Yes I have done this. A three and a one year old during my final year (of 5) doing a professional doctorate whilst working. I have finished. But still recovering.

I know what it is like. The job study family balance. It is very hard. But keep your head down and you can do it.

Working in the evening didn't work for me. I did some thesis in m lunch breaks and stayed on a bit in the office.

I delivered my thesis only just before my hard deadline. Not good. Try to finish it a month early so you have edit time. Having said that I spent 2 weeks leave with the family away to finish it. I had to commit to it 100%, 16+ hour days. Only then I saw the whole thesis - matrix style!

Do what you've got to do to get it done.

Stop checking your emails at the weekend. Seriously, everyone needs down-time. You choose the weekend to chill - that's cool.

Get back in the gym routine - you need that. Healthy body, healthy mind. Seriously, that is essential.

Best of luck.

Like a painting, the thesis illustrates skill, creativity, attention to detail. But it is never perfect!

Pressing the 'send to printers' button took me an hour. There are still flaws, but it is a picture.

Excellent, relax a bit soak it up, then nail any corrections, pass go, and collect your £200.

the odds are better, how many of the ten billion women put on a lab coat vs an apron. As a female scientist you are already in a select minority.

Yes, I passed viva with minors, and I have made the corrections and they have been approved. I just need to submit thesis once I get the instructions from my university to do so :-).

My thesis is approved and I will be ready to print/bind/submit in the next couple of weeks.

I want to apply for jobs. Without the boring details how can I state on my cv that I essentially "have it" but it's not absolutely done and dusted yet!?!

Would it be disingenuous to say I have a phd?

Advice greatly appreciated.

What a rotten thing to happen. Do you consider you did one (or more) of the following;

1. State explicitly on your abstract that the "novelty of the research is..."
2. State in your introduction or conclusion chapter a specific section titled "originality"
3. Give a presentation in your viva with the originality clearly declared.
4. Be asked for that elevator pitch 2 sentences as to what your research is all about.
5. Failing all of these, did you feel that you declared and defended the originality of your work.

Without at least one of these, the work is on the examiner to tease out the originality, rather than be presented with it explicitly and therefore ticking one of the boxes required of the exam.

If you consider you presented originality, and can show/explain why, it sounds like ground for appeal.

Did your supervisor not sit in the viva?

HTH, best of luck.

I understand. You deliver the best copy you can for the viva, where the document gets 'locked' and set down. The corrections process then asks you to re-wire that complex instrument, without it collapsing! I had 3 month minors. My thesis was written mostly in word 2003, and then at the end 2010. So unstable!

Incognito gave great advice. Chip away at them and you will be there soon. Keep your supervisor sweet; they can really help you now.

This is limbo land. Most people think you pass the viva you are finished. Maybe you start getting called doctor by friends. But you are not done. Not yet. So you have to make one last big push. When you submit your corrections for sign off, you may have to wait. Again, this is part of the process, but the end is worth it. You will have that qualification

I did mine part time while working full time. From my experience;

You need time at work to spend on it. This could be by reducing hours fitting it in, getting your company to support it. Do what you've got to do.

If you take a break, don't stop . Use the time as more time on it! Seriously.

It will get easier as you get your chapters down. You may hate every min. Bit engineers really respect doctorates so worth the pain.

Oh yeah, if you don't already; start exercise. Healthy body healthy mind.

Your whole post just isn't very clear. If you can ask your question in a single sentence, it would help.

You are asking for opinion to a very unclear question.

I just wanted to say how impressed I am by your integrity.

To answer your q, I would read an MPhil gained on 2 years differently to one obtained over 5.

But having said that, an MPhil in any situation is a perfectly decent qualification.

HTH

I think you should aim to find something to tide you over, get some work cup and look for the dream job. Maybe teaching, the foreign office/gov jobs, or a charity.

Good luck. You will get there.

I was in a similar position. I had periods where I did not write for a month. The guilt is terrible. I still worked on it mentally. Thinking through arguments and presentation methods. That still counts.

If it is a computer job you are doing. My advice is to get in half an hour early and leave half an hour or so late. Then spend this extra time and your lunch break working on it. You will still do your full day of work, but also up to 1.5 hours of thesis. Can you work at home? You can wrap up early then and hav a good few hours at it.