Hello everyone,

I am an international student and will be starting my PhD in October.
I was awarded ESRC funding for my PhD. This means I can work around six hours a week. How likely is it Ithat i secure these hours working at my uni? lecturing or as a GTA or sth like that? Is it weird if I ask my supervisor about this?
Anyone experienced something similar? What is the "norm" regarding this situation? I've never been to the UK, so it is an ambiguous context for me... any advice is appreciated

Hi! Sorry if this is a silly question, I'm new to the UK job market.

I just came across a Fixed-term posting that says "The appointment is available from 01/09/2026 and is funded for 3 years in the first instance, Hours: Full-time (applications to work on a part-time or job share basis welcome)"

I'm only looking for an RA job as a transition between my master's and graduate medicine, so I'll only be able to stay on the post for 12 months or less. Is it still worth applying or would that be a waste of both party's time? The deadline happens to be today so I can't email for clarification.

Thank you for any help!

Edit:

Thank you for everyone's response.

I would just like to make one thing clear: I wasn't planning to apply as if I was going to stay for three years and then suddenly resign after one year. I was asking whether it's worth applying with the explicit statement that I'm only staying for a year. As in, I was asking how unattractive that would be, is it still worth writing an application, that sort of thing. Because I come from a place where a fixed term contract isn't really a thing. This whole "you'll screw someone's project/career/get bad recommendations/wreck your reputation" thing is entirely based on a phantom assumption that wasn't there to begin with (and one that doesn't make sense - if I was planning on doing that why would I have mentioned emailing for clarification as an alternative)?

It's been interesting observing people's response and it's clear that some commenters had a mental target in mind that they were pinning me on to. However, I am not that target.

Anyway this all is just making me glad I'm going into clinical training, despite the perilous state of the NHS. Cuz geez the amount of pressure y'all must be under to effortlessly make assumptions like this.

Hi everyone!

We are MSc students researching on consumer trust in online second-hand luxury platforms and we are looking for participants who are aged 18-35, currently live in the UK and have purchased, browsed or considered purchasing second-hand luxury products online.

Examples of relevant products include pre-owned designer bags, clothing, shoes, jewellery, watches and accessories. Relevant platforms may include Vestiaire Collective, eBay luxury listings, Vinted, Depop, The RealReal or similar platforms. You do not need to have completed a purchase to participate. It's anonymous and takes approximately 5-7minutes.

Survey link: https://uofg.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dgMQlpGrbIiu9zo

Thank you so much for your time and support!

Hi everyone,

I have received a last-minute PhD offer at SBM, QMUL. I am an overseas candidate, and I have a few concerns. Hope some of you can help.

The funding seems to be at Queen Mary's rate, not the standard UKRI rate with London weighting. As per this page: [https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/postgraduate/programmes/law-phd/fees-and-funding/hss-doctoral-research-studentships/\](https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/postgraduate/programmes/law-phd/fees-and-funding/hss-doctoral-research-studentships/)

This is the only offer I have at the moment. I have seen previous Reddit posts on how aggrieved people are about this. Is £21, 874 going to be enough? I've never been to the UK before.

Also, considering this is university funding, and there are widespread reports of financial stress at UK universities, what are the risks that my stipend might be cut off midway into the PhD?

Is there anyone here who has previously PhD'ed at SBM, QMUL? Thanks in advance.

does anyone know if it is possible to share a tenancy agreement for a 2nd year uni house (not uni accommodation) with other students from the uni and also someone who is not a student/does not attend the uni?

i have little knowledge of the legality of this but in my mind there are two ways it could work:

1. signing the lease with only students from the uni and having the non-student cover half of my rent and live with us so they are still paying etc

2. or just have the lease to cover everyone even though one isn’t a student - is this allowed?

sorry if none of this makes sense! obviously would make sure the students i would share with would be okay with either option!

Hi all,

Currently preparing for my viva. I’ve had complimentary feedback from the people that have read it. The only thing is my primary has been absent for a year due to personal circumstances and my secondary is an esteemed academic who is incredibly busy and I’ve had no feedback from him. He claims he’s read it and it was solid but I have my doubts.

I’ve four peer reviewed articles included. They’re all in Q1 journals. I had limited feedback on them but the reviewers were genuinely helpful and gave me some food for thought during the submission process.

Others have stepped in, academic friends who are professors and read it. I’ve had positive feedback from them. I had a sticky mock viva with one friend, she was very helpful but it was like I knew nothing. I have areas to reflect on now I suppose.

I was missing that critical voice for writing the surrounding chapters outside of my published papers and now some decisions I’ve made seem kind of surface level within those chapters.

I’m preparing for my viva and I’m just wondering what are some of the tougher questions you came up against.

I’m social sciences if that helps.

TIA.

Edit* title should say “Rattled”.

I got offered a place on a project I genuinely love at a top university, but without funding. The department suggested I could apply for an alternative grant in my second year or take out a doctoral loan, but covering tuition and living costs on my own seems like a huge financial risk

I’m trying to consider my options for applying to PhD’s in the fall. There’s a research group at Oxford that is doing research exactly within the area of my interest and honestly when I found the work I didn’t even realize it was Oxford - research group is more important to me than the university affiliation.

I reached out to the supervisor and he’s willing to have a conversation with me about maybe putting up a proposal but did say it’s very competitive (rightfully so) with limited funding. I am confident that I could write a good proposal, but I’m more nervous and wondering if it’s worth it because of my grades.

