first of all. best of luck no matter what you do. It is an extremely hard to decision to make. I know only to well as I dropped out of a PHD in engineering.

Sounds like you have given this some thought and are making the best decision for you and your family. 90 days does sound like a lot. there is no way in hell you should be expected to work without pay for 90 days and I'm sure that wont happen, if anything that would probably be breaking the law on your employer's part.

dont expect your supervisors to be happy about you leaving as it will throw a spanner in the works but there is no reason why they cant be professional about it. My supervisor basically threw a tantrum he when he was informed that i wouldnt be continuing with my PhD but he is an assh%le!!!

Have you any ideas for your next move? Now is the time to get your CV in order and apply for jobs. You can put a positive spin on your PhD experience and demonstrate the skills and knowledge you have to prospective employers. This is not the end of the world!!!

inline with what bewildered has said, it sounds like your scholarship is to fund your study in madrid only so i would assume that the money is not transferable to another university, however there is no reason why you couldnt spend a few months a british uni as a part of your PhD work but you would still be getting your PhD from Madrid.

It sounds like your concern is about whether or not you will be getting a phd from a prestigious enough university or not. I really dont know anything about spanish universities to comment on that but if your academic grades are good and you have concerns about doing a PhD in spain then there is no reason why you cant do it elsewhere in the EU ( including the UK) A lot of stipends for UK PhDs are open to EU citizans so you should be able to find something of interest. It would mean that you would likely have to turn down your offer at Madrid if you want to do a PhD in the UK

google a search for a list of British universities and use that as a starting point. There a lot of great universities in the uk but the best one for you will really depend on the area you want to research. The most prestigious universities are in my opinion: Oxford, Cambridge and a number in London ( Imperial, Kings, UCL...) You certainty cant go to far wrong getting a PhD from universities like these but they arnt always the best in every research field and admissions can be very competitive in some cases.

I have left out a lot of other good universities so apologies if anyone gets offended!!! If you know what you want to research the go through the list of universities, contact departments working on areas you are interested in and take it from there.

no its never too late. I know of people doing PhDs in there 50s..... if your committed and dont mind the drop in salary for 3-4 years then why not?

Age should never really be an issue directly although its usually tied in with family circumstances i.e people in late 20s-30s are more likely to have young families or have family plans for the near future so i gather this usually weighs in on the desicion to do a phd. It probably isnt ideal undertaking a PhD while trying to raise a family but there are a few people on this forum that do it.

ok first of all chill out!!!

I know the natural inclination when your having a hard time is to jump ship, but this isn't necessarily going to solve your problem. First of all, have you discussed your concerns with your supervisor? You might be surprised that they could be very receptive if you openly discuss your concerns. Every supervisor has a different supervisory style. You appear to have the more common type of sup who likes to let there students get on with it and has very little formal contact, in which case you need to take the initiative and let them know the score otherwise they will happily let you soldier on alone. It may also be a case that they dont care in which case transferring to another supervisor may be preferable.

although your colleague's supervisor is more of an exception rather than the rule. Also consider that just because a student is given a task list by their supervisor each month doesn't really make their life that much easier. Yes it will provide more direction but you are still the one responsible for delivering on those objectives.

If you don't feel confident talking to your supervisor then there will be someone you can talk to in your department about problems with your PhD and/or supervisor. This is usually your second supervisor so go have a chat with them and see what they say.

I dont think it is a good idea running to another supervisor before you have spoken to at least your supervisor and second supervisor because all the prospective supervisor is likely to do is smile and nod when you meet them and then contact your supervisor to dish the dirt on you. In otherwords you really need support from your department before you start knocking on other supervisor's doors and asking if they will have you and even then i twont be easy to get someone to agree to take you on.

I forgot to add good luck with your applications :-) just keep trying!!! One thing I would say is dont necessarily jump on the first PhD studentship you get offered without doing your homework. Always remind yourself that although the PhD project can appear very exciting it is something you will have to eat,sleep and walk and talk for 3-4 years.

