hi all, i have been struggling with this decision of going ahead with the phd in the absence of any funding. i have almost no time left to submit my proposal and just yesterday again was in doubt about how will i manage to find work to fund my studies and living expenses in the uk. i am an international student. there are very strong reasons which have prompted me to do this in uk. can't go into details here. but i have been reading some pretty scary reviews/comments on the fact that u can't work and do a phd at the same time. but can someone please tell me honestly how feasible is it to be working and studying for a phd at the same time? and if working 20 hours a week is possible/allowed for phd students too. that is what i was allowed for my masters level. i love my topic and am keen on working on it, so really want to do this, but my admission is for june this year, with no funding/scholarship in sight and i am apprehensive abt committing to this without knowing where the rest of the funds will come from. have tried all personal resources. would really appreciate some answers and suggestions. sincerest thanks in advance.

Thank u very much for your response. My bad that I forgot to add a very significant detail to my initial email. I am an international student. Therefore I think owing to this reason, I don't qualify for a student loan.

Hi, would like to firstly thank anyone who will take the time to read this and offer some valuable advice. I am looking at finding a PhD in UK and almost finalized my choice of university and topic but am still looking for funding, as bearing the entire cost of the studies myself is posing a real problem in moving forward. I know there are a lot of scholarships available out there but the majority of those are either university specific or time-specific i.e. for September or October intakes I am planning on commencing my PhD as a June intake student and therefore wondering if there is anything I can apply for and get be that time. Am in a real fix as the finances are the only thing stopping me from pursuing this any further.

Would appreciate any advice that is offered.

Thanks and regards,
Tracy