Hi guys,
I am an undergrad student currently undergoing a 1 year long placement at a research institute (biology). I want to apply for a PhD next year at a different University. Somebody advised me today to email this supervisor to express my interest in a possible position and to offer my help over the weekends.
I would love to do that but after thinking about this I am a bit sceptical if I would be any help at all if I can only commit to weekends ( I am working long hours through the week).
Have you got any thoughts on this? Have you got any other idea how to get myself known there?
Any thoughts will be appreciated. :)

Express your desire to do a PhD in the lab and see what happens from there. Don't jump in and offer to work weekends if you don't have to. Besides, there's probably only people in the lab most weekends for a couple of hours, if at all, plus they will want to be getting on with their own work and legally you probably shouldn't be the lab unsupervised anyway.

Thanks Treeoflife:)
I work unsupervised at our Institute so I didn't think of that at all. I think that lab is quite busy over the weekends as they publish in Nature, Cell etc.
But yeah, I was sceptical myself.
Do you think it's too early to email them if I want to start in 2015?

No I think that's fine. You can sound out whether they are taking on any students with their own proposals or will advertise positions that they already have funding for.

Do you think its a good idea to pick up a phone and call the potential supervisor instead of just sending an email?

I'd say not, because with an email they can respond on their time and with a phone call you are forcing them to respond on your time.

If you send a couple of emails and don't get a response then I think it's ok to call, but don't be surprised if you get a frosty reception if they are busy.

Thanks:)
It just I build really good rapport with people face to face. Not as good with writing emails:) But yeah, you are right.