I wrote a paper 6 months ago for a conference next week. My super said he was going anyway so he will present it. As I enter my writing-up period next week I arranged a quick holiday before I buckle down. He has just told me he cannot go and I have to go and lose my paid for holiday. I will need his help for the next 6 months and dont want to piss him off but really need my hol and really dont want to go to the conference. What shall I do ?

Hi

I would explain the situation to your supervisor. I don't think it is reasonable to expect someone to drop everything at the last minute and lose money on an already paid holiday. Is it a poster or a actual presentation? If it is a poster I would just withdraw it personally.

Good luck.

Its an actual presentation and it is a good conference but I have no interest in academia or 'networking' and the paper will be published in the proceedings anyway. My paper is ok but its not gonna be any great shakes, its just a publication to me. I haven't seen much of my wife over the last few years as I am doing my PhD in UK and she is abroad and we were really looking forward to this hol as it was the light at the end of the tunnel as I am going home to write up. I just don't want to fall out with my super.

Oh..forgot, I have explained it to him, over and over but he is adamant that I need to go and I am just stalling to see if I can get out of it somehow without p**sing him off. I have presented before and have no problem with confidence or delivery so the presentation practice isn't important to me and I find conferences really boring at the best of times

The holiday was booked and paid for, supervisor has no right to expect you to cancel it, end of. He is most likely feeling guilty and transfering that to you as he himself is unable to go.
But that is his problem, not yours.

I think it's unlilkely it will be held against you - he'll be miffed but hey, it's only a conference, he'll get over it. If the situation was reversed and he was the one who'd booked the holiday it would be a different story altogether, I am sure.

If he presses the issue, I think an email aloing the lines of "Thank you for your commentsm I am encouraged that you want me to go and represent the work. However my holiday is booked, I will lose money. If I attend, could you re-imburse the cost of my holiday from your research budget beforehand?"

That should put a stop to his demands pretty sharpish

Your supervisor needs to be put down with a Vulcan Death Grip.

If you feel he's making unreasonable demands and you are willing to stand up for yourself, tell him/her how you feel about it, and then say that if this ccanot be resolved amicable, you will have to see the head of your dept and voice your concerns to her/him, assuming your head of dept is a reasonable person.

Kronkodile's advice is really clever - Id definitely suggest he reimburse you - that will soon out a stop to his, frankly, shoddy behaviour towards you.

Reimbursement is fine, but I get the distinct feeling that he'd rather go on the planned holiday and spend time with his wife.

is anyone else going to the conference who can present it?

alternatively, simply neither you nor supervisor goes, and the session chair will just say "no show" and move on. this is quite common when venue is miles away.

the above should be acceptible to any "reasonable" supervisor. maybe there's some hidden agenda with forcing you to go?

Go on your holiday!

if the trip to the conference is already paid, can't you ask someone else in your group (ie another phd) to present your work? some people like to go to conferences quite a bit (like me) and they will be happy to make the trip for you
is it in a nice place or some tiny English town?

yes there are other people from our group going and I proposed this but he said it is important I present my own work (but not that important as originally he was going to present it). Its in Greece so people would love to go in my place, including my Greek friend here who would be able to say hello to his family and kill a couple of birds with one stone. I have mailed him that I can not/will not go and have a meeting with him tomorrow so we will see if he is cool

What kronkodile said is spot on, and it's not reasonable to lose money on a PhD salary. It's his problem, I wonder why he is so keen and why he can't go. Maybe he loses money by not going?
It's a bad position to put you in.