tumbleweed, if i were you i would check up his departmental website to see if there are free PhD positions for which you can apply or contact that researcher directly if there aren't. these positions pop up all the time with different starting dates, they aren't usually bound to the academic term. if someone in NL really wants you then they can dig up the funds from somewhere. there even are positions to which ONLY foreigners may apply (for tax reasons). being an english native speaker outside of england is also a really BIG plus in academia (especially when writing articles etc).

if you find you need some extra money you can always give private conversation classes, english native speakers are very sought after and you can make a lot of "pocket money" that way, i certainly do.

i left england when i was 5, so it'll be exciting coming back to live in england after all this time!

i'm going to be doing a 1+3 programme where the first bit is a taught MRes (with some research and a small thesis) and the second bit is the PhD (with more research and a big thesis).

Has anyone of you ever considered doing a PhD abroad? There are countries (for example the Netherlands) where funded PhD positions are the norm and you get a contract with regular working hours etc and count as a member of staff. Not every PhD position abroad necessarily requires knowledge of the country's language. The Netherlands is very well endowed with funded PhD positions. You might just find your dream PhD position in another country, have a look outside the UK. I knew I would never be able to get funding in Germany so I only applied to funded positions in the Netherlands (and in the UK). I ended up getting one in England, but that was pure coincedence and I wasn't expecting that seeing as my chances in the Netherlands were a lot better due to the large amount of funded positions.

Well, I had to write a project summary for the application and it had to be in plain English without any technical terms and without too many details (only about 1 page allowed). How can they then make a decision on the quality of my proposal if I'm not even allowed to go into too much detail or use technical terms?

you could also look at this way: every interview you're invited to is good practice. then when THE interview turns up you will be more relaxed, used to evil questions and more sure of yourself.

My 1+ bit is going to be a MRes course. Hopefully I'm going to be living in students' residences (cheaper!), I've just applied for a place this week. I'm still waiting for the uni to confirm my registration as a student though, checking my post every day!

It's going to be very new for me in England, I'm English but I've only studied abroad till now and I don't know much about the English uni system. I never expected to do a PhD in England, I applied for four PhD-positions in the Netherlands and England and got lucky with the first interview and had to go find out what this ESRC 1+3 thingy was. I applied for an open studentship and then they offered me the quota studentship. I don't really want to ask my supervisor in England too many questions or he'll think I'm a total moron for not knowing all the obvious stuff all the "proper" English students know.

where does a MRes fit in with all those masters? I'm going to be starting one (am just finishing my MA). Is it equal to the "other" masters degrees?

criteria? what could they ask me? I submitted in time by the way...

OH MY GOD, I'm REALLY going to live in London!!!
*swoons*

Hi, I've been nominated for an ESRC 1+3 quota studentship. I completed the online application this week. It says on the website that I will be notified end of July. Can someone tell me if I really have the funding and the application was just a formality or whether I should still be nervous about it?

Hi, I was offered a quota 1+3 ESRC studentship at UCL a few weeks ago. I'm just filling in the last documents for the deadline on Wednesday.

Do I understand you correctly in that I will actually get the funding and it's not just a maybe?

Hi, I was offered a quota 1+3 ESRC studentship at UCL a few weeks ago. I'm just filling in the last documents for the deadline on Wednesday.

Do I understand you correctly in that I will actually get the funding and it's not just a maybe?