I just wondered how many of you use/would use the Dr title in everday life (e.g. would/have you changed your title on bank/credit cards, would/do you use the title when making bookings, etc)?

I only use my Dr title at work (i.e. within academia) because I don't see what benefits I'd gain from using it in the 'real' world.

Oh no, the first people you tell are the bank! Having spent YEARS living on my overdraft asking for the odd £20 here and there, I am going to let the little plebs at NatWest who have put me on a million guilt trips know that I am a Dr... whether they think that's a PhD or MD I don't care!

this is something that really interests me. i do not intend to use my title anywhere other than professionally because,to be honest, it seems to make people feel uncomfortable and i don't see the point. also, i have an issue with the concept that people with more qualifications deserve some kind of special treatment.

second issue is, at some point i intend to get married. i am very keen not to change my sir name however, it looks like this may be the sticking point in the actual getting married procedure. so, i am thinking of completely compartmentalising my life so that i'm dr x and work and mrs y everywhere else.

a little like dr jekyll and mr hyde...mmm...

A

That's the difference between the UK and many European countries. Within the latter, the Dr title becomes part of your identity and your name, which means it will be incorporated into your passport and other important documents. And yes, you quite often get better treatment, nice side effect and not uncomfortable at all. In the UK, on the other hand, people appear to be reluctant to use their title for which they worked hard and many years, quite stupid if you ask me. Sir Alan Sugar doesn't use his title only for the work place, he IS Sir Alan Sugar. If you are Dr X, then why not using the title outside of work?

because my friends, family and loved ones really couldn't care less. they wouldn't go about referring to themselves as employee of the month. they are proud of my successes but it's massively irrelevant otherwise.

We are not talking about friends and family. I meant outside the work place, not at home or with relatives. Might be cultural difference.

What really annoys me is that in my home country the title is widely accepted, respected and acknowledged, also outside academia,also with regard to employment. Whereas in the UK, noone gives a sh++

i think it's definately a cultural thing! my lovely MSc supervisor was from holland and when she was appointed professor recently the first thing she did was change her passport, then bank details, then driving license etc etc etc.

i think there's a risk of when you are using it in the uk it can sound like you're trying to show that you are better than those without those kind of qualifications...

Probably not wise to use Dr. when booking a flight incase you're called up to save someone's life at 30,000 feet.

Ah, but airlines check with all "doctors" (who have it in their passports) whether or not they are medically qualified. Having said that, you never hear them calling for an doctor of engineering when the plane falls out the sky...

I'll be using it... loud and clear. Then I'll let you know about all the flight upgrades I get!!!
x

I think that if you have earned the degree, its fine to use the title, of course not wanting to be confused with an MD, medical doctor. The UK has a bit of a confused social message on this, if it does not accept people using the title of the degree earned, because it might make others uncomfortable, and yet, it has no problem in maintaining the vestiges of a class system, with a Royal Family, a Queen, and then a House of Lords, where people have titles--some inherited, others given for achievement. In a country of inherited privileges and titles, what on earth can be wrong with using a title EARNED through education?

"and yet, it has no problem...."

I think quite a few of us have a problem with that comrade.

i don't think there's any shame in it i just think that if it's not relevant then why bother?

also, just for general information, and MD isn't a medical degree in the UK. all medical drs trained in the UK are awarded MB ChB. an MD is a higher research degree.

"MD (Doctor of Medicine)
This is a two year full-time or three years part-time course of study. You will go through a formal review process after 9 months. this degree is only open to people who hold a degree entitling them to any form of registration with the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom."

easily confused though! i believe MD is the qualification you get in the US when you train as a doctor. all goes back to the history of where the dr title comes from.

i agree with those that say if you earned the title of Dr, then use it till your hearts content, no need to be modest. you worked hard for the doctorate, and those people who feel uncomfortable if you use the Dr title, that's their problem.