Oh totally!

My 4 month-ish road from hearing about the possibility of a PhD to finally making the decision was an absolute emotional rollercoaster. Tears, euphoria the lot! I also had to make the decision of giving up a pretty well paid job to do it, so although I don't have any debt from it, I've taken a bit of a financial risk. If I can get a job at the end of it, I could end up in debt, but hey ho.

But, really I think you should go for what feels right, and forget the money. I think at the moment it seems worse, as all the discourse is economic doom and gloom, but really I think they go over the top.

It really depends on them. My MA offer was unconditional, I had a 2:1 like you, in a pretty unrelated subject, but had significant work experience in the field.

It's career development loan I think. Don't know whether they apply to masters or not.

From my masters experience you can work at the same time. I was full time employed, part time masters. There were people who were full time masters who left their jobs to do it, but soon got a new one when they realised they would have time to work too. Of course all depends on the course etc.

Imo it's not so much money to get in debt for, and people get in debt for all sorts of pointless things most of the time. Where would a nice small new car get you? (not literally ;-)) Whereas doing an MSc, well you have that forever, and it can lead you places. Of course it also depends on whether that matters to you. But if it does, it's a pretty sound, and in the whole scheme of things, not huge investment.

The thing I thought when I read your first post, and which I think even more now reading your subsequent post is relax. To me, you seem fixated on the number of hours, you're focusing on this and getting stressed as it seems impossible. Actually, the number of hours is in many ways immaterial. Plenty of people convince themselves they are doing good work by hour counting, but they are not necessarily productive hours. For me, what is hard about a PhD is dealing with pressures of managing everything yourself, and feeling achievement when there can often be little tangible evidence of it. Focusing on the number of hours is a neat way of avoiding that, as then so long as the hours are there, people can feel they are doing something. That's not to say your do or don't need to do those hours, or you do or don't work that way, or any such thing. But, my advice would be to take a step back, breathe, relax and look at the bigger picture, rather than devote all your energy and create stress relating to one small thing.

1. home alot but imo it’s good to make sure you show your face in the office so you don’t get forgotton
2. like a full time job, but bearing in mind that in a full time job you are unproductive lots of the time. Imo people beat themselves up if they don’t do a productive 7 hours a day (and more), which is unrealistic. And I don’t switch off much, thinking about it most of the time, but that is impossible to quantify
3. fine but i don’t have much. takes and age to prepare a single lecture as i want it to be perfect!
4. masses. my proposal makes me laugh now at how little i knew
5. i have my own house and didn’t move, but if i was i wouldn’t use the uni at all. i’d do it like any move and find an area i wanted to live in, visit estate agents, websites, post office windows etc. but then i am older so am not the least bit interested in reliving my ‘student years’
(apologies for lack of caps. my cat decided to sit on my wrist which is very inhibiting.)

I'm no expert on European law. I'm just recounting what the EU students I know have to do. I don't know why, but I know they do pay extra fees. They get same bursary and fees covered as me, then they pay a top up.

Excellent. I'll tell all the ones I know that so they can claim all that money back then.

Euro students I know who get funding have to pay extra fees on top of that. Funding only covers standard UK fees. And unless the Netherlands tax rate is 50%, 2000 euros/month is going to be alot more than UK funding, which is more like £1000/month (tax free).

Yep. Think about how you would act if you weren't nervous. How would you stand, how would you sit, how would you speak, what would you do with your hands, feet etc, where would you look etc etc - you get the picture. Then do that. So, you catch yourself slouching, stand up straight, you catch yourself fiddling with stuff, keep your hands still etc. This is in all the run up to it, not just during the 'event'. It is very hard to continue to be nervous if your body is not expressing nerves. Your brain tells your body to be nervous, you respond physically, so your brain keeps on doing it. You've learnt that over years, so you keep doing it. Break the cycle instead. After a while it becomes your default, you forget how you used act to be nervous.

Yes we decided that being a lecturer would mean plenty of school hols holiday time, and the my husband who is self-employed could look after kids more in term time. And if I am in a more stable, better paid job then it would make sense for him to do more kid looking after than me, if that's what we feel at the time. Of course it depends on what we are both doing when the time happens. Assuming you breast feed, after however long you do that for (in my experience 6 months) then whoever wants and whoever it suits best can stay at home when the other builds their career unless you both do.

Of course it all depends on lots of things. The people I know have been at various stages on the career ladder - from about £20k-£50k. I was thinking through them earlier too, and pretty much all have moved up the career ladder since too. And indeed there aren't lots of people doing it in every area, yet. The legislation hasn't been there long. We're still waiting for equal pay regardless of gender and that has been around for many many more years. But if no-one ever asks because they think the answer will be no, then of course things will never change.

I think in my section at uni, prob about 50% work part time. It's not for childcare reasons in the main, more because they do other work, because we are related to a specific profession so people also work in practice.

Well I never! I'm not AHRC but maybe we have that too, as mine tends to mimic the usual funders.

Just remembered the other thing I think I figured is if you are self-employed and pay your NI you get stat pay. So, be a self-employed consultant alongside the PhD.

Smilodon - don't know what country you are in, but in the UK all parents have the right to ask for flexible working and it to be properly considered. Obviously depends of the employer how seriously that is taken, but every mother, and several of the fathers I know went part time after kids, same pay, same rights etc.

Re mat pay on part time, temporary jobs. Yes you do get it on part time. You have the same rights as full time employee. Personally I disagree that it causes any probs both parents being part time and sharing responsibility. Part time has all the benefits and stability of full time. And perhaps it's better to spread the load with two people part time, then if one loses their job you've spread the risk. Temporary on the other had, I may be wrong but I think no you don't get any mat pay. Try looking here:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/Pregnancyandmaternityrights/DG_10029285

Unless I am mistaken, I don't think you get the government money if you are not working. The statutory maternity pay is in lieu of wages, therefore if you aren't working there aren't any wages to replace, so no statutory maternity pay. Don't take my word for it, that's just what I understand. I think you are pretty much screwed in terms of getting any money if you are student and get pregnant. I think it harks back to traditional students being younger and male, and policies haven't caught up like they have for working people.

If you work, I think (again I could be wrong) it's 3 months to qualify for some mat pay (often just the statutory). Then it depends on the employer. If post docs are temporary, then you might not have those same rights. You get them anyway after a period of time (Euro legislation) but I think it's a couple of years. Are you in a union? They would be able to advise you. I have heard students can join the lecturers' union (I forget the name) free.

I'm in a very similar position to you, and I am basically of the view of avoiding getting pregnant whilst still a student, but crack on as soon as I have a job. If I can't get an academic one quickly, it will be going back to my old career, and then trying again once I have at least some work. People often say there is no right time for kids, and I think they are right, but a student seems to me to be the worst time (in terms of finances)

Sorry I wish that sounded more positive. Basically I gave it alot of thought before starting my phd, and thought it all through and came to the conclusions above, so of course what I say is skewed in that direction.

PhD bug I have family in Croydon. They are all off work and sledging instead. I think probably people in Lunar House won't be able to get there either, which is prob why they aren't answering the phone. It is pretty exceptional circumstances, so I wouldn't stress too much about you appt, but that is obviously very easy for me to say. But that's my local knowledge. Croydon is higher than central London too, so will be snowier.