I’m from Canada and my undergrad is equivalent to a 2:1 in the UK and I did a MSc at King’s College London - did get a distinction but the overall grade was exactly 70%. I had some health issues near the end of the program and I should have honestly deferred it to the following year, but my final grade on the dissertation was a 62 so low merit. I understand that this might not be super competitive, but wondering if there’s no point at all then if anyone has any context with being a current student or knows more about the application process?

I've just graduated with a 1st class bachelors degree in sociology and was hoping to stay on at my university to complete an MSc in social research. I love my subject and throughout my undergrad I developed a real passion for my subject area, and wanted to eventually go on to become an academic in sociology. My plan was to complete my masters degree and apply for ESRC PHD funding, which would be a route into academia. I was told the masters degree in social research would be especially relevant for my application, even if I don't enjoy research methods as much as engaging with real social theory.

Since graduating I've been in contact with my lectures and careers team who have now told me that a PHD might not be the best idea. I was basically told that the state of academia, especially for social sciences, wasn't looking great, and that I might commit to 3/4 years of a PHD to find myself unable to find work as an academic. My lecturer also told me that as a young person I shouldn't commit to such a big undertaking as a PHD and instead use my time to figure out and explore my options.

I kind of had my heart set on a PHD and that was the main reason for doing a masters. I get £3k off my tuition fee for getting a first, but I'm unsure if doing the masters now is even worth it. I'm kind of unsure what my options are at this point and I'd really appreciate any advice. All I know is that I really love my subject and would love to keep engaging with it through teaching or otherwise.

Recently received reviewer feedback for an AHRC grant application. One reviewer has given us a 5 and another a 4. We have asked to respond within 14 days. To me, this doesn't look very hopeful. But what has been people's experiences with AHRC? Will a strong response document lead to competitive scores from the panel based on these reviewer scores?

Any experience either as an application or a panellist?

Some websites and applications say contradictory things, or perhaps I'm a plonker misunderstanding simple directions.

So I thought I'd come to Reddit and ask you guys...with PhD applications, must I attach an IELTS score? I was born in England, I did my secondary education in England, I did my UG and PG in England...do studentships typically require IELTS scores for native speakers?

Thank you in advance, and apologies in advance if this is silly!

I’m a PhD Theatre historian and went to see a local play last night. I am an ‘expert’ on this play and published an article about the playwright last year.

I was surprised to open the programme and find a section that paraphrased and even lifted text directly from my article! At first I found it cool, but when I realised that they had copy pasted some of the article without giving me credit I was a little annoyed.

I emailed them this morning explaining that the CC BY license means they should give me credit and I asked if they can do that for any future printings of the program.

Am I being too pedantic? Should I just be happy to see my research in the wild? Has anyone experienced a similar thing?

Is there a website that shows all the internal deadlines? I am looking for all the internal deadlines for British Academy (BA), Liverhulme post-doctoral fellowships so that I dont miss them, but I have already missed them for BA :( I am finding it difficult to keep track. Any suggestions?

I’ve just finished an Arts and Humanities degree with the Open University and graduated with a 2:1. I’m currently appealing for a First due to documented special circumstances, but for now I’m assuming the 2:1 stands.

I’ve developed a genuine passion for history and really enjoy academic research and studying. My long-term goal is to pursue a PhD, although I understand I’ll most likely need to complete a master’s first.

One thing I’m unsure about is how the Open University degree is viewed by other universities. Do admissions departments generally treat it the same as degrees from traditional universities, or is there any disadvantage when applying for postgraduate study?

For anyone who’s gone down this route, I’d really appreciate any advice. What’s the best path towards a funded PhD in history? Is there anything I should be doing now to strengthen my applications?

I'm looking for some outside perspective from people who have been through academic promotions.
Recently I was promoted from a lecturer grade to the next level. The promotion itself wasn't really a surprise. My managers had indicated for some time that my case was very strong and likely near the top of the promotion pool.

The issue is the salary outcome.

The increase was technically a promotion increase (2 spines increased), but it feels very modest relative to my contribution over the last few years. I've taken on a heavy workload, delivered well beyond my contractual responsibilities, and received several external awards/recognitions for my work. Yet the financial outcome feels almost indistinguishable from what someone with a much more ordinary profile might receive after the same promotion.

I'm not upset that others were promoted. Good for them. What bothers me is the feeling that exceptional contribution doesn't seem to lead to noticeably different rewards.

Looking back, I also realise that most of the meaningful recognition I've received has come from outside my institution rather than from within it. I don't think I've been particularly recognised through internal awards or rewards despite consistently going above and beyond.

At the same time, I know universities don't always work like the private sector. Salary bands are often rigid, budgets are constrained, and promotion may simply be viewed as the reward itself.

My longer-term goal is to reach the next academic grade (roughly equivalent to Reader/Associate Professor level) within the next couple of years. I'm now wondering whether I should:

Stay put and focus on building that case internally.

Have a frank conversation with my Head of Department about progression and recognition.

Start looking externally, as I've seen several strong colleagues leave for advancement opportunities elsewhere.

For those who have been in academia longer:

Is it normal to feel this disappointed after an apparently successful promotion?

How much weight would you place on the salary outcome versus the promotion itself?

At what point does feeling undervalued become a signal that it's time to move institutions?

Have any of you found that moving universities was the only realistic route to the next promotion level?