I am wondering if doing a PhD in Psycholgy gets you some sort of wage? Or do you live of loans/grants? Cause i know that doing a PhD in Clinical Psychology pays £26,000 annually.

Jo

wow £26k - really!? If you are research council funded, depending on where you live you could get up to £19k tax free, so that's about equivilent to a £24/25k salary (i.e. without tax, NI, Student loan). If you are uni funded, then I think most people get between £10-14k.

Plus you can then pick up teaching/lab demonstrating work which you can tax free up to about £6k, although every piece of work you do your PhD will be compromised.

I want to do clinic psych now!

Hey Jojo! The course you are talking about that pays £26K is the doctorate for becoming a practising clinical psychologist, not a research PhD in psychology. For a research PhD in psychology (including clinical psychology) then you're looking at the usual £13-14K if you get full funding. Hope that helps! Best, KB

ah the Dpsych - in my department you're not considered a 'real' doctor with one of those :$

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they're trying to bring in Dpsychs and professional doctorates in my field, but people (academics) just think they are a bit mickey mouse.

Do you get to be a "real" doctor if you do a phd and a dclinpsy?

I'm handing my phd in and starting my dclinpsy this year.

This makes me laugh because dclinpsy people think phd-ers are a bit ridiculous and I research in health with medics (not all of whom have phds) so I'm used to people competing for who is the real doctor!

I think it counts A116 - maybe you can have a routine of doctor doctor jokes ready for when you complete the dpsych!

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The DClinPsy (clinical trainees) get paid £26k because they are officially classified as NHS employees. They pay tax on this, but are still eligble for student discounts, council tax etc.

PhDs may not consider DClinPsy's real doctors, but if we compare my ex-girlfriend who has one and is currently on a permanant 40k salary at age 32 (with room to move up), compared to the route I had to take in academic psychology as a post doc (28k with no security) I know which I would rather prefer.

I know one lucky sod who trained with her even managed to get a lecturers post at Oxford Uni on the strength of his DClinPsy, a year and a half after handing in his thesis.