It annoys me when people do this. 'PhD fellow' sounds ridiculous and makes no sense, and I think the 'Candidate' title is irrelevant in a UK context as it's properly used in the US/Canadian context where you've passed all your exams and other requirements and are 'all but dissertation' (ABD). We're generally all ABD in the UK in that we start with the dissertation (research training requirements etc notwithstanding) so the 'candidate' distinction is pretty weak sauce, imo.

My approach is to suck it up, we're all students. This kind of transparent, vain posturing is one of my personal bugbears (and perhaps one of the reasons I'm not suited to academia). You can always say 'doctoral student' or perhaps 'PhD researcher' if you're determined to puff up your title but I don't understand the impulse. Well, I do understand it, but it really annoys me.

Just did mine. Comes down to personal style and preference. If you're not an experienced presenter I'd strongly recommend presenting as if you're giving a conference paper, i.e. reading. Practice practice practice until it sounds natural, is well-paced and polished. I practiced in the hall where we were to give the presentation, to get a sense of the room, make sure IT worked, and take Qs from the floor (other presenters).

PPT is useful - good to have slides, but I'd personally avoid loads of text. Keep to 4-5 slides max with graphic prompts, titles/sub-titles, and perhaps a short thesis structure/timeline.

This is what I did anyway and it worked for me but YMMV. Key is practice. Good luck, it's a fun experience.

Off days, off weeks, heck, I had an off month recently. It's part of the experience.

Might be a sign that you need a more substantial break, especially if - like me - you aim for 9-5 days, 5 days a week, and haven't had any real time away for a long time. If you're becoming inefficient, it's a sign that you need to either step away or to change things up; maybe aim for shorter, more intense bursts of work (I have colleagues who love pomodoros, for example), rather than long slogs in front of the computer.

Whatever you do, yes, it's normal and don't beat yourself up over it. Just take care of yourself and keep getting up in the morning!

Get in contact with your Students Union, they will have access to people who can take this forward and this is the kind of thing they exist for. Medical evidence also a plus. Personally I'd not post about it on a public forum (especially if a vulnerable young person is involved), anybody aware of the situation could identify you/the complainant from your post and username, and I wouldn't want to run the risk, however small, of prejudicing the investigation. Moreover, there's a massive, massive confidentiality issue here. If someone identifies the student involved from your post, she's put at risk. I would honestly delete this post as it really demonstrates that you're in out of your depth.

I think, as you say, you need to encourage her to get all of the relevant services involved. Ultimately, as a PhD student and tutor, you're neither paid nor trained to support a student in this way and I would step away from the situation as soon as is reasonably possible. Of course, it's you who she's disclosed to and some responsibility arises from that, but don't try and carry this forward on your own. Help her to access the appropriate support services and be prepared to give statements in any investigation, but don't try and do this alone as you'll probably fuck it up.

Why another masters? I don't see how that's going to help you at all unless you're moving into another discipline or something.

Apply for a PhD.

Your BSc is probably going to be an issue, yes, but your strong MSc and additional research experience will go some way (not the whole way) towards making up for it. No doubt that you will be able to get offers for PhD places, as long as you are realistic with your choices. A 2:2 will probably hurt you most if you're looking to obtain funding as it will make you less competitive in a very crowded and high-achieving field of candidates. Good luck.

Where do you study and who are you funded by? As far as I'm aware it's very rare (in the UK) to be required to repay any funding.

I don't see how it could possibly be in your supervisor's interest to drag things out and increase the risk of your failing to submit. If anything, s/he'll want you off her/his hands ASAP.

Had a look in the usual dimly lit internet back-alleys and can't find it. Can you request (legitimate) access through your university library?

Already on a PhD so can't take survey. My two cents - not much help. £25k might seem like a big wedge but over 3-4 years it's a drop in the ocean. I think my studentship, bells and whistles included, is worth something near £70k and once you factor in 4 years of living costs, tuition and all the rest of it, that's spread pretty thinly. I expect to be working part-time during my writing up year even with saving part of my stipend each quarter.

If you take out a £25k PhD loan you're going to need to find at least another £30 - 40k from somewhere. Might be handy if you're self/family funded as it relieves some of the immediate outlay but otherwise I don't see the point in it. Anecdotally, I've seen people discussing the loan elsewhere who seem to think it's going to cover most of their costs - clearly not doing the maths. If the loan ends up encouraging more people to take on a self-funded PhD than would otherwise do it, fair enough, but I wonder if it might encourage some to take on a bigger financial burden than they can realistically handle.

Hooo boy

I wouldn't bother. If you're going to do a PhD, then save your interests for that. Another MA is just going to cost you money and in all likelihood won't particularly helpful towards PhD applications.

Unless you have unlimited cash and can afford to pursue it for intellectual stimulation alone, in which case, go nuts.

I don't think that's always the case. If it was me I would definitely check with the funding body and university first. Maybe it's different in physical sciences though where MScs aren't always required.

It's probably a good idea to avoid failing your MSc regardless though. Reckon you can scrape through with a straight pass?

Probably not. If you check the T&Cs I suspect there will actually be a condition that you pass your masters. You should be OK to interrupt for a while and pick it up when things have settled down, though - I don't think that would affect your offer. Check with STFC, they'll be able to advise.