If you are a full-time lecturer you earn minimum £30,000 per year in most institutions. I don't think it's a big problem to pay back a loan of £20,000.

People buy houses for £200,000 and have mortgages etc.

O.Stoll - Fair enough. However my experiences are different to yours, clearly. I was telling the truth when I told Gamba that there are many part time success stories here, I know them personally.

Not sure why you are so bothered, really.

It's definitely not easy. If it's possible to switch to full time then I would recommend doing so. But if part time is your only option, then don't despair - the chances are that if you want it enough, you can do it.

20,000K is not much when you put your mind to it. am an international student, so mine is about double that. anyway, it's up to you what you decide to do. financial decisions are not easy to make. a PhD and a masters are two very different things - an MA is doable because creatively plays less of a part. You just read prescribed literature and answer prescribed questions. At PhD level, originality is necessary, you have to rise above what's out there, find your lit, formulate the questions yourself. That takes time, effort and commitment.

gamba, is your full time job a 'career'? I think it would be very difficult to juggle a career and a PhD. I know lots of people who are successfully doing P/T PhDs, but it is not easy. They are mostly doing it by supporting themselves with an assortment of jobs that, well, dont require a lot of intellectual or emotional effort and are also more flexible time-wise. Like they will do a bit of teaching, a bit of admin work, a shift in the bar, but organise it so they also have days free to work on their PhD.

o'stoll - I can only imagine that you have never been in a lot of debt or had a full-time job for making comments like that. Repayments on a loan of £20,000 would be upwards of £200 for several years - on top of my original student loans, which I still don't earn enough to pay back this would be crippling. And I don't think I would start on £30,000 to begin with - at my institution it is more like £22,000 for a junior lecturer.

I am 30 years old and perhaps I have been working outside of universities for too long. Maybe I just don't fit in. I can't understand it. I really need to hear that I am doign the right thing but I am not really getting that from here. The consensus seems to be that full time is best - and I know it is - but what if full time just isn't possible?

aliby - I gave up my 'career' and got a job as a secretary as I thought it would be less demanding. But actually it is really demeaning and I am thinking of going back to my career because at least I had some money and self-respect while I was doing it.

juno - on why anybody might be bothered - because this is a student who is clearly struggling with a part time PhD and looking for practical remedies from people who understand what's its like to struggle like that. no offense intended here. i don't see what's wrong with people having differing opinions. 7 years is an unrealistic time to invest in something without making a return, unless of course its a hobby. gamba if you wanna make something out of your PhD, make it 5 years max.

Jojo - my "why are you bothered" was addressed to O.Stoll. I was part-time for a year and worked as a barmaid, so I do know what it's like. I'm on Gamba's side here, as I though was very obvious - that's why I was giving her examples of other people in my department who have been very succesful with part time work.

gamba - in life, you achieve only as much as you allow yourself to. only £200 more shouldn't stop you. don't aim low. take a risk and aim high! people who earn 70,000 + salaries don't just stumble upon them. they aim for them. don't limit yourself. age is in the mind. its nothing but a number. you still have 40 + years in your life to decide if you wanna earn 20k a year. it's up to you.

Just re-read your message, Jojo...after 7 years the bloke got his PhD - that's a return, surely? Especially given that the full time students have a limit of 6 years for completion.

juno - like i said, am not up for offending anyone. am only stating my sentiments based on my experience and my perception of life. and i have a right to respond to any thread on this forum, just like you do. so.... am not gonna go down the road of what's wrong with x. if you read my posts again you will see what is.

Fair enough, but you misunderstood is all I'm saying - probably my fault cos I'm not the most coherent poster. But O Stoll was being excessively negative (IMHO) and I didn't want Gamba to be discouraged.

5 years is based on a monetary return from investing in a PhD.

Gamba, there are good and bad points to a "career" job and a "just for the money" job. The latter (barmaid in my case) gives you more flexibility, but as you're finding, you don't always feel great about the job. A career job is better paid, but your employers will probably want more of your commitment. The ideal is a campus job, I think (librarian, technician, admin).