience publishing. First papers from recent grads are not particularly stellar, honestly, as the authors are practising how to switch from a slog of writing like a thesis to a distilled piece of writing that needs to capture the attention to get past the desk-reject. However, this is assuming that you and the co-author will collaborate with the data/analysis/argument, not that the co-author wants to piggy-back off your entire work. If it is the latter case, then I can see your hesitation.

Don't worry, I don't think you are behind. You can start writing your literature review if you have taken enough notes and have an outline. It is a process of writing, editing, enriching with secondary sources, and the best ones that show a high level of synthesising, deep referencing and conceptual understanding should take several heavy edits and enriching before submitting, rather than writing furiously for two or three weeks before the draft is due. That means you can start writing 50% of the week (maybe 2- 3 days), and spend the other 50% continuing to read and note for later parts...increasing the writing percentage as you hit your daily word count targets and feel more confident in the structure and referencing.

Once you start writing with a modest word count target, your confidence will increase, as academic writing is a skill before an art. For me, that starting point was 300 words, and now I'm at 700 words. Give yourself 1-2 weeks to edit the full draft before submitting.

So, first step is to figure out how much writing/week is needed before the draft is due (usually the amount expected for the annual review submission). Decide on your outline and make a word-count for each section and subsection to give your writing some structure and give yourself some achievable goals. It also helps to have a reward/present to yourself in mind when you are 50% done with the draft, then 100%, as this is a lonely process and it adds a nice incentive to hit the goals. :)

Like rewt, I prefer to work on campus, with a dedicated workspace and office hours.
Lectures would be in the first two years, but it probably depends on the program and what type of training you need for your methods and data collection. I'm using a method that I'm already comfortable with for a social science thesis (full time), so I only needed one class that met once a week, and got it done in the first semester. Any additional classes are optional. However, others are taking 1 or 2 classes every semester to familarise themselves with theories and methods. Supervisor meetings are only once a month, and can be done on Skype.