In terms of just the fees it would be around £13k, £4k a year plus some costs, its more the loss of earnings whilst doing it that will push up the 'cost' in my mind. As its AHRC and History I am assuming no funding on the basis that I didn't get a first at UG and didn't get a distinction at PG. I guess I would apply but I am just thinking I need to assume I would get no funding at all. I guess if I was paying my own way the university wouldn't really be able to say don't work at the same time, but that assumes I could find some suitable part-time work.

Part-time is something I've considered but I struggle to see how I'll be able to do anything like teaching or similar experiences which would be vital to getting a career after completion. Whilst part of it is a dream and just doing it would be great, I'd want it to actually result in something for me too...rather than just another piece of paper that employers won't really care about.

It was always my dream/intention to do a PhD and take my subject (History) as far as I could go with it. In the end as I finished my Masters in 2010 I didn't even contemplate continuing due to various health, stress and money issues. Since then I've worked full time in various jobs but have never stopped thinking about the idea of doing a PhD, I've even discussed my ideas with potential supervisors who were seemingly happy with the concept.

I was no outstanding student, I got a good 2:1 and then my MA without a distinction or anything like that so I guess my funding chances are zero. Having saved up I should be able to cover the fees, and with the support of my family it could be doable. One issue is I'd want to do it full time, not just because of how long a part-time PhD would take but because I feel I'd miss out on experience and networking that would be vital for me to have any hope of getting a job remotely related to the PhD, ideally of course academia. As a result my earnings would be severely limited and combined with the fees would make for a very expensive 3-4 years.

Basically is this just an utterly crazy idea like I keep telling myself? That I'll just spend years studying, get my PhD (hopefully), and basically end up back where I am now with a lot less money, several years older and no chance of a job from it.

Alternatively I could do a more vocational masters to progress in my present career but that would still cost me around £9k + a year of study and the job market isn't exactly great in my field either.

I guess I'm torn between following my dream and doing the boring 'right thing' for the longer term. Nearly 29 and very much feeling I need to be getting on with things either way. I suppose I just needed to ask.