Hi I just wanted to get some advice from people as I don’t know whether to believe what my tutor tells me. He was my MA tutor which I finished in October. We discussed in September going further to pursue a PhD. He told me that he had a student who had been ill and wanted to leave the program and that I could have her funding.

I then started working on a PhD proposal and visited my tutor every couple of weeks to discuss the PhD and how my proposal could be improved. Every time I see him he tells me that the student has said that they want to leave but that he has to have it in writing. This has gone on for six months now and I can’t afford for it to go on any longer as I am currently living of my savings. I have asked for more details about how much money there might be and other options but all he says is that he knows it’s frustrating for me and that we can meet up again to discuss the proposal (I am meeting him on Thursday).

I am grateful for all his help and do have a strong 38 page proposal document but I feel like this charade could on forever. The student who has said that they want to leave has been absent for over a year and every time I speak to my tutor he tells me that he has written to her. I don’t know whether to just give up on the whole idea as it’s not something that I can afford to do without funding.

hmmm.. sounds iffy to me.

Your supervisor know's you only human and need to support yourself financially as well as need something to be working towards. 6 months is a long time with nothing in writing or nothing official.

My advice would be to keep all doors open. You have clearly worked hard on this proposal. If you are certain you would like to work with this certain potential supervisor then are there any other funding avenues you could pursue together? Maybe it is time to stop and evaluate the situation and be a little more direct with him?

This is not a criticism of you. I can understand that it's difficult as he is the one with the potential promise of funding but I would just advise you to 'not put all of your eggs in one basket' as they say and explore other options. I think this is a little insensitive maybe of your potential supervisor so consider whether or not you like the idea of working with him for another 3+ years.

Also, could you consider getting another academic involved in the proposal? It is the norm at most institutions to have 2 supervisors. Another academic might have other ideas (for the proposal itself, funding etc..)

Best of luck

GM x

Thank you so much for your reply it’s great to get another person’s opinion. I am glad that I am not the only one that thinks it’s a bit weird. He has mentioned other funding opportunities for example in September he told me that the department account for how much money it has and if there is money for funding and that it takes place in December. I didn’t hear anything and he didn’t answer my questions on it he then said the same thing again in February would be happening in April. When I have tried being direct he just mumbles a bit and changes the subject. I am seeing him again on Thursday so I will try again.

Its good advice not to put all my eggs in one basket, he was hard work as a tutor when I was doing my MA (He didn’t really want me as a student as I was the only person doing MA Design) but I think that pushed me to do better and I got a distinction so I was really happy about it.

You raise a good point about the second supervisor, my project is concerning how design might influence sustainable behaviour so I wanted another supervisor who dealt in sustainability and waste management. My tutor said he had a friend in that department and that they might have funding available but that was months ago and I haven’t heard anything else. I don’t know whether to go behind my tutors back and email someone else from that department.
Thanks again for your help

Despite the funding issues (which do sound dodgy and he should realise you can't hang on indefinitely), think about whether you really want to work so closely for 3+ years with someone who you may not even really get on with. I had a supervisor who I knew didn't believe in me and didn't want me as a student. I've since changed supervisors and the difference is indescribable. It was awful before and now I'm actually enjoying my PhD, getting good feedback from my supervisors and getting ready to submit. It really matters who your supervisor(s) are and I think it's definitely a good idea to have a second supervisor/opinion that you can go to when needed.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope everything works out for you :)

Thank you glowworm for your reply. I am pleased that things have worked out for you after swopping supervisors. I actually sent my proposal to another a university and heard back from them saying that they thought it was great and that I should put in a formal application to study there. This is for a proper advertised studentship so it sounds a lot more professional. I am seeing my old tutor tomorrow but am a bit more relaxed at having a plan B.

I met up with my tutor last week to go over my proposal. He said it was perfect and that he would look into funding again for me. I also asked him if he would write a reference for me for my back up plan of applying elsewhere. I received an email from him yesterday with a great reference attached and a message saying that he was sorry that there was no funding and that he hoped that I got a PhD from another university. So basically after being told there would be funding available to me for the past seven months I hear in an email that there isn’t. So a little sad about that. I have applied for a studentship at Manchester Metropolitan University as my plan B. Has anyone attended there and what are your opinions on the place?

I would strongly suggest to apply at all potential places available, to have as many backup plans as you can get. Time consuming and for sure annoying but you already lost 7 months and even though thy seem to like the proposal, it is not a confirmation for a PhD :)

Thank you Dunham, that sounds like a good plan.

Deletion ......s

I don't mean for this email to be such a negative one, but it kind of is. I went through exactly the situation that you went through (for a year), but once I realised I was being strung along I applied for another university and got in (at which point my old University suddenly came up with money to try keep me).

And I have to say that accepting the funding was a big mistake and I never should have embarked on this PhD. These false promises will follow you throughout academia; once you get the funding honestly, nothing changes. Whether it's being paid back for conferences, internships lined up that never happen, teaching that never comes about, in my case international tutor position which never happened. I got my funding, but the false promises continue, and you're quickly being worked to unemployment.

I was so happy that after being messed around for so long like you were, I finally got my funding, but I was so busy trying to get on to the course, that my brief victory blinded me to fact that I'd already entered everyday academic life from the moment I applied, and it's all false promises and lies.

I'm not trying to put you off at all, but just be aware that this is academia, and once you finally get that funding, the minimum wage that comes in doesn't makes it anymore tolerable. Just be sure that you're not being persistent for this funding just because you've been strung along for so long. That was definitely the case for me and I didn't realise it until it was too late.

How is a tax free stipend of £14k a year minimum wage?