I wish I could answer, and I am in the qualitative field, but surely it depends on your university, the nature what you are doing, who the participants are etc etc. Maybe I'm missing something, but to me a recruitment agency find jobs for people, so why would you use those? People participating in research aren't being employed. And the cost would surely depend on how long you are expecting them to work for, it that is how you are doing it. I really can't understand the question to answer.

I've been interviewed when I worked and was paid nothing, I was recruited by them emailing me as the person that did the job relevant to their research. I have been in a focus group for a company doing some customer research and was given a £10 Boots voucher and was recruited as I once contacted them with a complaint. And I have been employed by a university to do some survey work for them and was paid £12/hr and was recruited by them sending an email to universities asking for people, if any of those help you...

Whilst your supervisor shouldn't pick holes, as that has negative connotations, whatever you write they will be able to critique it. That is why they are a supervisor. The way I see it, go back and read something at a lower level. Last year I supervised some undergrad dissertations, and I could have critiqued pretty much every sentence. Just because I am further along the road that they are in terms of their academic development. But I wouldn't do that as it wouldn't be productive, and there is no value-judgment in where they are in relation to me. So like someone else said, set the goal a little lower. You don' need to be impressive, you need to be you so they can help and develop you.

It's a very human thing to want to be impressive, and I wish I could be too. But you have to say and write the stupid things in order to develop.

And the thing sounding straightforward and then being much harder. I think I find that every time too.

imo way way way too early to be worrying! And I see it as more than a slow burn rather than a Eureka moment. Sometimes I know, sometimes I don't. it changes all the time, as you learn new stuff, refine your thinking etc. But it of course depends on the person. So long as you get there is the end. But imo 4 weeks in I knew nothing (although I probably thought I knew more)

Well I didn't know that. Thanks Missspacey. Maybe that is why they are tax credits rather than a reduction in tax. I always wondered about that, but I suppose one is then tax and the other is separate therefore they can have different entitlement regimes. Maybe. Could be nothing to do with it of course...:-)

Sorry just twigged £8k is pay not bursary, so the ignore that last bit. Tax credits bit still stands though...

It's difficult to answer most of it as it depends on so many things, and I know little of autism and Manchester, but re the income thing, the tax picture is a little more complicated than previous posts. In the UK there are working tax credits, so if your income is low and you have kids you get alot of that tax back. I'm not an expert on it, and how it relates if you are not a UK citizen, but look into it before taking the tax things are read. Try the inland revenue website.http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/index.htm

As a guide, I get just over £12k, and my partner is self employed so we have to be sure we could live off just my money if we really needed to. I think we could, but only just. All of our mortgage (and we bought our house a good few years ago, so this is a mortgage way smaller than the rent would be on our house), electricity, gas, food, phone, council tax etc comes in at about £900/month. This is with no kids.

Manchester is a cheaper bit of the UK, not the cheapest but nothing like London. And sure there's talk of financial problems, but people still need their car fixing, and I think it would take alot worse financial problems for the British to give up their cars.

Is it £8k that they have quoted, you're not guestimating any tax to take off are you? As bursaries are tax free here.

And much lower if you count lost employer's NI, employer's pension contributions, bonuses, travel subsidies, employer funded study. I was relating it to money in your pocket equivalent.

I'm outside London and I get just over £12k. But the crucial thing is it is all tax free. I reckon it to be about the equivalent of £16k ish salary.

My MA was what you said Triplesteve. But I would have thought it depends on the university.

Oh I see, my problem was it? Wasn't me trying to help someone then?
Personally I think just posting to put someone down for asking for help reflects a little worse on that person, than the person trying to help someone. If that is 'having a life' then you are more that welcome to it.
You have a good day now.

Jouri, if you want to reply to me, there's a thread here to do it on, for the benefit of everyone. You don't need to PM me.

what and lose all your history?? that's a little unfair.

I don't complain about PhD life. I think it's great. Challenging but great. Just wanted to say that in case all the complaining was making you think it's all miserable. :-)

Just FYI (I don't know if you can see the same as me), it says you posted 18.44 today (but it is invisible) and it was the same this am. You posted at something like 8.20, but again invisible

Not an expert on web stuff, but could you have an old version of the forms or something? Have you tried navigating to the site rather than using any bookmarks/favourites. That's the kind of thing people often say.