Hi, can anyone enlighten me on the above mentioned issue? As far as I know, people taking up assistantship are require to do more extra stuffs for the uni (teaching/lab work not pertaining to own phd proj whereas studentship get a lesser maintenance fees (stipends that are not taxable). If my assumptions are right, I would have a few more quires;

1) Are the stipends for assistantship taxable?
2) Can a phd done within a normal period (3 yrs) with an assistantship since there are other work commitments to be fulfilled. anyone with success case?
3) What status (student/emplyment/or both)would a person doing a phd with an assistantship be holding?

I appreciate any advices. Thanks.
:)

In the UK a research assistantship is a job, not studentship. So you are an employee earning a salary which is taxed as normal. The amount of time spent working specifically on your PhD project as opposed to other work varies a lot and is something you need to sort out with your supervisor. it is theoretically possible to submit in 3 years going this route but most people take longer. I have 2 friends who did their PhD's like this (I think they took 5 years). They did not start out doing a PhD imediately - they had been research assistants for a while first.

Not sure what you mean by your last point. During your time as a research assistant you would be an employee not a student. Once completed, your PhD would have the same status as any other.

I can answer from a UK perspective... not sure where you're based though.

1) "Stipends" apply to PhD studentships. Research Assistants (RAs) are contracted members of university staff and paid a salary, not a stipend. Their salaries are taxed and they pay national insurance.

2) This varies, but every RA I've known who's done a PhD simultaneously has completed more quickly. As an RA - a member of staff - you are more accountable to your seniors, who are official "bosses" rather than "supervisors". Deadlines are less flexible when part of an employment contract.

cont'd...
3) Tricky one, this - depends on what your uni lets you do. Officially RAs are employees: even if their RA work forms the basis of a Phd thesis, they should only be registered as part time students alongside their RA job. However some places allow full time student status alongside the job, which gives all the added benefits/discounts for students. Not really fair as RAs are usually on more money that PhD students on stipends/self funders

"However some places allow full time student status alongside the job, which gives all the added benefits/discounts for students. Not really fair as RAs are usually on more money that PhD students on stipends/self funders"

How is it not fair? I've been lucky enough to have such an opportunity, but the fact of the matter is I'll effectively be doing two full-time jobs at once. There are and will be quiet days in terms of the assistantship, which of course can only benefit my research work in terms of time, but a large part of the assistantship work is contract analytical testing (as well as looking after under and postgrads). So in my mind, any extra money I happen to get is properly earned.

Hi, thank you guys for your replies. Guess I have more idea about an assistantship. I manage to clinch one recently but was told it not possible to have a full time student status in line with the job. Just out of curiosity, do you pay taxes since you are a full time student and do you find it hard to cope? ==ImmatureStudent.

no you don't pay tax on the Stipend but you may if you are a research assistant getting paid as staff.
and if anything its easier, because you get more money - the only problem comes if you try to get certain loans based on it, like mortgages

Oh and also as a student you get council tax beifits (UK)

Immature student, it sounds like while you're doing your research and job at the same time, they're not exactly the same project (am I right?), in which case you're working hard amd deserve the benefits.

The scenario I was describing is when RAs are paid at full salary, and the same work they're doing as an RA is allowed to be the focus of their PhD - so job and PhD are simultaneous in terms of time AND content, IYSWIM? On this basis it's not really cricket for someone employed on a project as a salaried worker, (earning twice as much as a grad student on a stipend), to be registered as a full time student for teh same things and therefore claim the same benefits. Unfortunately it happens as leading academics benefit by getting and RA to do the work done more quickly that a 100% PhD student might, and at the same time they look good as they have another successful "PhD completion".

I don't actually start PhD work until October, but the lab (primarily electron microscopy plus analytical instrumentation) I'm doing the RA in will be relevant to the research (nanoparticles), but I will be juggling my time between this lab and the chemistry department. I've been told that my RA salary will go tax-free from start of PhD, but I've yet to find out if I'll have to cover my fees/materials/expenses out of that. I sincerely hope not, as I know a normal full-time PhD student would get, say, 24000 euro (I'm in Dublin), 8K of which is for the above "overheads" and the remaining 16K is to live on. In my opinion it's a shocking amount, considering a PhD is essentially a job.

To add to that: someone earlier mentioned that you can still get a stipend on top of your tax-free salary. Is this true in all cases or dependent on the discretion of the supervisor? My RA salary as it stands is a pittance, I would like to enjoy some sort of normal life for the next 3-4 years, so ideally a supervisor will say "right, he's self-funded in terms of living expenses, I'll provide some of the secured funding to cover his fees/materials/conference expenses."

Or am I being incredibly naiive?

Kronkodile, I agree that the common scenario is slightly unfair. Two friends of mine (one who is in his final year and the other who's finished) advised me not to tell too many people, that some wouldn't be very happy to hear that I'm earning more. But I figure that it's perfectly legit considering the juggling that's involved, as opposed to doing RA/PhD in tandem. Maybe we should all be applying for RAs then

Well, not for my case... I'm being offered a RA post (Full time) and I'll need to apply for the PhD on a part time basis. As it's stated on the contract, there will be additional tasks to be fulfilled...

I appreciate all your replies.