As for the languages - I am a language geek and learned French (besides English) during my secondary education, and then German in an extra-curricular course at University. If you only want languages to read bibliography and not to actually speak them, the best thing to do (after you've learned the basis of grammar, of course) is... er... start reading, even if at the beginning you will probably need to look up every word.

I'm currently doing a PhD in a different discipline, but about 4 years ago, when I was about to finish my first BA (in Classics) I became very interested in the subject of Early Christianity and started looking for postgraduate courses in the UK. Apparently some of the best departments are Durham, King's College and, of course, Oxbridge. However when I graduated I took a different path and did not go into Religious Studies.
Last year, while looking for a PhD position, I considered again one in religious studies at the University of Cardiff. Apparently they had few suitable candidates and (reading Latin, French and German) I was well-positioned. I didn't get the impression that the field was extremely competitive. Didn't apply to it though...

I don't think it's a problem at all - moreover, I believe it's constantly done in the humanities...

I think it depends also on your subject. I know people of my area who got post-doc jobs with virtually no publications, so I don't think it's a must in my area (however this was 5-10 years ago, things may be more competitive now). But in other areas people seem to publish from the very beginning of their PhD and end up with 5 or 6 publications.

If you are going to be in the writing up phase, moreover in a social science, I don't think your PhD requires a lot of presencial hours in your department. I suppose (but it's better to check with your department) that you will be able to work from home in flexible hours. Maybe you would still be able to keep your current job, specially if there's the possibility to go part time or work flexible hours. Otherwise you may ask your supervisor whether you would have the possibility to teach undergraduate courses, or mark exams etc. I know also a few PhDs at my university who work part time in the library or in secretarial roles at other departments; I think it's not a bad idea because at least you won't have to travel distances from your office to university, plus your employer is supposed to be more sympathetic towards your student situation.

Well in a way I understand your impatience - but 4 weeks is even too short even to get a confirmation that they have received your application and it's complete etc. The application process is usually 8 to 12 weeks, and I think that most universities clarify that in their webpages.

Well last year I saw several studentships advertised in the Sumer and early Autumn, they were for start in January though.

My impression was however (it was in jobs.ac.uk) that they were positions which had been advertised previously but no suitable candidate had been found, i.e. they were not "new" studentships.

However what I want to say is that there's still plenty of hope for you.

Ditto Chris

Ditto Chris

I recently attended a seminar and one of the speakers was a Dr. Doctor. I seem to be the only one who noticed it though (or the only one childish enough to smile when I saw the speakers' names).

Doing a humanities PhD, I get that sort of comments most of the time (about our research topics not being useful). Humanities project don't probably have the practical, immediate application of sciences/ social sciences ones (you are not going to cure anyone's cancer by researching medieval literature are you?) but I guess our research allows us to understand our civilisation, our current issues and our current way of thinking in some way. At least I hope so.

I agree with the others - I don't really see the point (from a career point of view) unless it's a qualification which can help you switch careers. For example if you have done a PhD in chemistry and you have decided you want to be a translator specialized in chemistry, you may want to study a masters in translation in order to gain some linguistic skills.

Moreover - I don't really know very well how research councils award scholarships but I think that having already a PhD will be against you in the funding competition. Most probably they will like to give an opportunity to somebody who hasn't started his PG studies yet, or they might be puzzled by the fact that after having obtained a PhD you still want to compete with people fresh from their undergraduates.

If you already have a job within your area but want to study a second masters in your spare time just for the sake of it - well I don't see any problem with that.

Congratulations!

Just an update - I´ve just received an e-mail from the organizers, my paper has been acepted so I´d better start preparing it! Thanks for your comments.

I thought the applying process would be extremely annoying and had even requested a reference from my supervisor and written a list of the material I needed to consult, but it was extremely easy. I told them I was registered for a PhD at the University of London, showed them my college card plus my passport (non-UK) for address verification, and in 5 minutes I received my BL card for a period of 3 years.
The opening hours are not fantastic, it´s from 10 to 8 most days and until 5 on Friday and Saturday I think. Learning to use the catalogue can be quite challenging but I think there are learning sessions available. I definitively recommend to order items online in advance because it usually takes up to 70 minutes to go and get them for you, if you order online the day before you can save a good amount of time.