H: social sciences...still, the scale in job add was up to 31K.

golfpro: I tried to negotiate, poiting out that I have experience etc, plus that I am a mature post-doc etc. They said they will consider it. It is well-known university, I am sure they can get hordes of people dying to work for any salary just to get work there;)

Well, but nurses and drivers do not need to study for around 7-8 years, not to talk about the enormous costs of these studies. Anyway, I really wonder how do other post-docs (without well-off parents or rich lovers) survive on these salaries? I calculated that with this salary I cannot even afford to rent a one-bedroom flat (only a room in a shared house). And forgot about having children for the next 15 years (then I wont be able to have them any more)..

I agree with Joyce- try to find the original reference (besides you never know whether other people have refered and understood the ideas correctly). Usually your university library will advice on options for getting something that is not available on the place. usually they order it from British Library.

Submitted my PhD 2 months ago. Was happy till I started to get job interviews and job offers. I am so disillusioned and shocked: post-doc salary is around £25K a year, even if one has ten years of experience of research assistant, publications and has made successful grant applications. The same day I got an offer with this salary, I saw add that said that a London bus driver earns around £24K a year. But they often even don't have degrees...Of course, money is not the main reason why people do PhDs but still...I expected around 30K...Any other or similar experiences?

Do you have a pre-bed routine? Something like: a cup of calming herbal tea (camomile,pepermint etc), while listening to the sounds of ocean/classical musing etc in darkened room, then reading some pages from some nice novel....Having a routine helps. Also itmight help to do some things before sleep that take your mind off you work: playing with children calm games, watching easy movie, going for a walk with a partner/friend or dog...

Try not to work too much on laptop, it is really, really bad for back. Better (and cheaper) is to buy a decent desktop. Also arranging workplace properly really helps (from my experience): the secreen should be so high up that you can look at it straight, without looking up or down. And a proper computer chair is a really good investment.

Rosy, glad to hear that my experience can inspire somebody:):) Honestly, the feeling that I definitely will get there appeared only in the last three months of writing up. But it could be very personal, I generally suffer from low self-confidence:( Most important thing is to keep going despite everything and to reward for yourself for every thing you have managed to achieve. Good luck!

Did any of you ever reach a time when you felt terrified and unsure as to whether the PhD was right for you?
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During my 3.5 years of PhD I 80% of time had feeling that I am not a PhD material, that I should have done anything else, that I will never finish etc. etc. I have finished, and apparently my supervisor is excited about my PhD:) So, keep going:)

Before doing a PhD in Cambridge I did my undergraduates and masters in obscure universities in an Eastern European country. Never ever I had experienced a negative attitude from professors in Cambridge because of this. The different matter is fellow students, especially those who went to posh public schools.

Definitely buy a new book.

The same here. Even now after I have submitted I wonder how I managed it....

I meant-your last post not last paragraph.

Sorry to hear about your negative experiences with viva. However, it doesnt look that it is so bad. Despite the topic being too broad you still passed, so it means you HAVE done the PhD level research. And at this stage it is the most important thing. About being independent, maybe you could re-read your last paragraph...It is time to take responsibility for yourself and your research.

Hypothesis: enough for 6 month of writing up?;)?