Thanks a lot :) I could suspend for a year but that would not solve the matter as in such short period of time I could neither earn enough nor lend the money required (student status, matter in other country). Think of it as long-term, like a mortgage. I constantly kick myself, but of course know that this whole situation was so unlikely that it never would have made it on any financial risk assessment (yes, I did one before accepting the PhD).

Thanks a lot for your experience. I looked through all the paperwork, and there's no mentioning of any requirements for stopping the PhD. Only a suggestion that it would be a good idea to talk to the supervisor. This is also what the student advisor said.

I'm currently demonstrating as much as I can, but it's not possible to get enough money. Basically, I'm trying to avert a legal battle with regards to something I inherited. If this goes legal then it could go either way but will cost a lot regardless, and will have very big financial consequences if I lose. Paying up to avert it means I need the money for exactly that. So I'm paying the lowest sum I could possibly negotiate monthly, which is still too much for my current stipend, demonstrating cash, weekend job, and already low cost of living. Doesn't help that this is not a UK issue.

Ok, just phoned the student support advisors and with their help finally found the right document. Apparently I don't have a notice period to withdraw from this university at all. As there's no additional documentation referred to in my contract I suppose that is also true for the stipend. After all, one cannot make unknown t&c not referred to anywhere in the signed papers part of a contract. I'd think anyway.

Ok, that's something. Now lets prepare for the job interview.

Where does the 3 month period come from? That makes it completely impossible to find a job. Just stopping and hoping for a job won't help as I'd need to pay council tax then and am off even worse.

What? Nobody screwed me. The company continues to pay the stipend. The financial difficulties are completely unrelated to my PhD. But the stipend, and any work I could do next to it won't cover these difficulties.

I've been working on my PhD for 20 months now and am having a ball. There is one huge financial problem and that make finishing my PhD improbable. I need to find a properly paid job again. It won't be easy to find a job that pays well enough to get through this, thus a bit more money, or a part-time job won't cut it. And there's not any more funding money for me.

I've just been offered a job interview, and the question is what my notice period is. I can't find anything! My PhD is sponsored by a company, but I was only given a slip of paper stating the amount of stipend and maximum duration. No reference to further terms and conditions. I can't find anything on my university or faculty website either. There's a handbook for PhD students, but it only touches on absences for more than a month. Of course I don't want to talk to my supervisor before everything is sorted as I might in the end have to take on any job that I find that pays more than the stipend and council tax.

Any suggestions?

Thanks all. That helps. Will discuss.

Another thought: what if you need to travel for other reasons, for example to use technical equipment elsewhere, to learn a certain technique from someone, etc? I suppose there's usually also a pot of money for those things? A one month stay in for example Oslo or Tel Aviv is not cheap. Visa costs?

Good advise, thanks a lot. I'll certainly be able to visit conferences. I have a supervisor who insists on it and makes sure there's funding. Plus, as it's industry funded I'll get a nice, intercontinental trip to those that pay each year that I could combine with a vacation on a nice beach.

Yea, normal living costs might be an issue indeed. I know the UK is expensive as I'm living there already. I checked my spending over the last few months just to see how I'm doing. I should be able to get a 1-2 bed flat for 500-550 pounds plus bills if I search a bit. Will have to make sure it's not a free-standing house as my current one. Three outside walls are terrible in winter! My groceries will probably be around 100 pounds, including lots of fresh produce and the odd bit of organic meat. Offal is also really cheap if you really want organic meat and don't mind trying something different. Actually, I've never lived in a country where I could get such good quality and choice of produce for so little. Plus it's always nice to have Aldi and Lidl nearby of course :D My car is also dead cheap and for now I'm not parting with it. At the moment my guess is that I'll be able to have some money left at the end of the month. Helps if you're not into into going to pubs but prefer outdoorsy hobbies that only require a way to get there and are otherwise free. Phew.. exciting!

Great! One thing I'm just thinking of: professional memberships. I suppose a faculty does not pay for those, right? The most important society is 41 GBP per year for PhD students :( and the other important one is 25. Both have very interesting lectures and events either in town or a town further up.

Cheers. I haven't found anything on that to be honest. Might not be on the website thought.

I know what you mean with needing to be resident for 3 years. I ran into the same problem and could not take on a couple of very interesting projects due to that. :( Actually, some profs told me right out that they'd not accept me due to that as they'd rather have someone who can work on the PhD rather than go hunting for funding. It's a real shame.

In the end I was offered two PhDs with industry funding, one of which in the UK. I'm still waiting for the outcome of the third application I sent out. Also funded, but better :)

If you can find a project that is funded by anything but the research council then go for it. Otherwise it might be a good idea to look elsewhere. Netherlands pay a proper salary for PhDs, Germany in some cases as well. Scandinavia looks quite ok as well.

Note: UK uni.

Thanks. Good to hear. I might need to get my hands on a couple of books I suppose, unless I can get them from the library for long enough. Phew, then my budget does look good.

Right, lets talk money. What are the costs of a PhD? I don't mean enrolment fees or living costs but everything else you'd not have to pay if you were not doing it? I'm thinking about stationary, books and other things. What about costs associated with visiting conferences? Ok, flight and travel is covered, but what about food (might be more expensive than at home), transport and the likes? My budget for the PhD is fairly tight but doable. It's just the unplanned costs I'm not sure about.

Ok, this is a really stupid question. For the PhD I'll most likely chose to do I'll need to move 6hrs away. I'm fairly picky with what I'd like to rent (been out of uni for a while) and will need to go lodging/flat sharing for a while before I can rent what I want. I've never been a lodger before, thus I have no idea how this works. Can anyone help?

Being 6h away from that town makes finding a room to rent somewhat complicated, though I'll be there for a week in early December. Would like to move just before Christmas. Is this sufficient with regards to timing?

What kind of termination periods do lodging/flat sharing contracts usually have? I'll move out as soon as I find the right place to rent. This could be in 3 weeks (unlikely) or in 2-3 months.

What's the best place to look for lodgings? I'd certainly not want to get a room in a student house but, being somewhat older myself with elder, quiet people.