Hi everyone,

I've signed up here in search for some objective advice, although reading a lot of these threads there seem to be a lot of negative experiences.

I have been a teacher of science for a couple of years now (PGCE + Science degree) and I am seriously considering a PhD. This doesn't seem to be a very common route at all since people usually do a PhD pretty much as soon as they graduate, or if they don't get one immediately, they do studentships and gain lab experience until they do.

I fell into a PGCE as soon as I graduated and specialised as a chemistry teacher, I do enjoy my teaching job a lot and I have the qualification to teach up to A level, but frankly speaking I don't have the sort of intellectual challenge as a science teacher to keep me going, so I am becoming disillusioned ..

I am 99% sure a PhD is what i want, i know it will mean a break from my teaching career and I just hope it doesn't throw me off track with it as it is something I really enjoy, I mean ..they say you know you're in the right job when you'd probably do what you do for free - that is me most days, but it's just ..there's something missing, maybe it is as basic as satisfying my own intellectual curiosity and achieving something I can be really proud of, I don't know.

Your thoughts/advice would be appreciated.