Well lads and ladies,
Bit the bullet last week and had a heart to heart with the supervisor, who was very understanding, and we both settled to try and eek a masters out of the work (may need to do surveying) but after much soul searching, decided to call it a day - we might look into the possibility of continuing any results on, but the mind is made up. Had a bad few days of it in the head afterwards but think long term will be ok ... to be honest, trying to keep positive and keep the Black Dog away. Had a few freak attacks since, but expecting it!

Now the job hunt begins! Am still hell-bent on teaching as that was undoubtedly the high-point of the time in college and am pondering on combining it with some travel (any tips on that would be appreciated). Am ok for personal funds for about six months, if I take it handy.

No way am I losing touch as still need to do a bit of work with the masters, but would like to thank ye all for the advice ... it was cruel of me to look for someone to say "go" or "stay on". That must come from yourself. Anyone in trouble though, do not keep it to yourself. This forum is a great means of communication and support so keep up the good work.

Think the cookie really crumbled y'day ... was at a family christening and was zonked as had to go back on meds as was a bit down. But seeing the kids running about and talking to family made me realise the important things - friends and family

Cheers anyways,
Bonzo

Good luck Bonzo. I remember how I felt when I left my full-time science PhD in 1996. It was the hardest decision I had ever made, and I cried an awful lot afterwards. But it was also the best decision, made for the right reasons. Sounds as though you are in a similar place.

Good luck with sorting out the Masters, and I hope your teaching plan works out. That would be a very rewarding career.

Hi Bonzo, I'm not really sure what to say other than I wish you the very best of luck for the future. I'm glad your supervisor was supportive and that you can hopefully get a Masters for all of your effort and hard work. I'm not sure if you mentioned at what level you'd like to teach, but there are quite a few ways of combining teaching with travel. I've got some mates who just decided to get a way from it all for a while, and went to teach English as a foreign language in China. As an EU citizen, you can look to teach anywhere in Europe. Also, the Middle East (United Arab Emirates) occasionally advertises positions for English and Maths technology teachers (not sure at what level, whether secondary or FE). Having said that, I'm not sure going to anywhere in N. Africa is such a good idea at the moment. Australia is also a very nice destination, with good pay rates.
I'm not an expert, but if you plan on teaching I think you'd need to do a PGCE or certificate in further education qualification, depending on what level.