Does anyone have any experience of using focus groups or interviews to guide the development of a questionnaire to test the generalisability of findings? Or point me in the right way to some literature?

I'm a lecturer in a vocational healthcare subject and do not currently have a PhD, in some institutions it is an essential requirement but in others it is understood that those with a traditional PhD often lack the significant clinical and practice experience. I am however looking forward and to progress a doctorate would certainly help.

I am being given mixed messages about the way to go, specifically a DProf or PhD. My thoughts are that a traditional PhD, although still the gold standard will essentially take me away from teaching for 4-5 year, even with a NIHR fellowship I will essentially be down to 2 days per week of teaching.

A DProf however could allows me to essentially use the day job to gain the doctorate, this would most likely have to be more pedogogical research than I would do through a PhD.

Any advice. Some colleagues are telling me DProfs are a waste of time, others that they are the best thing for me to do.

Other option is through publication, I will have 1 shortly and I am fairly confident I can produce another every 18 months, just feel this would take a long time and I don't know how many I would realistically need.

I am planning on applying for a PhD to start in september but want to ask a question that i wouldnt really feel comfortable asking the uni.

Obviously i have no plans of dropping out of the PhD but you never know what might happen a year or two in with family and financial circumstances etc. What happens to the funnding? Do you have to pay it all back?

The financial commitment is all that i am really concerned about, currently earn around £35K and i am a bit concerned about being able to afford essentially a 50% pay cut.

Oh, really. I was not aware that the first 6.5K after the stipend was still classed as tax free. I thin in reality i could probably earn about that without it taking up to much time from the PhD.

Thanks.

Hello!

I am considering applying for a PhD, i currently work as a pharmacist and was hoping to be able to continue to do some locum work to help fund the degree.

Obviously the difference between a pharmacists salary and the PhD award is significant so i was hoping to be able to locum in holidays etc when free and do uni work in evenings etc

How much holiday entitlement would you expect to get during the PhD? Obviously everyones PhD is different but does everyone think it would be acceptable to take the odd day away from the uni to do some locum shifts?