Hi Zutterfly,

I've had 4 interviews now for various admin positions, or professional services if you like, at different universities. I haven't got any of them. Two told me the positions went to people with more direct experience and two told me they didn't give me the position because they didn't believe I wanted it...

So, this means that as PhDs we can get these jobs, as long as we actually want them and this comes across in the interview.

Not getting these jobs though has been a blessing in disguise for me, as it has made me see that I actually don't want a non-academic job!

I've now got an interview for an assistant's position at a biochemistry journal, which is quite low paid, but at least it's still in science.

I've also found a part-time lecture job that I can apply for, which is ideally what I really want.

And if either of these don't work out, then I'm going to have a go at more freelance stuff such as writing (I've already got one paid commission), tutoring and proofreading/copyediting.

We can do it!

That's when they start yeah, so they will be advertised earlier than this, I've seen them starting from April for Sept/Oct starts, but I've also seen a load recently for Sept/Oct starts, so I think it depends on when the supervisors get around to advertising the position.

For example, I've seen a teaching fellowship that I want to apply for, job ad ends 31st of July, job starts 1st of Sept - so not exactly much time to interview and for people to give notice to their employer!

I would advise you to keep looking - sign up to the job alters on jobs.ac.uk. There's still plenty about.

It's not gauranteed, but it's pretty much accepted! Well done!

Research jobs are helpful for sure, but I would say the majority of PhD students just come straight from education. They will help because they show your commitment as well as giving you experience.

As to how to get them, I don't really know. Try jobs.ac.uk which is where most academics jobs are advertised.

My supervisor told me they start Sept and Feb, following funding acknowledgements. That's in biology but might be similar for you. Plus, you will often find things advertised mid year for adhoc funding or when people have quit their jobs and the positions are readvertised (generally shorter contracts).

There probably isn't loads around right now anyway - most seem to advertised around March - May and then Oct - Nov (following funding I think).

Plus finding the perfect PhD in a location you want is always going to be hard. I know Bristol does a lot of animal behaviour stuff - have you looked at them? I guess you've looked at findaphd.com - most PhDs are on there.

Often universities recruit summer students for internships abroad, but they are advertised within the department so you may not hear about them. You could try contacting academics working in a area that you are interested in and send your CV and see if they can help find something. This is usually unpaid but with food and accommodation covered. This may not be a great time to do it though as generally these things start early summer.

Ok, this really comes down to how much you want to a PhD and follow an academic career, bearing in mind that your chances for an academic career are less than 10%, based on number of PhD graduates versus number of available jobs. Your chances are higher if you network well, publish, are prepare to move worldwide for jobs and work in an interesting area.

If you decide the PhD route is for you, then take it. Don't feel guilty about leaving your employer - you owe them nothing (except do check that you are not financially obligated for paying back visas etc that they may have arranged). All you owe your employer is to do the work they pay you for. They would have no issue in firing you if they felt they had a business need to do so, so don't worry about leaving them either.

I remember reading it, so it was there at some point! What's going on mods?

Experience helps, but you should be able to get on to a PhD regardless really. It can be subject-dependant, but PhDs are often not as competitive as they seem to be. Have you applied for any?

I use APA style on Mendeley rather than Harvard and that puts the date in brackets after all the names. Harvard style tends to list just first author and no date around brackets

Hi Jay, welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing :)

Sounds like it, what are you concerned about?

This is quite a specific request and I'm not sure whether anyone on here is working in your area so you may not get many replies.

Hmmm. I would say this is a clash of expectations on both parts. Some students would be happy with what you are describing, because their supervisor has a lot of input, but obviously this isn't what you want. Your supervisor may be used to working this way and doesn't realise you want more autonomy. Or he may think he needs to tell you what to do, because you don't know. Have you discussed this with him? It is a bit odd he refers to you as an employee.

This wasn't the way my research went, but then I was the only one working on it. In my lab, there were several collaborative projects that are exactly as you described - one student did something, then the others used it. Or people were helping with things that wouldn't actually be in their thesis, but they will get their name on another student's paper for it. I think this is fairly normal really.

In my current lab, I was given a set of objectives as a postdoc and can address them however I like. My supervisor will often ask if I can do some other things though and will lay out exactly what she wants done. Some of this relates to PhD student work.

Generally, your work belongs to your university, so your supervisor can share it as he sees fit. You can check this in your university handbook or online.

It's not the end of the world to publish after your PhD. I know several people that got postdocs with no publications. You could work on your papers after you submit your thesis. It's not worth getting stressed out over. Just be honest with the professor.