Dear All,

I need some advice and hope you guys can help.

After I completed my MSc at in 2008, I was accepted by a university in Scotland in 2009 for a PhD. I started being very keen and 10 months after I left because of very good reasons. It started getting bullied at work by few of my colleagues from the very first month. At first I took that as a joke but after a while it started getting worse. I was working with research fellows and was the youngest and the only new face in my department. I raised this issue but it was not taken seriously. I tried to join the PhD groups but they had formed their own groups and getting to know people was not easy either. I did get to know a few students who came from different parts of England, but they left before Christmas to find PhD position.
When I started my PhD, I was told to work on a project (different than my proposed) and we didn't had the funding for that project but my supervisor assured me that we would get the funding and not to worry. Me bringing in the funding was a bonus for the university.
The only thing that gave me satisfaction was my work and the study itself because that is what I was passionate about. In late February, I was told that we did not get the funding for the project and they wanted me to work on another project. From late February to May things got so bad that I had to arrange meetings with my supervisors, the head of graduate school, and advisors regarding bullying and excluding me from the work environment. Making friends in CPD courses was difficult because of different students in different classes. To attend CPD classes, I had to travel to another campus from where I was based. I started getting depressed because the person who bullied me the most was my supervisors friend and had desk next to mine. This person was also very negative in general. I asked the university to move me to another building where I may work well but this was ignored in the beginning. Then I had a chat with my family and explained it all to them and I decided to leave the PhD there.
When I went to the registry and explained the circumstances, they wanted me to explore all the channels (something I previously did) and how it could be handled. Few days after I contacted the registry, I started getting polite emails asking me to return to my PhD. I decided not to because I thought if it gets worse in the future and I end up not getting my PhD, I would have waisted 3 years and all the money.

So I terminated my PhD and decided to find a job in London until I can find another PhD project because I am still passionate about doing research. I still have the funding, and if I do not get a position within 6 months then I risk losing or will lose all the funding available.

I have a few universities in mind but want to make the right decision. Any suggestions and comments are welcome.

Thanks

nobody?

Look to PM.

Thanks, I have sent you one back.

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Wish you best of luck for coming year for your new business and wish me luck too for getting a better job in the next year.By the way happy new year in advance, may your all dreams come true.

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hi MH im sorry to hear your story but i think with your determination and motivation you will surely succeed.

I am not sure which Uni's you are looking at or in which part of the country you'd like to settle? There are many Uni's in this website that offer a PhD if yu bring your own funding...so some of the Uni's that I'd go for are- Sheffield, Liverpool, Durham, Northumbria etc..but again it depends on your taste of the city as well... so good luck!

I have an interview for PhD in the coming week so im very nervous!!!

Take care and happy new year!

AJ