Your funding from the research council (~£12000) is tax free, but any other earnings from tutoring/demonstrating or part-time work will be taxed in the same way as someone in full time employment - ie anything in the year earned over your tax allowance (~£5000 per year i think) will then be subject to income tax

I'm now into my 2nd year and as I'm funded by the EPSRC I have to go on one of the grad school course either this year or next year. I was just wondering if people on here had been to one and what they though about it, also when the best time to go is 2nd or 3rd year? (At the moment I'm thinking of going soon just to get it out of the way)

I'm practicing to be a grumpy old man! A Victor Meldrew IN THE MAKING

I don't have planned hours, I just get up when I wake up get ready and go in (Usually in by 10 though). When I get there I just stay until I get done what I have to do that day and go home, sometimes that means I stay till 10/11 at night other times I can leave as early as 3. I guess it depends on the type of work you're doing and how well it's going.

I've got the lab to myself the entire time so I can do what I like. but I'd prefer to have real people to talk to

I think you're allowed 4 or 5 years out of the system from the age of 18 to still get the full pension I paid a couple of years off, for the years when I had summer jobs as an undergrad as that covered about half of it already