hi everyone.i'm new to this forum and i'm confused. i completed my masters in india in 2004 and then moved to the uk with hubby who came to do his mba from uni of cambridge.we moved into uk with a 5yr old and a 5week old baby. i stayed home all this while to look after the kids so have no work exp whatsoever. now i want to fulfil my dreams of doing a phd. however, being an overseas student, i will not be eligible for studentships and cannot afford self funding the phd. however i may just be able to afford a masters. so do i do a second masters(coz i'm not sure if it will be easy getting a job after such a long break) and look for a job, try for funding for phd or what else to do.please advise.

Hi - depending on your immigration status and a whole host of complicated rules on residence, you might actually be eligible for PhD funding by now. However if you're in the humanities or social sciences (economics is a bit of an exception) it's still a very long shot that you will actually get any (the competition is ridiculous and you need a perfect academic record to have much chance!). It's very different in the sciences where there's a lot more money around. Are you confident that you could walk straight into a PhD or do you think you need the confidence boost and refresher an Masters would give you? It would help in one sense for future funding as you'd then have up-to-date UK references.

One would believe that an MBA from University of Cambridge of your husband guarantees a salary of 60k or more? Enough to self-fund a PhD.

MBAs aren't what they used to be

good luck whatever you decide to do but I agree with bewildered.

Yes - check your status. After such a long gap it's unlikely you would get a funded science project either - I think you will need a masters. If you are eligible for funding and get a good masters then you are better placed for a PhD.

MBAs are rather abundant these days but they still carry some wieght.

thanks for your inputs guys. much appreciated.i am beginning to think maybe i should try for the phd funding( in microbiology) and if not possible to get, then maybe i could apply for a second masters. btw where do i find out if i am eligible for a funding?

Hi,

I am currently working on my MA in the UK and as an American citizen I was unable to secure any funding, but with your history of residency in the UK I would definitely pursue this funding that maybe available. I can say that my university was very helpful in all of my funding inquiries. I would suggest contacting the doctoral programs you are interested and explaining your residency history and funding situation - they might prove to be very helpful. Also a great website on graduate study preparation is www.postgrad.com - there's a useful program search function.

Good Luck!