Okay, here's the thing...Ive posted before in answer to other PG students and mentioned my supervision issues but also what I've done to resolve them and some positive outcomes as well.

However, today I came face to face with student admin, supervisor issues and what my options are. I have to do a Masters with some coursework and a thesis attached to go further to doctoral studies-no other options. And in anycase, I missed out on my honours year for family and financial reasons-not to do with ability or grades at all-so for me this Masters is significant.

it is not the only thing going in my life but it is an important and long term goal and so far Ive done really well in it-while working fulltime and dealing with the usual family-expartner and life issues that everyone has in one form or another.

The problem is my supervisor has delayed some crucial aspects of my thesis-mainly to do with ethics and while I have ethics approval now-as student admin advisor informed me today-Ive really been set back six months. I now have five months to begin data collection and write up results, analyse and write up discussion and conclusion and make adjustments to methods and any ongoing ones to Chapter's one and two. I also commence fulltime work in couple of weeks to a promotional position that carries a heavy load of responsibility and lots of new learning.

I contacted student admin PG support officer to see what happened if one needed to extend deadlines-one I'm thinking that data collection and participants may have a few hiccups (as seems to be normal)- two I'm thinking, even if I really go under the pump and just push myself in the next five months to complete- I can't guarantee that supervisor will read drafts in time and get feedback promptly and she won't submit my thesis if she thinks I need to make changes.

So I asked about the extension and to check about academic penalties, etc to find that the Masters that I'm on has really quite inflexible submission requirements and an extension of more than one or two weeks would require special consideration and application and no doubt be really a time-consuming and not pleasant process for anyone. Can't argue that I am ill or anything so would have to go on claiming incompetency. I actually like supervisor who can be nice and helpful but is a total disaster with time management.

Only thing I can do is apply for six months intermission and collect data during this time and then resume relationships with uni as formal student come late July-submitting in October. I can apply for intermission on work considerations.

What really irks me-is this is really not my fault or responsibility-I've done every thing by the book from my end- I tend to be a bit anal with deadlines and responsibilities anyway. But I'm going to have to do this. I can't risk something coming up either at work or with participants and causing any significant delay or stress. It's b@@@@ though!

I do sympathise with you. However, I teach on a masters and we have students every year that come into problems with ethics or access to participants. Unfortunately its just the nature of research and extensions are VERY hard to get because these are the problems associated with research and we therefore expect students to be able to adapt and cope with these. Also, we say to all our students, that if you are working and enrolled on a full time course then work interferring with your studies is no excuse, they are enrolled on a FULL time course and therefore shouldn't really be working at the same time.

If I were you I would start data collection asap, and possibly consider changing your method to adapt to your deadlines and write up as much as you can, whilst pursuing the extension route. But you don't want to spend all your time trying to get an extension and for it not to work out. At least if you start the work then it will be on its way to being finished. Good Luck!

Sneaks, thanks very much for your reply. However, I do need to clarify that my ethics application was ready by due date on my part. The supervisor can't manage time and either lost it or lost sight of it and does not reply to email or phone for weeks on end. I assumed it was going through the committee and only found out it had not been submitted until very late (months after I gave it to her) when I began ringing and pestering all of the ethics boards and they began checking for me.
When she does reply she is helpful and sweet and usually overwhelmed with whatever is happening in the academic world at her end of things. I also understand the pressures she is under-however, for this particular moment in time-this is my baby- I have worked and saved hard for years to do this and received exceptional grades, submitting all things on time. (Yes I know- all of you are also fantastic students-however, you have to get where I am at with this at this point in time- I am not depressed- I am justifiably angry).

I work in education as well and understand deadlines, extensions, student greivance processes and other things very well. One of the reasons why i am so careful and pedantic. I am absolutely ropeable so while I appreciate your commonsense advice-its no solace. Applying for an extension, which I could do, would mean that I would have to put her (and myself) under scrutiny. It is no thing to do lightly to anyone!

I can still take the risk- on my part- I know I am capable of this, but I can't guarantee that participants won't flake out on me or my supervisor might disappear from phone, email and any other contact as well and go back into the netherworld of overworked and worn-out academics for weeks at a time.

However, now I've vented and cooled down- I take your point about changing research methods- given data issues. Actually I could do this- I can concentrate much more on the policy angle if needs be to supplement participant data if it is meagre- my lit review is extensive and much of the primary policy data would fit. Look thanks Sneaks, sorry about the irritation but this thesis is a dream that has a few more underlying issues than just meet the eye or that I want to go into with anyone.

I'll think about what you've said...

Sneaks, i need to make one more clarification in response to the comment about full-time work and part-time study. This particular Master's course is marketed towards educational professionals as a part-time route to further doctoral studies-I get what you are saying about the nature of research-I understand it is messy-as is all creative work.

I have followed the rules of the course and all of the guidance advice down to the letter-however, I take your point about the nature of present work-in that having an overload of work responsibilities means that I am not always able to take up an issue immediately with the university-due to being very busy myself and having to work around my leave and study leave breaks. So yes, I get that-I can't have it all ways. Honestly, I'm going to do something else now and allow myself some room to think about the whole thing. Take care folks-and have fun. I'll get back in a few weeks, if I have some reasonable feedback.

I have spent some time thinking about the situation over the last few days and have worked out what I am going to do-so I am posting-this sort of helps me-bit like an online journal, so apologies if it seems a little self-indulgent.

One- am NOT applying for intermission. I hate the idea-it feels wrong in all sorts of ways. It was actually the PGrad advisors suggestion but only as one option. When we discussed how much I had written and methodology, she reassured me that I was actually further ahead than many students in my situation with regard to writing, planning and other things-that many students left everything to the last minute and still managed it.

I won't apply for an official extension. I can't use illness (unless God help me I do become ill-but hopefully this won't be the case-if it is then at least a doctor can verify it) and given that supervisor incompetency would be the only pathway to this-I don't intend to travel down that road. However, I will take the time to use the unofficial extension of around 2-4 weeks that many students require (based on PG Advisor's advice).

I don't think I will need longer than the extra 3 weeks or so and still have paid work leave owing so can take some days off work for final writing if I need to.

Finally, I am not going to stress about the supervisors lack of time management or the fact that she takes so long to respond or reply. I will keep in email contact, phone message, plan to fly over for a formal meeting and if she is a bit slack-I am going to let this be her problem not mine. I will keep roughly to my time schedule give or take research issues and delays (but I can always use these as part of my thesis in the 'difficulties and issues' section in discussion on data and analysis). Her advice is always helpful-for this I am very grateful- however, I will submit the final drafts to her pretty much on time. The university administration will keep her on track for me as they will need her input. This will make her accountable in a professional sense-my job is not to protect her from that-but it will also not dissolve into some form of personal issue.

I accept that this whole thing will take six months for me and the better part of a year for all of the examination, admin, corrections, etc and that is fine. I have already begun my recruitment of my first participant group and will begin to recruit my second group in 10 days time.

So...it is okay...I needed to write this though...I almost flipped on Monday when I first spoke to PG advisor. Good luck folks with everything8-)