I applied for a job that was looking for a masters, but a PhD would be desirable. The difference in the max pay for a masters applicant and one with a PhD was 3k. It's a bit depressing to see jobs like that and realise that the time and effort you've put in has been judged as being worth an extra 3k by HR somewhere. It makes your wonder what you'd be doing, and be on, if the PhD had been skipped.

Not that I'm complaining :-) I love my PhD, and don't regret the last 3 years in the slightest. I'm 24 with plenty of time to work up to a nice wage. I just wish there was a job out there right now with pay that equates to the effort thats gone in.

I didn't apply to a job recently, because it was £21k and a BSc, MSc, PhD and expereince as a researcher was ESSENTIAL - I have all those (nearly the PhD?) but there was no way I could afford to take £21k (taking into account it would cost me £6k to travel there for a year) - I'd be better off cash-wise working in a supermarket locally.

The stipends here sound wonderful!!! I'm on a scholarship (well, two) and have my fees paid but my scholarships pay a total of just under £6k a year! I also work part time as an RA which pays me slightly less than £6k so I'm getting there lol, but I know that full time RA or RO in our uni pays between £25-31K at which point I'll consider myself very well off! I think that sometimes you have to just start low and work up, but you have far more experience in some ways having done the PhD - its swings and roundabouts I guess. No point looking at what others are earning and trying to catch up with them - it may be that they have a ceiling that is lower than yours, but if not you've had the experience of doing the PhD :-)

:-( I hate that. When you see a job you could do, or might want to do, but there's no way you could afford to actually do it. I think my lower limit is around 24k outside of london. Any less and I couldn't afford to move/travel there and pay the bills and whatnot. I think it's as Jepsonclough said, 25k equating to the same take home as the average stipend.

Ive applied for a perfect job. In an area I love (that inspired me into taking psychology), that I have related experience and research in, that I have some teaching experience for, and is at teaching fellow level rather than lecturer so the competition might be little less hot. Plus, the pay starts at 30k with a relocation fund! I've got my fingers crossed for it because other wise it's back to looking at the jobs with low pay and high expectations!