I am a month into my Phd (Arts)and my supervisor has just e-mailed me with what I can only describe as some homework for our next meeting, which she calls 'tutorials'. It's not something I was planning to look at in detail yet as it is secondary to my main data which I am tryng to identify at the moment. It may be a useful exercise but it means I have to take time out to complete what she wants, and it isn't something I asked for. She has said she doesn't want an essay but results in a table form. Is it me or does this seem more undergrad than PhD. She has never supervised a PhD before and is not an academic, working in a heritage setting atached to the university. I hope she can't be identified by this!

Sounds like you being subject to exploitation. Careful, before you realise it, you gradually move away from the completion date of your PhD

Yeh but you've got a tough problem there. They've got to somehow get the hint! I have no idea how you can get them the hint, though... 8(

**She has never supervised a PhD before and is not an academic, working in a heritage setting atached to the university**

Hi there, do you just have the one supervisor? Does she herself have a PhD? I just wondered as you say she is not an academic. IF that's the case, shouldn't someone else be supervising you as well? And if that's the case can you raise your concerns with them?

Sorry, I may be making too many assumptions, but my understanding (at least in the UK) is that anyone non-acadmic/without a PhD can supervise a PhD student but only as a joint exercise.. but if anyone else knows differently please tell me..

I know people who got PhDs and ARE academics but as they are relatively new in post they are not allowed to supervise doctoral students single-handedly.

I do have another supervisor. My PhD is part of a wider project and I can always go to the project leader. She is a professor and supervised me at masters level and we get on very well so I see her often anyway. The problem is that my original supervisor is on research leave so the one I have now is a substitute. But I don't want to cause any bad feeling. She is very knowledgable on the content of part of my research but she doesn't have any postgraduate qualification herself so I feel she is perhaps lacking in knowing how to direct a PhD student. Should I worry that she said not to bother with theories? I know what I want to do and how to go about it but don't want to dismiss her suggestions as she has been valuable in giving bibliographical information.

I think it would be difficult for someone who had never done a PhD to know what one entails. Therefore, she may be very knowledgable in her area but she doesn't really understand how she should be supervising you. If she is very easy to talk to, I think you had best have a meeting with her and talk about "tutorials" that she has been giving you and explain you would rather have "supervisions" instead. I think this is very urgent as you could be wasting valuable time from your "real" work.

Am 5 months in and up until now my sups have set me essays/reviews every month. However I am now working on stuff more to my liking and as upgrade approaches I will ask for nothing to be set. xx