wow, this sounds really bad, i'm really sorry to hear your having difficulties :-(
Have your supervisors been like this since you started your PhD or has this only started recently? If only recently can you think of any particular reason? I think they're both acting very unproffesional, and personally I'd take it above their heads to the head of research for your dept, he should be able to tell them to stop being so immature and actually help you. They did agree to do that originally when you started and it seems unfair to be putting you in this position now. I also agree with Keep_Calm, you should also get them to sit down and discuss your issues, and tell them what a horrible position they are putting you in.

Ratchit

well hopefully, but i'm still pooing myself over all of it, I'm having to learn Arabic in my spare time and everything :s

Yeah, looking at lecturers profiles, that seems to be how they do it, so second option!

Hey

It takes awhile, just be patient. I've just been accepted on a PhD in Social Sciences (Archaeology) but this is my second attempt. I applied for a studentship while I was finishing of my MA but got turned down due to lack of experience, but I talked to a lecturer I'd known in the department and who i help with excavations during holidays from work and he introduced me to a friend of his who lectures at UCL and who runs sites in Egypt. Between the 3 of us we managed to think up a new idea for me to try, and thankfully managed to convince another lecturer at my department to be my main supervisor (he seems shockingly enthusiastic about it now!). I haven't got funding for the PhD itself (yet) but you can apply for funds from the AHRC once you've started which I'm hoping to do, and I have funding for the site out in egypt from the Egyptian council. Also as a part time student I can apply for bursaries from the University (in the case of my uni anyhow). My advice is just keep looking around for funding and stay positive. If a potential supervisor can see that your enthusiastic and willing to put the work in, they will really help you out alot. I only really looked at one other uni for a PhD, and even the lecturer I talked to there was very enthusiastic!

Ratchit x

Hey,

I know exactly how you feel! I start my 6 months probation in February, and I'm spending most of my time panicking that i'm really not going to do well. I know my supervisors are really positive, they've already sent my security forms off for working in egypt etc etc, but I'm just terrified that i'm not clever enough!! So don'tworry, you're not the only one!!

Ratchit x

I dunno hun, Its difficult. From my point of view, i did loads of temping between my undergrad and post grad. What you have to think about is where do u want the MA to take you? would you just got back to the same kind of job as your doing now afterwards? if so, why do an MA and hten take a step back again?  On the other hand if you want to go elsewhere post MA then yeah its probably a good idea. 
From my point of View, i'm just finishing my MA and am currently applying for a graduate job, but I am planning to start a PhD in a year so i suppose i'm pretending to my employers that i'll be with them in the long term when actually i will probably resign after a year and start my PhD with my current department, its naughty but atleast it gives me a good income for a year!  But the only reason i'm doing that is because I want to become a lecturer so I know that I need to do the PhD.   You just need to consider why you want to do the MA, I'm bored isn't really a good justification....because you could come out and be exactly whree you were before but with more debt and no job!

Fair enough, i am a procrastinator, but my other half would actually command me to do uni work sometimes so thats pretty much what kept me going. I did, in the end, make a deal with my employers that i had Tuesday afternoons off so that I could do work, and visit my lecturers etc etc so it all worked pretty well i have to say!

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I agree with Ogriv, other than the fact it payed for me to go to the cinema once in the blue moon, it was also something that meant i didn't have to think about uni, i did brainless admin work where all i had to do was answer inane phonecalls and pretend to be cheerful and tbh it was a hell of a relaxation period and u didn't mind doing the uni work so much in the evening caus it was more interesting than typing letters in word all day! Also, u get payed and you get free tea, coffee and biscuits! whats wrong with that!

I like Dragons, but I've heard about the storyline for Eragon and it sounds like a childfriendly copy of the dragon master series which has been out for years so i'm not overly keen on reading it as it would probably irritate me! I could be persuaded otherwise but currently thats the opinion I hold of it, Boy finds he can work with dragons when its a really rare skill, starts fighting for one side, cept in dragon master he ends up as the leader of a military group planning raids against the otherside adn is very military and tactical. As i said, could be wrong, is just my opinion from what i've heard of the eragon story.

Also the question is H, it may take you 3 hours to read a 350 page paperback, which is incredible, more than my mum can read in that time, and she's an apallingly fast reader, but honestly, how much have you taken in, or are you skimming like I do with my uni texts?

On a serious note tho, the Pullman trilogy of northern lights, subtle knife and amber spyglass are a good read...

Freya Norths books (Cat, Fen, Pip etc) are really good reads for women, I've quite enjoyed them, also Chris Bunchs Dragonmaster trilogy for the geeks out there are very adult fantasy books about a world war where Dragons are a highly prized weapon.

I watch TV at the same time...

I'm really sad, my version of avoiding finishing my MA dissertation is to steal my mothers Mills and Boon for an evening because it only takes about 3 hours to read one if i'm reading it properly and thats 3 hours succesfully avoiding Microsoft word! And tbh, some of them aren't bad.......

Hey. I got a 2:2 in Clas Civ from Swansea in 2006 and I'm just finishing an MA in Field Archaeology at Winchester, I know its not UCL but its been good, but if your wanting to go to medical school surely doing an MA is just spending money that with the current economical crisis you'd be better saving. If, however your insistant then go for somewhere like Winch, its great fun and the dept. really good!

I agree with Sylvester, youve been offered funding! brilliant, take it because some of us haven't managed to get it and are suitably jelous :p secondly In my opinion I'd rather have a supervisor i know i can trust at a not so great uni than a posh uni and a useless supervisor!