Hi All,

I will be submitting before Xmas (in the last stages of write up now!) and I would like to give my supervisor a gift. He has done a lot of checking and been incredibly helpful over the last few months especially, despite being a very busy professor. It will of course be Xmas soon so I thought I would get him a gift that would be a thank you for all the support throughout the PhD and be a good Xmas present too.

My question is, do you think I should wait until after the viva to get a gift? The viva will probably be in January/February.

Hardly the most important question on the board I'm sure but still, any input would be grand.

Cheers,

Screamingaddabs

I'd wait until after the viva and you're sure you've passed, with corrections or whatever.

After the viva. I aim at sending my super some flowers if the results of my resubmission are positive. She likes white roses, I will send her some.

I'll be giving my supervisors their presents when I submit the final copy (just doing minor corrections at the moment) as a hardbound copy of my thesis will be included with that.

Erm... on a less positive note, is there any protocol for *not* giving gifts? My main supervisor has been missing in action for about a year and the junior lecturer on whom supervisory duties have been dumped has done his best but has been quite clumsy about handling the working relationship, through inexperience. Though I do not wish to leave on a bad note, and I acknowledge the contribution that they *have* made, I don't right now feel in a place where I can sincerely and formally say 'thank you' as I have been quite wounded by various things. Giving any kind of gift seems somehow fake. Any advice?

Someone in my lab didn't get on with our supervisors and did just that - they didn't bother giving them anything. I don't think it matters either way, if they had given them something, they would have know it was disingenuous anyway

I agree with TreeofLife that it probably doesn't matter too much but on the other hand maybe it's best just to keep everyone sweet. Nowt wrong maybe with a thank you card and a box of chocolates or bottle of wine or something just in the interests maybe of passing yourself with everyone.
Edit: Oh and to the OP I'd say defo after viva. I understand it'd be nice with it being Christmas and all but as someone who got majors I'm glad I held off. It would have seemed a bit premature now given this outcome. They're going to be seeing me for awhile yet! I'll be giving them something when corrections have been accepted and I get it printed and bound (although I'm not sure either of us will want a copy at this point ;-))

Jstanley-same approach as mine or else it looks like a bribe! Better to wait until the outcome of the viva.