Hi all. I'm about to finish my masters in earth sciences and I'm considering doing PhD abroad. However, choosing the country and the place wisely is important I think. There are some certain things that worries me.

1. The amount of funding being not enough to live a comfortable life.

2. Finding a position in a university or a job in that country after completing PhD. (I've heard that in USA it is really difficult because of extreme competition. What do you think? Where could it be more possible? Or do they discriminate on the basis of nationality etc.?)

3. The quality of life during PhD studies. (For example I have heard from many people that especially in the USA PhD students can't find any time to even go out of the lab, and they have to work like crazy because the demand for that teaching assistantship or whatever position is too much, and they could easily be replaced and so on.)

What do you think about all these? I'd really like to learn about your thoughts.

All the best,

Melody from Turkiye

Funding for biology in the UK and US is similar and you can easily live on it. If you apply for a funded position and are accepted, in the UK you get about 14,000 pounds and this is usually the minimum across all sciences. In the US this varies across departments. For example, at the US university I am in, plant pathology students get $1600 after tax, whereas plant biology students get $1900 after tax. It's still plenty to live on either way.

The other difference is as you said: US students feel they have to work more. Their mentality is different to UK students. I think in the UK people don't think it's good if you're in the lab 24/7, whereas in the US it's seen as normal to work like that.

The PhD structure is also different. US PhDs have 2 years worth of classes, alongside research and teaching, so it can easily be a 60 hour working week. The PhDs are 5 - 6 years long. In the UK you just do pure research, with optional teaching on the side, and you are only expected to work about 40 hours per week (although many students work far more hours than this too). UK PhDs are 3-4 years long.

Job-wise, I don't think there's much difference if you compare the US and Europe, as long as you are prepared to move around. The bias is between people the PIs know (or people their colleagues know) vs people they don't. I don't think international students are disadvantaged in either country.

Thank you very much for your reply.

So you agree that in US an overload of work is more likely to occur. (I've heard of some PhD students in USA going under depression, and things like that, therefore; I'm really worried about it. The distance could be another problem I suppose for someone coming from Europe; not many opportunities to go visit old friends and family, or even chat with them because of time difference) Therefore do you recommend choosing UK then, although you're now in US?

Could you explain a little bit in details what you mean by "The bias is between people the PIs know (or people their colleagues know) vs people they don't"? and to be prepared to move around?

I've done the first 2 years of my PhD in the UK and my third year is in the US. I'm coming back 2 the UK in 3 months time.

I honestly do think that in general students in the US work longer hours and more is expected of them, yes. Bear in mind, this will really vary depending on the supervisor though. There are plenty of people in the UK who have to work many hours too. In general, PhD students are not officially given holidays in the US - it's supervisory discretion. In the UK you are generally given 25 days off and extra for bank holidays. Some supervisors might not want to you take holidays, but any decent supervisor who cares about their students' health would.

A lot PhD students get anxious or depressed - I have no idea about the frequency of occurrence in either country, but I expect it is the same. The issue is the structure of the PhD itself, not the country in which it is undertaken. It can be a lot of pressure, with a lot disappointment, uncertainty and stress, and many people find this hard to cope with.

The distance is also a big issue worth considering. Since being in the US I have missed births, weddings and important birthdays of my friends and family. I now know I cannot consider a post doc outside of Europe. It's just too far for me. I need to be able to get home every few months.

Regarding the bias, I mean that supervisors favour students they know, or their colleagues know, rather than country of origin. I think it's fairly ok to get a job on this basis: if your supervisor likes you, if they have many connections, and if you are prepared to move from one end of the country/world to another to get a job. Most postdocs seem to get their jobs via connections.

I can only say for me personally I am glad I've been able to do my PhD mostly in the UK.

Thank you very much again TreeofLife. Wish you all the best for completion of your PhD and afterwards.