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Indeed, I know I don't have to pay any NI. I'm wondering about the implications of not paying. Doesn't the state pension and/or job seekers allowance depend in part on NI contributions?

I'm in the 2nd year of my NERC funded PhD and it's just occurred to me that I haven't paid any national insurance contributions since starting. I little background, I graduated in 2000 after a 4 year degree, then worked (paying NI) for 10 years, starting my PhD in 2010. What are the implications of not paying NI for the 3-4 years of my PhD?

Thanks.

I really don't understand why people "delay getting married" because of a PhD.

Why not just think of the PhD as a 3 year contract job. Many people work on much shorter contracts, as well as longer or permanent roles. Doesn't stop them getting married. Sure, the money's not great, but those with a half decent (tax free) funding and some teaching, coupled with student discounts inc. council tax it can easily be equivalent to something earning £20k in a regular job. Not great, but certainly not low enough to put one's life on hold.

I don't get what special or different about a PhD that holds people back.

How many people attend presentations by their colleagues, maybe first year upgrade presentations etc... and come away thinking other people's PhDs are more interesting (or easier!) than their own? Is it just a case of the grass looking greener, or the presentations glossing over the weeks of anguish that lie behind the funky result?

I don't really follow why you think your life is on hold because you haven't finished your PhD. You can get married before you finish. You certainly don't need to buy a house to progress your life... the only difficulty is children as PhDs are particularly compatible with maternity leave, but even then I'm sure a 12 month 'sabbatical' could be accommodated. If you want to do things, don’t let the fact you’re still working on a PhD get in the way.

Of course it's not true. The PhD process is very flexible. A distinction can only help but is very unlikely to be the final deciding factor. I know many people on PhDs without distinctions in their masters, without masters degrees at all and in a few cases not even first class undergrad degrees!

I'm interested in the replies from Hydi and LoobieLoo. I'm in a similar situation in that I'm leaving a 9 year professional career in engineering to take a science PhD.

Has anyone made a positive transition from highly successful career to PhD? My motivations are mainly personal interest, I'm very interested in the PhD subject and no longer very interested in my career subject area. My career is also unavoidably becoming more about management and less about engineering/research.

There is limited overlap between my professional career in PhD subject so I'm not expected to bring much relevant industrial experience to the area. Just strong quantitative, analytical skills and a professional attitude!

I spoke to mortgage advisors in three highstreet banks a couple of months ago and all confirmed that they would give me a mortgage on the basis of my PhD funding.

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Did you see this thread: http://www.postgraduateforum.com/threadViewer.aspx?TID=10400

Do you need to show the whole two hours? If it's a DVD it might be possible to just select maybe 45 minutes worth of chapters that cover the main points. You could introduce the chapter, provide the context then discuss after the chapter.

I'm not impressed by this blog. It seems monotone, out of date (in its thinking) and above all materialist. I'm quitting a £50k a year job to do a PhD because it's more interesting, stimulating, a nicer environment, great people and above all I love learning. The pay cut is almost irrelevant next to that.

When discussing money, the concept of 'enough' is FAR more important than the concept of a million dollars. There's a lot of literature illustrating the diminishing returns of increased wealth over the 'enough' threshold. Happy or rich? That question doesn't even need asking and these days we certainly know rich does not equal happiness. That's what I mean by out of date thinking, this blog seems to be stuck in the 1980s.

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Isn't now a good time to go for a PhD? As the economy is bombing, there's every chance you could lose your job. Having three years of PhD funding is better than being unemployed for a couple of years. With any luck the economy will be healthier when your PhD is finished.

I know a bit about Senegal and climate change. A novel idea might be dust. The effect of Saharan dust on Senegal - especially on photovoltaic infrastructure. Senegal is deploying large amount of photovoltaic power infrastructure but dust is a major problem. Dust events are affected by climate change and in return have have an impact on climate by transporting iron into tropical Atlantic waters stimulating plankton growth. I expect there's a good question around climate, dust, photovoltaics and maybe agriculture.

Hey, you're in a very similar situation to me. I graduated with a pretty shoddy MPhys in Computational Physics in 2000 spent 8 years in radio engineering before taking an MSc in the 08/09 year. Before applying I had also taken and done well in an Open University undergraduate and postgraduate module, my professional record was very strong and I also had a strong portfolio of independent activity including high profile blogging and public speaking.

It was certainly a good move and I have secured PhD funding for the next four years at a doctoral training centre - so yes, there is certainly a way back into science!

Don't let one rejection put you off. If it doesn't work out - try and get some decent feedback on why, find out where the weak points in your application were and before reapplying next year take a relevant OU module. That will show commitment to studying.

Don't people write as they go along these days? Or at least write to the deadline that is the end of funding? The idea of researching for three years THEN writing for six months doesn't sound like a smart way to work.