How much work?!?
Help, I am a very confused person. i am in my first year, doing a soc sci PhD, but as I am the only person in my department doing one I dont know how much work Im supposed to be doing. I work about 30 hours a week- is that enough?! And how many holidays is reasonable? My supervisors keep telling me Im doing fine and they're pleased with my progress but they are so dithery, its hard to know if i really am on track
You should try and treat your PhD as a full time job. You may not need to put in more hours than you already are to pass, but the more you put in the more you'll get out. Most research council funded studentships allow for 30 days holiday (this includes the 8 public holidays).
You should really be working a minimum of 40 hours a week with 50 being the norm including work from home etc. As for holidays, I am entitled to 40 but am not allowed to take any where near that amount as my supervisor disapproves so it depends on your boss really. But breaks are vital.
It depends on your situation. I work about 40 hours a week in the lab, but it is intense working. I start at 7am (most others come in at 10am) and so I get loads done then. It allows me toleave earlier to do my own things in the evening. I like this style of working rather than coming in later like most PhD students!
Hmm, in my experence it's 2 hours a week one month and when your data collection and thesis writing is on it is 80 hours a week. Maybe that averages out somewhere at 40 hours. Personally I don't agree with this hard work attitude. If it's your passion, you gonna do it anyway longer than anyone else. Taking risks, following hunches etc, that is what science is about. Do what you think is enough to solve your question :-)
I found that with my MPhil I started off only getting a few productive hours a day in - despite spending all day every day in the department. Once I got into what I was doing more and knew better what the hell I was doing, I could work for longer. Towards the end of my course I was working more like 10 hours a day. Personally, I think it's a good idea to plan to work aound the 'normal' 35-40 hours a week, but don't feel too disheartened if you're not getting that much done in the beginning. It worked out fine in the end for me! :)
Thank you Karen and everyone else for your replies. Have made a decision to stick to my 35hours a week for the time being, as I find this about right for me at the moment. Anymore and I think i would end up resenting it. But I'll be prepared to put in more work when need be in the 2nd and 3rd years
PhD students in my lab work different hours. I generally start at 7am and finish between 3 and 4pm. Whereas most of the rest start at about 10am and finish at between 5 and 6pm. I am the only first year and am doing about the same as the final year students - but that is my choice. I do it as I feel the quicker I work the more chance of getting results and finishing ahead of schedule. Probably won't happen though!
It doesn't really matter how long you work for - more important is how productive your work is. Are your experiments well planned or are you waisting time? Are you surfing the net too much, do you read the literature enough? Sit down every monday morning and write down what experiments you want to get done and by when. try to stick to it.
Wow, I'm jealous! I wish I could be 100% productive just from having my work carefully planned beforehand! How are you able to plan things in such great detail without knowing what problems you might come up against in doing the lab work (things not working properly, technical staff not available, someone else using the equipment, etc. etc.)?
Technical staff not available???!! What technical staff? If I want something fixed or servicing, I have to do it...ohhhh, the luxury of having technical staff on hand ;o) I agree though, the laboratory gremlins don't take much notice of plans (which is not to say that you shouldn't bother, just that you should also have a back-up plan, no, not the pub!)
