Many thanks all for your comments, ideas and support.

Much of what you have said confirms what I have suspected, particularly in terms of the changes in academic culture, legalities of employment and so forth. I think my best stragegy is to go forward willingly, having put down a marker or two about my concerns regarding family health and well being, and try broadly to work to my plan.

The research area (forgive me being cagey here - I'm sure you'll understand I'd rather not be identifiable) will require some field work, but I think the nature of the study will allow me to let it coincide with school holidays, and it will be much easier to manage. Some further exploration this week has opened the possibility of PhD by practice/portfolio, which seems both attractive and appropriate to my field.

I'm afraid I don't have any REFable track record, and the institution expects publication to refereed journals in addition to the PhD. (I do have another, different area of research with good momentum in an innovative area, which might yield some REFable publication; however the area is very fast moving, and I don't have the confidence in being able to access the level of IT support it requires for me to hang the PhD on it.)

It is frustrating that my subject requires a seven year track of higher education to achieve my professional qualification, yet this stands for nought within the institution; The vocational nature of the profession also means there is very little tradition or culture of research at doctoral level.

Thanks once more; I feel more confident and less scared at the end of this week than I did at the beginning.

Hello
I'm a full time academic in my early 50s, currently an undergraduate programme leader, with some masters teaching load in addition. I am also a full time single parent (widowed) with two children in secondary school. I have no family support to call on - nearest grandparents are 2 and 1/2 hours away, in their late 70s.

My employer is requiring/coercing all academic staff at .5 and above to undertake a part time PhD, and has alluded that failure to gain a PhD will be taken as evidence of not performing to contract.

It is difficult to find information on total hours a PhD takes; I have come across 'total' figures from 6500 hours upwards. The figure of 17.5 hours a week (some 4500 total) on a part time route has also come up.

If I look at my working week with rosy spectacles, and everything with children, household and work going to plan, I can imagine getting the children off to school at 7.30, and making a start at 8, scheduling teaching commitments to start at 10, and getting in 2 hours a day. I can also try to ring fence a day a week where I get my head down in the library, and avoid emails and my students.

If I were able to stick to this religiously, and not get sucked into emails, teaching prep and meetings, this would give me, on the face of it, some 4200 hours over 6 years part time. Of course I'm aware that many things are likely to erode this, but does this sound remotely doable?


Much as I enjoy research, and am willing to undertake a PhD, I am, frankly frightened that the workload and stress this will bring will impact on the health and well being of both me and my children.

Any thoughts, observations, ideas would be appreciated.