I am an international alumni of a British University . My home country is Pakistan, and i am 36 years old. I did M.SC HRM from UK and i am an associate member of CIPD. now after almost 5 years of working in my country, and successfully managing a research publication, i think i should go for a research degree. I applied to some UK universities for studentships, but i want to know that is that mandatory to attend PhD studentship interview face to face? or are there any universities which decide about phd studentship based on academic record and research proposal?
2ndly what are the career prospects in UK after PhD?
Cheers

hi BeenishW, welcome to the Forum.

Some PhD interviews can be held over Skype, it doesn't have to be face-to-face, also it depends on the sponsoring university, if they open their studentship applications to non-EU nationals, then it would be most likely that they do an online interview.

I think it is safe to say that most universities will consider academic record AND research proposals, but sometimes the research project is already planned, so again it depends. All universities will be interested in academic records.

Career prospects in the UK after PhD -- I think it depends what career it is, there is a huge need for dentists, doctors, nurses, people from overseas can apply, it depends on what area of specialism, area of study.

I can honestly say that the job market is very competitive, and will be even harder for non-EU nationals, not because of ability, qualifications etc., rather, the obstacles will be work experience and issues relating to visa.

As an example on visa, sometimes there are job advertisements, they say-- you have to show proof that you can work in this country -- so without that, how can one apply?

Nevertheless, there is a visa offered for phd people called the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES), but there are conditions, you have to be near submission, and that gives you ONE YEAR to be employed so let's say you have this DES, and it will expire in 2 months, the tricky bit is how will you apply for a job when your DES will expire in 2 months, and also you need to find the right employer who will be able to sponsor a work visa etc.

Again, my telling you about DES could be old news, Home office revises rules and application forms regularly.

My own experience of job hunting is this -- in the UK, applicants usually need to have a certificate/qualification for every single thing to be able to meet the requirements to apply for a particular job. And then there is WORK experience, this is probably the most difficult part for me. If I can't get employed, how can I gain work experience, and it goes the other way round as well.

best of luck
love satchi