PhD interview - travel arrangement

Or you could work with reasonable people? Reasonable people will still pay you and they exist.

PhD's aren't so competitive you have to take the first one offered if you think it's a bad fit.

My experience is of funded PhD's, which are immensely competitive, so that has probably coloured my perspective.

My observation of whether employers are reasonable or not, still stands.

Hi,

I got invited for an interview in Glasgow at 10am. I live in London and when I was looking through travel options, I found a flight that would get me there at 8:30am, so with 1.5h I guess I could make it on time (google showed that travel from the airport to the institute would take about 1h). Then I checked the time of getting to the airport from my home (1h). Adding everything in, I would need to to leave around 3:30/4am. I worry I will turn up quite tired and dishevelled (I plan to wear my formal suit).

So I emailed them back asking if I could arrive a day earlier and stay overnight, my alternative was to take a coach, stay in hostel, all expenses kept to minimum. I hoped to meet them fresh and ready for the interview. The plan with the flight could also backfire if anything gets delayed, i.e. bus/train to airport or the plane itself so I can be late and that would be awful.

Their replied that there are plenty of flights that would get me at 8:30am (yeah I found that) and that my statement is false (about not being able to arrive on time) and they sounded very upset at me. I get a feeling that I already made a wrong impression...

Still, I'm not keen on travelling via plane but it seems they prefer I do that. Tbh I'm not pleased with their reply or their assumption that I tried to visit Glasgow at their expense (that was not my intention!). I'm desperate for a position, so should I just shut up and get those flight+train+buses tickets now and hope everything will be on time and I manage to still turn up all fresh and ready? But I'm already questioning what my relationship with them will be if I join them...

I feel you're telling prospective postgraduate students to just accept poor treatment and I completely disagree. You're looking to build a 3-4 year relationship, you need to like your supervisor and trust they'll be considerate.*

Oh I see, I didn't realise they would cover travel expenses, I can see why you asked now. I would be inclined to question whether you really want to go to that uni now with them being so rude.

Well they sound charming....

I would really start looking at other opportunities if you haven't already. However the interview experience would still be valuable. Just remember you're assessing whether you want to work with them as much as they're assessing you.

Both me and my friend (who I mentioned in a previous post on this thread) secured fully funded PhDs while asking for (and getting) reasonable adjustments to the interview process.

I'm only going on about this because I feel you're telling prospective postgraduate students to just accept poor treatment and I completely disagree. You're looking to build a 3-4 year relationship, you need to like your supervisor and trust they'll be considerate.*

Hi,

I got invited for an interview in Glasgow at 10am. I live in London and when I was looking through travel options, I found a flight that would get me there at 8:30am, so with 1.5h I guess I could make it on time (google showed that travel from the airport to the institute would take about 1h). Then I checked the time of getting to the airport from my home (1h). Adding everything in, I would need to to leave around 3:30/4am. I worry I will turn up quite tired and dishevelled (I plan to wear my formal suit).

So I emailed them back asking if I could arrive a day earlier and stay overnight, my alternative was to take a coach, stay in hostel, all expenses kept to minimum. I hoped to meet them fresh and ready for the interview. The plan with the flight could also backfire if anything gets delayed, i.e. bus/train to airport or the plane itself so I can be late and that would be awful.

Their replied that there are plenty of flights that would get me at 8:30am (yeah I found that) and that my statement is false (about not being able to arrive on time) and they sounded very upset at me. I get a feeling that I already made a wrong impression...

Still, I'm not keen on travelling via plane but it seems they prefer I do that. Tbh I'm not pleased with their reply or their assumption that I tried to visit Glasgow at their expense (that was not my intention!). I'm desperate for a position, so should I just shut up and get those flight+train+buses tickets now and hope everything will be on time and I manage to still turn up all fresh and ready? But I'm already questioning what my relationship with them will be if I join them...

Agree with what jelly said
.
1. I would go the night before to make sure I was on time. I would cmpare prices as well.
2. Not sure why you had to tell them.
3. Not sure why they would reply as they did.
4. 1.5h is too small a window for me unless i had done it before. Any delay or mishap and you wont make it.

The but that i find odd is the wording of their reply, which may well seem odd due to the way you have described it. The way as described sounds on the edge of calling you a liar , bit it might just be your explanation. It should really be a non issue and they should be more impressed with your careful planning and the fact you are prepared o spend an extra day to avoid missing it.
I wouldnt let it bother you, go and do your best. It may not have been their intention and maybe they make the flight regularly.

Remember - it is not all about you. Academics are extremely busy people and you need to fit yourself around their schedules, not the other way round.

It is not all about you.

Point 4 is exactly my main concern, which I don't think it's exaggerated. This is my very first trip there.

I don't mind if they said no, but it was the way they said that and that rude accusation of me trying to take advantage of them.

I wil go, do my best and see how it goes.

Go, get them to offer you the job and then turn it down if you dont wnat it. Surely the costs of coach and hostel is similar or its cheaper by coach?

My friend secured a fully funded PhD too and he reasoned politely but firmly to adjust his travel arrangement for the interview and both sides worked out a compromise so this is definitely possible.

The fact that I was rudely refused in a very unpleasant manner show very badly about the prospective supervisor with whom I could work for long 3-4 years. Imagine dealing with travelling for conferences, taking annual leaves etc. it would be always tensed and feared...

I can't stress it well enough but I was told countless times that I must secure a good and decent relationship with my supervisor. Throughout years of my undergrad studies, I worked in several labs during summer internships and industrial placements and I met students who dropped their plans to pursue a scientific career because they had a very bad experience with their labs (that's a massive shame, some of them are incredibly smart and talented). Those whole continued always urged me to never ever work for an abusive supervisor. This is an advise I will definitely follow because there are considerate supervisors.