For me ... absolutely NO WAY!

Well, I am actually paying for my part-time external. I don't see why not. It all depends probably on what your motivations are.

If not, do you mean a fully-funded PhD or a fees-only one? I don't want to do it even with a fees-only studentship, it simply does not stand me in good stead by working to meet up the living expenses!

I am paying the fees only, and yes, it is rather hard for me at the moment. I used to work full-time and now I am back to no job situation (hardly coping, but that is maybe going to change soon, as I am willing to work part-time). Living in the UK is not cheap (I had lived in Holland before for some years), so especially that I have to pay for everything myself (mostly) makes it quite a challenge. But I want to believe that it is all worth it (so far I don't regret it at all).

Dariusz, I just think that working part-time distracts my concentration on research and the pt treadmill does not gear me towards an academic career.However, if it is a class tutor/seminar teacher job, then I'd love doing it. But so far as I'm aware, only senior PhDs qualify for class teaching, so the first year is very hard to get by.......

Yes, I agree with you. I am in the computer science discipline and I used to work as a software engineer. At first I thought I could manage doing my PhD and not work at all (I am kind of being supported by my wife now). Unfortunately I need a job (part-time as a software engineer again) to get back to the freedom I was used to and to help me cover the expenses of travelling to my university from time to time. And actually being back in business rather won't impede my future career, whether in education or not (or at least that's how I see it at the moment). I wish things were easier, but they are not. I moved to the UK last year and it is all new. Nevertheless, I am trying to manage and I hope I won't regret anything. Of course, it is all about learning and find the best way out of this. That's how I am managing, and it doesn't have to be right for anyone else.

Sigh...That falls again to the study-work dilemma. I wish I could escape the daily office treadmill and get a job in academia, so I need a PhD badly;on the other hand, a PhD is costly and I have to get a job to get by unless fully funded. So again I found myself undertaking the treadmill. There aren't many choices really. I have to do things which I don't enjoy at all.

Goods,

Well, sometimes, it's a choice of pay your way or don't do the PhD - full funding isn't all that common in areas like the social sciences/humanities/education, etc. I pay my fees (part-time) and work full time as a teacher (going to 4 days next year because I'm struggling to balance work-study-living sufficiently right now). I'm happy to pay the fees because I want to do the PhD. I don't think I would want to do one full-time on a stipend (not after having worked on full salary for several years). And getting funding for a part-time PhD - you might as well forget that.

I'm not paying my tuition fees, and I still don't know if I would have started my PhD if I had to pay them myself (ie I have a fees-only studentship). I do have to work (it's freelance stuff, approx. 10-12 hours a week) to cover my living expenses, but my case is not exceptional in the humanities, mind you, I even know international students paying 10,000£ for the tuition fees + the same for living expenses! In the sciences almost everybody tends to be funded though.

hey all
I am fully funded for mine and am so incredibly grateful. i worked for some of my first term but it was really hard to get into any routine on my uni work and I felt like i wasn't sure where my priorities were. Without wanting to seem like I am complaining, the downside of being funded is, i feel, increased pressure because I have been awarded this priviledge which comes out as self-doubt and a lack of confidence. I sincerely believe that if I wasn't funded I would feel more in control over my work and less concerned about any choices I make. Swings and roundabouts eh?!

well... i paid for doing my first year, that is, fees plus living costs. i paid this from savings from previous earnings, and all the while in the hope of changing the situation by the time my savings run out, so that i would be paid instead of paying for it.
now, as i wasn't able to secure any funding during this year, i am asking myself just that question: how high exactly is my motivation for doing a PhD? do i still want to go ahead if it means paying every last penny myself? sometimes i think yes, but sometimes i think i must be plain stupid or have a strong masochistic vein to be doing that to myself.

Shani, so you think life hasn't been easier proceeding the first year? My departmental manager said if you register and pass the first year, a lot more funding opportunities would come up and you would be eligible for more fundings. Isn't this true? Or you can teach part-time as a class teacher in your uni in your second yr and beyond.But so far I feel the first year is very hard to get by indeed. sigh again....

sourapple, i'm only just finishing my first year, so can't say much about how the second is going to be like. i just know that most of my funding applications haven't worked out (some are still open).
yes i will be teaching next year, and i am looking forward to that, but it also means more than 2 full days of work/week, and the money I earn will provide me a few hundred pounds (in total) after fees are paid. also, there were many more applications for teaching jobs than jobs available. so don't count on teaching too much to solve your financial problems. it's a job and as such has its pro's (some money, good for CV) and its cons (significantly less time for your PhD).

to be honest, i think the second year might be my worst. first year i lived of my savings which are now gone. there are quite some funding sources about who will not fund you if you've already started your PhD. so either you get them right from 1st year or not at all. on the other hand there ARE sources for if you are further advanced: fieldwork grants, final year/writing up grants (International/British Federation of University Women), hardship funds... but i think the second year is kind of a hole in the middle.
mostly it is difficult because you have to live NOW, without knowing IF you are going to get any funding from anywhere in the future. so you don't know if it is a short-term problem you are dealing with or if you are going to have to endure this in the long term.

I fully funded my own PhD - everything. Cost rather a lot over the years.