Hi all,

I am working as a Ecology Research/Field Assistant for the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, getting great experience gathering data in the field (extensive verging on excessive experience of this!), as well as project planning, data input and analysis and a project I am running myself. I'm getting a lot of support from my line manager, who is involved in putting together PhD projects and has put a few under my nose. My only concern is that I am working up North, and all my work is in upland ecology. My fiancee however has landed a job down in Wiltshire that she is absolutely besotted with and has no intention of leaving! I will be applying for PhDs starting in mid-late 2009, and am finding it difficult to narrow down my preliminary searches to the South/South West. This is especially the case as I have something of an inside track to those in the North of England thanks to my current job, and I feel I may be letting opportunities pass me by. Will I be able to find a suitable studentship if I have such a narrow geographical area to search?

I don't envy you! This may sound particularly harsh and I speak from painful experience: do what you dream of doing, follow what YOU want. Much as you love your fiancée, she is not you. Consider long and hard about how much you want to stay where you are and balance it up against seeing her only on weekends for three years. At the end of the day, it's only three years. Worst case scenario: (i) you split up and learn she was not the woman for you and (ii) you find your future career heading off into the great uninteresting because you gave up what you wanted most. There is always a compromise but DO NOT be a doormat just because you love her.

To second what Hypothesis has said--do not give up your bright PhD prospects simply because of complications around geography and relationships. The reality of a PhD is that you will be studying a lot anyway with more limited time for the relationship, and it might in fact be healthier for the relationship if you had geographical distance during the PhD--this would reduce the potential for conflicts in day to day living. My personal view is if someone loves you, they will want you to achieve your dreams, and not think only of their needs being met or not. If this is important to you, the love of your life should encourage you to follow it, and think of ways to make it work for both of you. If someone makes this an either or sort of choice--that is a warning sign.

Cheers for you thoughts guys. I know what you are saying but we have lived apart for over five years now, and we're both sick of it! She's not pressuring me, its something we both want to do. So do I take it you think I have less of a chance of finding a suitable PhD if I narrow my search to one (albeit large) area of the county? Surely other people have location as a criteria in a finding a PhD?

I do! Infact I'm in a very similar situation to you apart from the opposite way around... maybe we should swap!! My boyfriend lives in the Lake District and I'm trying to get an ecology Phd this year closeish by (York, Leeds).
I've decided to limit myself to Phd's fairly close by, because its only a Phd after all. Life and love ARE more important. However, occasionally I do see a Phd which looks amazing and then regardless of location (within reason.. I've avoided Aberdeen and Cornwall Devon) I do apply for it.

I generally take the attitude that there's so much competition you might as well just see what happens. If fate dictates you get it, so be it. You'll love the phd and that will get you through. A phd is about the most flexible working arrangement you're ever going to get. Field work aside you can work from pretty much anywhere and decide your own schedule so you could spend much of your reading time at home with your fiance. You'll be happier if you make a Phd work around you rather than the other way around.

You can limit yourself in all sorts of ways: location, topic, field work location.... at the end of the day you'll know the Phd you really want when you see it.

Location was limiting for me - it was either get funding here or go part-time (and work) in London (which would also mean commuting). Good thing I didn't do the latter as I now have a toddler as well.

My husband has a good job here and could only get work in 2 other places and I also had to move my mother down here to look after her after my father died - so no question of moving on my own to do a PhD. It was tough getting funding to stay here but if you are really committed to a certain place you can stack everything in your application to achieve that goal.

The real question is whether you will keep passing up good projects elsewhere in the hope of getting something in the south. You probably do need to discuss a long-term plan concerning trying to live in the same place - especially if you have any plan to have kids. Getting professional posts in the same town is a nightmare for a lot of couples and generally takes some long-term plannning and often some compromise at some point by at least one partner. If you could get a good project near your gf I would certianly try that option - but you need to decide how long you will hold out for that before accepting something up north.

I am also a wildlife ecologist and just submitted my phd. The chances of getting the right PhD if you restrict yourself geographically are slim, this area is hugely competitive.

My husband has a good job in London and I was offered a place up North. After much talking we decided I would take it, so we lived apart for three years. It was hard, particularly going to seperate flats after our wedding! but it is possible.

My supervisor was very hands off and didnt care if, when there was no fieldwork, I spent a week per month working from London. Theres really no need to be tied to your uni everyday with external internet access it's fine,there will always be lots of time when you are not doing fieldwork or labwork. You just get good at making the most of your time together and a phd is so much work it can be a relief not to feel bad when you are working all hours and a partner is at home waiting about.

I dont regret it.

To follow on from below - I agree with previous posts that an element of compromise will be needed - if your other half is never moving and you want to specicalise in upland work you have to be sensible as what jobs do you think you would go for after a phd?

I have had to make sacrifices following my PhD and move slightly out of my chosen research area in order to eventually live with my husband as we recognise that his job will always pay more and I may want time off to have kids etc.. it makes sense that I am the one to compromise the career. Depending on your situation you may be storing up a long-term career incompatibility problem as we did. I sympathise!

I understand the situation you're in as I am in a similar one :)

In the end I am not going to be applying to the big university next door, and if I get funding from any other, I am not going to move in with my boyfriend next year. I am going for the few unis from which I can expect good supervision (not easy with my topic).

I asked him how he felt about it and he said I had to go as far as I needed to, and he would hate me if I didn't (- I had to think about that one hard to conclude it was actually the sweetest thing he's ever said). We'll manage, we did it before (me in the North, him in the South of England). It's not easy, it IS frustrating, but then to this day it has benefited my studies and... my couple too - it can be SO nice to miss each other, have you thought about that one? I mean, I know it depends on specific couples and all, but still, it deserves thinking about...