I think if I was in your position, I'd keep quiet. Keep doing the work, getting the results etc. then tell them nearer the time. As someone else said, may be not quite as late as next June, just to give them the opportunity of replacing you, but I definately wouldn't tell them now. You're still generating data, which they could probably use for future publications.

The thing is though, how would they calculate the repayments? As we know, you don't start repaying untill you're earning over 15k a year, which after tax amounts to about £1022 a month? Most stipends are around 12-13k a year minimum, and since they're tax free, this amounts to approximately this amount per month too, but technically as a PhD student, we're not earning over 15k????
Very strange....... I somehow have a feeling though that I'm going to have to start repayments soon.....

======= Date Modified 01 Jun 2009 11:06:34 =======
That's what I thought, since it isn't taxable income then you wouldn't be expected to make contributions. However, with regards to the amounts, my stipend is just over £1250 a month, and previously when I worked full time for a while, I earned around £1100 a month (after tax) and still made small contributions to my student loan every month, hence why I'm slightly concerned!!!

Hey guys,

Just wondering, if you are in receipt of a stipend while doing your PhD, are you expected to make repayments on your student loan?
Just recently received a letter from SLC, asking me to provide evidence of how I'm supporting myself financially, and am a bit worried now that they might want back payments from when I started my PhD (although it's only been a couple of months!)

Thanks

I do this all the time! There's always jobs and other PhD studentships that I find and think, ooh they look good, and what if................???!!!!
Suppose it's just curiosity, although I'm glad I'm not the only one that does it!!!!

For the record, I do think you're making the right decision. If you look for other jobs and something comes up there's nothing stopping you applying for it and seeing what happens. But at least in the meantime you're still working towards something and earning money (a major bonus!). If you're still feeling like this and nothings' changed say in 3-6 months, and hopefully the economy is in a better position (who knows though?!) there's nothing stopping you leaving if it's the right time then. Better to have something, like you said, rather than being unemployed and hoping for the best. I'm sure it's not that bad that you'd rather be unemployed and poor, so maybe try and be a little more positive about it all ( I know that's easier said than done) but still keep abreast of the old jobs market at the same time.
I bet once your gf's back off holiday you'll feel alot better anyway just having her around and supporting you!

Hey guitarman!
Been following your threads for the past few days, but we've not heard from you for a while. How are things? Have you made any definate decisions yet?
Hope everything's ok,
Starshine

Hi Elly,
The number of hours per week for an MSc course varries with different subjects and probably with different institutions. I did an MSc last year, and was in uni probably about 25 hours to week, which varied though from week to week depending on tutorials, seminars etc. I'd say looking back it would have been virtually impossible for me to have taken on a 2nd MSc at the same time, at a different institution. It was hard enough juggling a part time job located right near to my uni, so I can't imagine that you'd be able to do this. In addition, it's more than likely that your timetables would clash, and probably for the 2nd half of the course when you're expected to do research, this will require full time work, whether that's in a lab or written work.

Hey guys,
Just a quick question to all the budding scientists, do you go into the lab every day, even when you're not actually doing any experiments?
I started in January, and so far have been coming in every day, treating it like a full time job basically. But sometimes, if I'm not actually doing anything in the lab, I feel that the reading and stuff that I'm doing (and getting easily distracted from due to the busy-ness of the office!) could be done better at home, but obviously receiving a stipend, I don't want it look like I'm lazy etc.
What does everyone else do?
Starshine x

Hey,
I also started in January, am doing a science PhD.
Don't really feel like I've done much so far, just lots of reading, produced a 10,000 word lit review and started learning some of the techniques in the lab that I'm going to be doing as part of my own research. Usually do 9-5 (not always though!), although I feel like alot of that is just sat around, reading bits and bobs, and spending far too much time surfing the net! My supervisor seems ok with my progress (or lack of it) though! Not really sure though I'm doing enough, feel like at the mo I'm just plodding along, and would like to be getting more stuck into everything. Will probably regret all this wasted time in my third year when I'm hopelessly trying to finish before my funding runs out!!!! Reading this forum has helped alot, reassuring to know there are others out there in the same boat!x

Hey,
You could apply for a fully funded/non funded PhD if you find one that interests you at a suitable institution. At the end of your first year, you normally have to submit a continuation report in order to progress into the second year of the PhD. At this point, either you or your supervisor can request that you submit a thesis for mphil rather than continue on to the second year. However, you might find that once you get into it, you want to carry on anyway and finish to obtain a PhD, but at least this way you wouldn't need to write up a proposal etc. I don't know of anywhere that offers funded/non-funded-mphil projects that have already been decided by a supervisor.