Hi all,

I have recently been offered a partial scholarship (fee waiver) at a British institution. While I feel very privileged to have been so, I am coming across significant problems with the University's attitude towards how I am to seek sufficient maintenance funding to sustain myself.

While I am seeking maintenance grants, the offer did not arrive to after many of the application deadlines closed. The university is not willing to allow me to study part-time in order for me to also work part-time and sustain myself, even for a year until the funding-applications come around again. They want the 'products' of the PhD to be published within 4 years. I am also expected to teach undergraduates several hours a weeks within the department (and spend time preparing accordingly) to offset the fee-waiver.

From my perspective, without a maintenance grant the expectation for me to work sufficient hours to gain enough income to sustain rent, food, bills etc (say 20 hours), give at least 12 hours/week to teaching, and then still find enough time to meet the demands of full time post-graduate study (say min 35) seems at best short-sighted and at worst immoral. I am getting nowhere trying to argue this point, with most responses boiling down to: "well PhD student have to make sacrifices". I am more than willing to work long and hard to gain a PhD, however demanding circa 70 hours weeks seems insane.

Does anyone have knowledge of similar experiences or practices? Am I being unreasonable? And if I do end up going ahead with their proposed structure, is it actually feasible?

Thanks for any advice!
John