I don't think anyone would claim that it is ideal to begin retraining for anything in your 40s and older. But the thing is - there is absolutely nothing we can do to turn back the clock - so it's always now or never.

I'm 46 and very much hoping I will be done before I turn 47! I don't think it's a problem and the teaching experience will be very helpful for lecturing. Some research grants at postdoc level are aimed at younger reaearchers and often have a cut off of 35 - but that's a different issue and there are still a lot of other grants.

The only problems I find being older are to do with personal circumstances e.g. I can't move to get a job, which is very limiting unless you live somewhere like London.

I did one year of a funded PhD in my 20s and I'm now finishing (I hope!) another funded PhD - and I'm now 46 :p

TBH, I edited the first one out of my CV completely. I later mentioned it to my sup but he was completely disinterested.

I don't know how funding bodies react (since I was er, economical with the truth) - but I imagine that as long as it's up to your sup (i.e. it'e their funding rather than you applying directly) it shouldn't make any difference as long as your sup is confident. One word of caution though - think very carefully ahout your committment second time around because it would be pretty depressing to go through that twice. I have had a lot of set backs of one kind or another (all unexpected), and having taken 2 years out and now splitting my time with childcare, I'm taking much longer than I expected - but the thought of not completeing AGAIN really pushes me - I just couldn't stand it!

Is there anyone who could do mini-mock vivas with you? I'm going to get dh to do this. He isn't an expert - but just getting used to being asked questions of any sort and talking about the work I think will be good practice.

I can also let myself down with my temper - especially if I'm already stressed. I'm already taking those herbal calming/sleeping aids (calms) and I find they are helping.

If you can get your PhD withough going to mad I would just finish it. It really doesn't matter why you are doing it, as long as you don't make yourself too ill or unhappy. If it helps to think of the satisfaction you might have in just having it and waving it around a bit - then use that as motivation. Why not? By the end, I think a lot of people are pretty fed up with their topic, no matter how passionately they started out. There are no rules about why you should do a PhD. There are quite enough rules in the world already without making your life more difficult by inventing more (something I see people doing all the time!).

At the end of my first term I nursed my mother at home (terminal cancer). I didn't officially take any time out but I did rather lose the plot and did the bare minimum to keep things moving for 6 months. My supervisor asked me if I wanted to intermit but we decided that would be even more depressing. I never did make up the time though as there were several other logistical set backs. Looking back, I think 6 months off would have been a good idea. As it happens though, I took my maximum leave at the end of my second year for maternity so it's just as well I didn't intermit earlier.

Inform your supervisor that you intend to publish. I published my MPhil on my own and my supervisor was fine with that.

In my 20s, I left a PhD after one year. It really didn't have any impact on getting a job although I felt really depressed about it. After the first couple of jobs I edited the experience out of my CV completely. 20 years later I'm doing another PhD in a different field.

If you really think you are going to quit - it's definitley best to do it at earlier rather than later. If you are going to be really bored - you should at least be paid for your trouble ;-)

I think that would be a great idea. I worked overseas (Africa/ME) for most of a decade. NGOs/development agencies are always in need of people with specialist skills to help with overseas projects and train local people. There also teaching opportunites - including VSO. I have several friends who were science teachers in rural Africa - definitley an extreme job experience!

http://www.vso.org.uk/

http://www.dev-zone.org/jobs/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organization

Some funding bodies will blacklist a supervisor/dept if students do not submit within a certain period of 3-4 years. That's where a lot of the pressure comes from. Self-funded students are under less pressure.

In my dept most people submit at around 4 years - some have gone to 5 or even 6 and some have managed to wrap it up in 3 years. I'm writing up and entering my 4th year today. Some projects just take longer than others for various reasons not easily predicted, and yes, some supervisors are more helpful than others. There is intense pressure from uni, faculty and funding bodies to finish in 3 years here and people going more than 4 are not well-regarded.

Agree with Ruby - new ideas are the route to my supervisor's heart. Oh - and the ability to work without actual supervision is essential ;-)

Juno - I'm sure it's stressful but I think the reason I don't work longer hours is that I don't have the pressure of deadlines - except for the ONE. I think some ongoing pressure is a good thing - it's hard to keep up the momentum when no-one checks anything.

I also think, that I wouldn't have done this if I'd had my daughter first. Knowing myself as I do, I'd have known how I would struggle to have the time and energy for both. But then maybe it's just as well it was this way around as I wouldn't have both otherwise!

My self-discipline isn't really all that good - it's just age that has improved it.

Put on the academic 'voice' just as an actor puts on a character. Think of it like a role-playing game. Works for me!

I think I could win an award for lack of sup input and attention and in the end you just have to decide whether you want this PhD or not and just get on with it. I do treat it like a job - my time is limited by family committments (and drink) so I have to. You have to find your own compromise. Technically I could work nights after I've put my daughter to bed but I just don't want to. I'd rather open a bottle of wine and watch TV or some other brain-free activity. Sometimes I do, and no doubt I will as I get closer to the finish line, but I try to keep evenings and Sundays generally work-free. But my work-time is just that. I'm at my desk at 9.30 and I work until about 6, 3 days/week and about 10-4 on Saturdays. So not a full working week. I'm just hoping for quality over quantity;-)

You need an interdisciplinary option. I'm a scientist in a humanities dept :$