Yep, I had this but it was after I finished my Bsc. I think they that just to make you look for jobs thinking that everyone on unemployment lines are unskilled, unqualified people- in actual fact more and more people with quailifications are on job-seekers allowance!

Can they do it? Yes, they do check occasionally. I think it's to make people apply more than anything!

I wish this thread appeared 3 days ago! I started Monday of this week. It feels daunting as my supervisor keeps coming up with all these amazing things that I could do!!!

Hi well I am about to start my first year of PhD and I have already been signed up to demonstrating in a BMS microbiology class, I assume it's as I am a BMS graduate but don't know tbh! I get ~£12 an hour, then £60-£85 for 4-5 hours of marking of lab scripts.

Hello!

Welcome, there are a few people starting PhDs this year. I to will be on here as a PhD student for the next 4 years :)

I found that Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, (i.e. univerisities at the top of the tables) tend to advertise their programmes around October. My application to Cambridge had to be in for the 15th November last year with the interview before christmas. I personally found that there is no hard and fast rules in the science PhD field, a friend from QMUL knew she had an offer before Christmas whilst I wasn't interviewed until Easter!

Have you only applied for 1 studentship?

I applied for about 20 studentships, interviewed for 5 (with 2 more interview offers after I'd accepted an offer), then got a studentship.

This time of year isn't the best time of year!

Teaching? Plus having preforming arts and english means that you have other subjects rather than just one!

I have just graduated from Keele! I got offered that EU course with £1000 off tuition fees and another £1000 off but I can't remember why! I would ask your supervisor or personal tutor as I found the careers service to be useless when I asked for help with a PhD application. I found my project supervisor was the best person to ask!

Keep a look out for the in-school careers events- Who is your supervisor?

Keele University offer an EU funded MSc in the life sciences- basically you need to find tuition fees and accomodation for 3 months then the EU pay for the rest of it as you spend the remaining 9 months somewhere in Europe!

You could ask your Supervisor about what they look for in a PhD student...

I was offered an interview at Salford for a GTA as they are cutting a lot of their teaching staff (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-13087147).

Manchester is better known than Salford on the global stage- But as previously said which one do you prefer? And with the current climate you may find you have to apply for both!

Research Experience! It's essential whether you do a masters or go straight from Bsc-PhD. One question: Can you afford a masters degree course?

I personally have opted not to do a MSc, I have an EU funded MSc just in case I didn't get a PhD, but luckily as I had a bit of research experience I got offered a fully funded PhD.

Can you talk to your undergraduate project supervisor or personal tutor?

I was told by my UG research supervisor, always be honest- lies have their way of bubbling up to the surface.

Plus the truth is the easiest to remember!

I found some do, some don't. Warwick didn't pay me travel expenses, some cover say up to £50 whereas others cover the lot!

Hi, I am about to start my PhD in London and I need insurance for a single room within a house share. Can anyone recommend an insurance company to me? The only one that comes up on google which actually offers this type of insurance is Endsleigh

Thanks :)

I would say LSHTM because of it's research links both UK and worldwide- if you are looking for a PhD afterwards there are plenty of research group links. LSHTM is in Bloomsbury rather than Kensington like Imperial, both expensive areas of London but Bloomsbury is more student focused than Kensington so you can find some lower priced food than in the more tourist-y area of Kensington.

Plus LSHTM is more specialist in tropical medicine (which I assume you are interested in) whereas Imperial has an fairly good sized tropical medicine department. My PhD supervisor is already telling me to get connections to LSHTM so I could hopefully (fingers crossed I even pass my PhD) find a post-doc!