Hi! I'm currently working as a research technician having graduated from my MSc in Sept. I have been offered the chance to register for a part time PhD and am really keen to do it but I'm concerned about how I'll manage with a research project whilst carrying out a full time job. Does anyone have any experience or advice on this?

What job will you be doing whilst undertaking the PhD?

I will be continuing my job as a research technician.

It depends on your supervisor (who is presumably also your boss at the moment). Depending on where your wages currently come from (eg via a grant from a research council) the official line may be that you can only work on your PhD outside of your normal working hours and any work carried out as part of your technicians duties cannot count towards your PhD. Anything you receive in writing may well state this.

It would be almost impossible to complete a PhD this way and this is not usually how it works in practice. Ask your supervisor/boss what your technicians duties will be and how much time will be dedicated to your PhD research - you may be pleasantly surprised to find yourself working the same amount as an ordinary PhD student (the only difference being that you have to clock in every morning and pay tax every month).

It will depend on how much your boss needs a technician - and how much a PhD student. Our technician is trying to do a masters but has so much to do as a technician there is hardly any time left for the masters. If you go for it make sure you know exactly how much techie work you will be expected to do- and how much longer the PhDwill take you like this.