How have you been preparing for interviews? It helps if you have clearly thought out why you want to do a PhD, how undertaking a phd will benefit your future career and what skills and knowledge you bring to the table that a supervisor will want. Think about it

Also it helps if you have read up on the research group you are applying to. Know exactly what they are all about. Read some of their papers which will give you some discussion points for your interview. If anything this will cleary demonstrate your interest in their research and massage their ego's which can score big brownie points!!!

If you are not making any headway with applications despite your best efforts then you should consider alternative routes like doing a masters in this feild or working in a relevant job for a while or maybe even a research assistant position?

since i graduated a few years ago ive been offered 5 PhD studentships so i do think the advice ive offered is sound enough

good luck 8-)

I think it can happen a lot in academia that researchers get funding for a phd and they may already have a student in mind for the position but will need to advertise and interview for the position. So in some cases the process can be rather underhanded but in most instances it probably is just the case that better candidates have indeed applied for a position. Some fields appear to be a lot more competitive than others. It very much seems to be the case that a first class honours degree in a physcial science based subject will effectively allow that person to walk into phd studentship ( in most cases) because so much money is invested in science and engineering research and there are so few qualified candidates willing to take up studentships in favour of better paid and potentially less demanding occupations in industry or otherwise.

whereas in the Arts all but the very best of the best will get any kind of funding because there is so little to dish out. I know someone with distinction from oxbridge who is just about rapping up their PHD and this person has had to finally support themselves by working at the local supermarket in addtion to the PhD studies just to keep above water. It really makes one think!!!

usually speaking they do. but it will depend on the package you use. put in a search into google for document conversion programs and you should come across a few that are free. Have a play around with a few and see which one comes out top!!!

very well said sleepyhead,

I hope that puts it into perspective for the person who posted this thread. It is rather low when people start personally attacking you on this site for trying to help them by giving a perspective on their issues. I have on occassion heard people post rather insulting replies to threads I have posted on when all i have done is contributed by providing moral support or advice or when needs be :a kick up the backside ( when i feel people are just being silly!)!

I dropped out of my PhD and still contribute to this forum as I am still a graduate student. I feel I can offer a lot of advice to people having trouble with their PhDs and I may well have another go at a PhD in the near future.

By the way sleepyhead. I liked your response to the low blow. Very sharp indeed ;-)

Count yourself very lucky you are in such a fortunate position where you have no real problems with your PhD. Yes you are over dramatizing and if this is the way you react to such a trivial problem then god help you if you ever have any real problems!!!! Sounds like a case of attention seeking on your part

I will also add that your remark to sleepyhead was a very poor attempt at putting the knife in.

one way or another i would characterise it as a disgrace if a student submits a thesis that is failed.

either because the supervisory team should have not allowed it to be submitted if it wasnt of the requisite standard or the examiners were either not qualified enough to properly assess the thesis and/ or there is some political agenda at hand. I could also be the case that you were just a victim of the subjective and non standardized way that PhD thesis are examined.

I just dont understand how you got through each year with satisfactory progress and when you submitted you are shot down by your examiners and not even give a chance to make corrections resubmit

ill have to say this is a very strange thing to be getting upset about. If this is the least of your worries then you have no real problems to worry about ( with your PhD or course)

I am in the same position at the moment. I've got an exam to do next week and then have to work on my dissertation which has to be handed in end of august and I havent lifted a finger with this project yet. yikes

Stressed has given some excellent advice there. Thank you :-) I think it does really help. I will be doing a 10k thesis. I know its a lot shorter than most disserations which usually are 20k ( in the arts ) but im an engineer and 10k is a lot to me ( ive never been much of a writer). doing an intro, lit review, maybe two experimental chapters and conclusions seems more managable when you think of them as seperate but linked entities of 2-3 k each.

ive often found that reading completed dissertations in your feild can help you getting a feeling for the appropriate style and structure that your thesis should have. You may be able to find some on the web or at least from your supervisor.

Also there are a number of really excellent books out there on thesis writing and writing in general:

check out "a manual for writers of research papers, thesis and dissertations" by Kate L. Turabian. I have a copy and will be sifting through it when working on my disseration. ive glanced through it a few times and it looks really useful

I would agree this is a no no. If you get caught I would think there would be serious consequences and your name will be torn to shreds in academic circles.

Dont do it!!!