I'm looking for a PhD in Archaeology, preferably Classics related as my MA in Field Archaeology was looking at a Roman temple site. It's so irritating, as I never feel that that many are offered when it comes to being sponsered (I'm seriously in debt from my MA let alone trying to pay for a PhD!), the one I did apply for turned around and said that while the application was good, i didn't have enough experiece in report writing, which tbh was kinda the point in applying....to get the experience, caus lets be honest, who manages to write official reports before they can get to a kinda Dr level???? I just feel like unless your buddied up to the lecturers involved atm it's really difficult to get a PhD, (the guy who was offered the interview for the PhD concerned already worked with the lecturer) I'm just losing all hope at the moment that I can actually make something of my life PhD wise! any one else feeling this blah at the moment?

Well as I'm sure you know you're in a very, very tough field wrt finding a funded PhD and yes, students often do know the potential supervisors in advance. Can you start 'buddying up' to a potential supervisor - maybe do some volunteer fieldwork etc?

Yeah i've buddied up with a couple of lecturers, and i do fieldwork for my course, but like all normal working people i can't go around doing loads of voluteer work caus i can't afford to be not working! and the problem that i find with archaeology is that you can't get a job without experience and you can't get experience without a job, is a nasty vicious circle! grrr...i'm trying my best, i guess i'll just have to keep pushing...just really drags you down!