Just found out that I will not have funding for my second year. While I don't have it this year either, I had a little bit of money saved, and help from my parents. Next year, I will have neither. I will have to work to earn enough to pay my tuition fees for the year (£4,000), my rent, bills, living cost. Basically, I'll need a full time job, plus full-time study. Is this possible or am I going to have to think about my options and consider part-time study?

It is doable but it is very difficult and needs a lot of courage.
I am working full-time in Greece but I am doing my PhD part-time, as fees are lower and it needs less time (does it????).
If I were you, I would go part-time. The minimum study period (at least at my uni) is not that much longer and you are more flexible. But it also depends on your subject. If you are in sciences, I don't know if you can do it, as labs and experiments sometimes need your presence every day....

Whaoo, tough one Maria :(

To be honest this is the exact situation I would have been in if I hadn't tried so hard (and ultimately succeeded) for funding. Except just weeks before I got my scholarship, I decided the self-funding thing would never happen because it drove me mad. I was working 20 hours per week, earning around 650 pcm after tax, which left just enough to live on and some time to work on my research, but I started to work full time during the summer. It was my plan - 8 months part-time, 4 months full-time. That was in order to save up for the fees - I'm talking part-time fees here too. But I ended up realizing I would never be able to save enough money to proceed. I admire those who can work 70 hours per week in the longer term, I always have- but I just don't have the stamina, or the mental strength. I need too much time off talking to friends, playing music, painting, going to museums, traveling... and sleeping. If I don't do those things I end up feeling like... like a vampire has been drinking most of the blood in my body :p

Seriously, you need to ask yourself if you have the energy for it. But before committing to this you should really check if perhaps someone could help with your fees (relatives, or maybe fees-only bursaries you could apply for at your university). Because you don't need to work a complete full-time to earn enough to live on, so the fees are the real issue. If that is not possible, make sure you weigh up the pros and cons of part-time/full-time studies...

Hi Maria

Personally, I don't think it's possible to do both full-time - once you build in travel time, time for socialising, exercising (which is good for students to do) and domestics, there's just not enough hours. I started off working full-time and doing my PhD part-time, and even that was tough going, and I'm used to working long hours, at least 60 a week. And it's not just the hours, it's the mental effort required for a thesis - I was finding that I'd start studying, before work and after dinner, and by the time I got my head around it, and started to think clearly and creatively, I'd either have to go to work or to bed.

I strongly advise against doing both full-time. Working 4 days a week and doing my PhD part-time worked well for me for ages, until I was fortunate enough to snag a scholarship. I'd suggest thinking about working 3 or 4 days a week, doing your PhD part-time, and then if you find you can put full-time hours into your PhD great, even better, you'll finish a bit earlier. Even working part-time and doing a PhD full-time is hard - the PhD just takes so much mental energy! Your uni might let your submit early as a part-time PhD student, with special permission. And then at least you're not putting the pressure on yourself of having to do your PhD full-time while you work. It's a hard road, doing both, don't try and take on too much, it just leads to stress and burn out.

I also think you should register as a part time student. This will reduce your fees, and allow you to work. It is what I am doing. This doesn't mean you can't get on and do more than would be expected- for example I could finish mine next year (Ha!) but gives you flexibility if you need it to take longer. To try to do both full time would, I think be very difficult.

At my uni the minimus study period for a full time PhD is 3 years and for a part time one is 3 years and nine months. So it's not a big difference....And the fees are half!!!!