Hello,
I've just completed an MA in social anthropology and am applying for jobs as a researcher. I started off applying for the fascinating social research jobs but have had no luck.
Is it a good idea to apply for jobs in market research, just to get experience working on projects, and then progress to social research? What other research jobs are there for people with an MA?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated :-)

Johanstein, your comment is strange. Anthropology is not trying to be a science. 70 years ago, one anthropologist did describe it as a science but his ideas are no longer taken seriously... Anthropology is something else altogether. It is reductionist to think that science is the only valid optic to see the world through. There are other disciplines, and, outlandish though it may seem to you, they are not cringing in fear of being 'denounced' as non-scientific by a brilliant academic such as yourself. Anthropology observes human societies; it uses specific theories to do this. If I am going to embark on a study of ethnicity in Highland Latin America, I don't need a PhD in a 'hard' science; the tool I will need is a PhD in anthropology.

Thanks, Chrisrolinski, your comments are really helpful. I'm sure you'll do fine in your PhD and won't drop out as you seem to have a clear idea of what you wnat to do! All this is making me think that I might be as well doing a part-time PhD while looking for a job relating to anthropology in some way...Then I won't put my life on hold too much while studying.

Hi there, thanks for your answers. To clarify quickly, yes, I know that I would need a PhD to be an anthropologist. I absolutely love anthropology and it will 'break my heart', to use a quaint expression, to stop studying it and to try and find a job outside of that field. I like research and ideally, I would like to conduct fieldwork and write ethnographies, but do not like the idea of supporting myself by teaching and being too caught up in the microcosm of academia- I'd like a balance of 'real life' and research.. So you are right, I am confused as to what to do now.

Hiya, I posted months ago about doing a PhD in Social Anthropology and got lots of useful advice (thanks again!). I've decided to take a break for a year and save up before applying for a PhD.
However, I'm apprehensive for various reasons. Mainly I don't want to teach, at all, as I wouldn't be good at it. Are there many other careers I could do, working as an anthropologist? Or museum curator, maybe? But then couldn't I do this as well with an MA?
Also, are all PhD students caught in the academic 'milieu'? It seems very gossipy and cliquey, in anthropology particularly, and that seems very daunting.

Hi Mia, thanks for the valuable advice (thus saving me at least £3000!). It makes sense, I should be concentrating on preparing for the PhD and not going on a tangent route...I'm thinking of submitting papers to anthropology publications, which would be far more useful...

Hiya, the course I'm interested in is a year, 3 evenings a week.

Hum, yes, maybe I should be saving the money...But I can't bear wasting another year and being outside academia!

Thanks, that's a relief!
So do they look at each mark individually or do they do a average? (My BA was done in another contry so I'm a bit unclear about grades here...). My MA is 5 courses + the dissertation, would there be averaging all the marks together?

Hello,
me again with yet another question. I'm thinking of waiting a year before applying to do a PhD in Social Anthropology as I really need to earn some money.
However, I hate the idea of an inactive year so was thinking of doing an Mres at Birkeck. As their classes are in the evening, I would still be able to hold a full-time job. They don't do anthropology so I was thinking of doing psychology or a course dealing with sociology or politics.
Do you think this would make a PhD application stronger (if my research had to do with psychology as well as anthropology, say...) or would it be irrelevant?
Or do you have any ideas as to how I could fruitfully use my time next year to ensure I have good chances of getting funding?
Thanks!

Hi there,

I was wondering what you would consider good enough grades in an MA to enable one to apply for a PhD.
Do you think most people who go on to do PhD get 70%? Or would less be acceptable?
Thanks!

Hi Mia,
that's what I thought but the professor I saw said I'd need to do a MRes in which I would learn how to research and put together a research project for the following year. Then I would need at least 3 years for the PhD. Could it be because my application is not strong enough (my first degree was in an unrelated subject, and the MA in social anthropology is a conversion one)?

Thanks!

Hi again,

I'm filling in applications for various Mres/PhDs and see that I will need academic references, some before march 10.
Is it rude to go to my lecturers (one may not remember me that well as she taught me last year) and ask them for an urgent reference? I hate the idea of pestering them just because I'm doing last-minute applications.
Or do you think it's a normal request and they're used to this type of thing?

Thanks!

Hi there,
just come back here today, thanks for your answers! Dan B, when I travelled to London to investigate about PhDs, the uni said I have to do an MRes and progress to PhD status.
Anyway, I'm feeling much better today about the whole situation. I was overworked the other night and quite depressed. Now I've decided to apply anyway to do an MRes. If I get funding, great, if not I'll do an Mres part-time and do a PhD later on when I've had time to save money...
Mia, I was exaggerating, I read lots of books-ethnographies mostly- last year, and it didn't seem like hard work. It's just the very theoretical ones I am having trouble with this year as my workload has had to increase and I come home braindead 6 days a week...

Johannstein, you are being unfair in using quotes from my message to attack a discipline you dislike. All the anthropologists I know are highly knowlegeable people, all extremely well read. As for "striving for academic excellence", I explained in my post that this is a luxury I unfortunately cannot afford; and I am aware that this may prevent me from receiving funding.

Hi everyone!

Until today, I was planning to do a PhD and become an anthropologist.

However, I'm wondering if a PhD is a good idea. I'm always at work as my MA is part-time. The work is repetitive and absolutely mind numbing so that my concentration is bad.

As a result, I'm always behind on my reading. Also, I've never been able to read a whole anthropology book; I usually read about one chapter. I get a general idea and find a mix of quotes for essays, and do well. When I do manage to concentrate, I find the subject fascinating.
So I ask anyone out there doing a PhD, do you honestly think I should apply to do an MRes next year or am I not serious minded enough? Do you read whole anthropology books on a weekly basis?

I seem to have left it very late anyway and the deadline for funding is in March. I'll never be able to approach a suitable supervisor in time, will I?

Sorry if my post seems a bit stupid; I am intelligent and a good student, but really finding it impossible to cope at the moment!