Advice for PhD and its Funding

Hi everyone, this is my first post and its a pretty heavy one.

Basically I am wondering if it's remotely possible to carry out a PhD which pays £14,000 a year if my girlfriend and 3 month old daughter live with me? I've heard there are other sources of income, such as mentoring and demonstrating but I'm not sure how much extra this would earn me.

The PhD is in Leeds but due to several factors, we would live on the outskirts/in the countryside (houses are a bit more expensive but give us what we need).

Also, would the PhD really help me out at the end of it all? I would like to go into research in nanotechnology, most jobs need a PhD but it doesn't say how much it pays so I have no idea if it benefits my post-PhD salary by enough to do one for 3 years.

Any websites, comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated as time is running out.
Thanks

Reply 1

Rybee

2

Hi mate,

You might wanna peek here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=100

That's the subforum for Postgraduate & PhD queries, it's got a lot of info on funding in there and you'll find like-minded people who have been in similar positions to yourself, who will be able to help!

Best of luck with it :smile:

Rybee

Reply 2

animal69

OP

Original post by Rybee

Hi mate,

You might wanna peek here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=100

That's the subforum for Postgraduate & PhD queries, it's got a lot of info on funding in there and you'll find like-minded people who have been in similar positions to yourself, who will be able to help!

Best of luck with it :smile:

Rybee

Thanks for that, i'll take a look at it now :smile:

Reply 3

ebee

4

Original post by animal69

Hi everyone, this is my first post and its a pretty heavy one.

Basically I am wondering if it's remotely possible to carry out a PhD which pays £14,000 a year if my girlfriend and 3 month old daughter live with me? I've heard there are other sources of income, such as mentoring and demonstrating but I'm not sure how much extra this would earn me.

The PhD is in Leeds but due to several factors, we would live on the outskirts/in the countryside (houses are a bit more expensive but give us what we need).

Also, would the PhD really help me out at the end of it all? I would like to go into research in nanotechnology, most jobs need a PhD but it doesn't say how much it pays so I have no idea if it benefits my post-PhD salary by enough to do one for 3 years.

Any websites, comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated as time is running out.
Thanks

Hi!

If you're being funded by the EPSRC/STFC, I think that stipend is tax-free, so that's one good thing. Managing your money is always hard (I'm currently struggling to keep myself going over my self-funded MSc at York, waiting to start my EPSRC-funded PhD in October) but part-time work, teaching or otherwise, can be found if you need it. Things like online tutoring services are probably worth investigating if you are interested.

As far as whether or not PhDs are worth it financially... well, some jobs just require a PhD, namely academic or industrial research positions in the hard sciences. These jobs can pay reasonably, or they can pay massively, depending on the exact field and who you work for. Academics do not get paid much, but it is reasonable. I can expect to earn as much immediately after graduating from my PhD as I did when I graduated from my undergraduate degree, but then I'm doing my PhD because I want to be an academic, and a PhD is necessary. If it is necessary for you to do what you want, and if it will make you happy, then do it!

Reply 4

Nichrome

18

Original post by animal69

Hi everyone, this is my first post and its a pretty heavy one.

Basically I am wondering if it's remotely possible to carry out a PhD which pays £14,000 a year if my girlfriend and 3 month old daughter live with me? I've heard there are other sources of income, such as mentoring and demonstrating but I'm not sure how much extra this would earn me.

The PhD is in Leeds but due to several factors, we would live on the outskirts/in the countryside (houses are a bit more expensive but give us what we need).

Also, would the PhD really help me out at the end of it all? I would like to go into research in nanotechnology, most jobs need a PhD but it doesn't say how much it pays so I have no idea if it benefits my post-PhD salary by enough to do one for 3 years.

Any websites, comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated as time is running out.
Thanks

I can’t really comment much on your living situation, but I would have thought it would be possible at least. Your stipend is tax-free and you should be exempt from council tax. As for the PhD, PhDs in nanotech can fairly easily make the transition into industry/R&D. This is the sector I currently work in, and from what I’ve seen, new starters fresh from their PhD typically earn around £30-35k+. Whether that’s worth it for you only you can answer. Hope this helps.

Reply 5

flying plum

14

Original post by Nichrome

I can’t really comment much on your living situation, but I would have thought it would be possible at least. Your stipend is tax-free and you should be exempt from council tax. As for the PhD, PhDs in nanotech can fairly easily make the transition into industry/R&D. This is the sector I currently work in, and from what I’ve seen, new starters fresh from their PhD typically earn around £30-35k+. Whether that’s worth it for you only you can answer. Hope this helps.

If his girlfriend is not a student, they will not be exempt from council tax, they'll only get a 25% discount.

OP - if you gross that stipend up, it's the equivalent of about £19-20,000 salary. It works out to about £1,120 a month. I have no idea whether you can cope on that, I don't have children. I find it more than enough to live off as a single person, but supporting a family would be harder. I'm sure it's do-able, people manage for less, but I don't know if you qualify for any additional benefits (I assume if you don't pay tax, you don't get tax credits?!).

I would sit down with your girlfriend and work out your monthly budget, and if you could do it. I teach, and get an extra £1,500 a year or so for that (also tax free, as paid in chunks not PAYE and doesn't take me over the tax threshold). That's helpful during term times, but obviously dries up over the summer.

Reply 6

thegodofgod

19

As someone has mentioned earlier, you could possibly tutor up to A-Level, if not undergraduate level, on the weekends, for which you could probably earn £20-25 per hour, which I assume would be tax-free as you would be earning less than the personal allowance threshold.

Reply 7

animal69

OP

Thanks everyone for your input, it has helped me massively.

Going off all this and after a chat with my girlfriend I don't think I will be doing the PhD, I just don't see her being happy living with me on this money in a country where she has no one else to talk to (she is German and will have to leave all her friends and family behind to live with me), especially as we both want whats best for our daughter too. It is a shame as I did really want this PhD but I have to think about all 3 of us.

Besides, I think I will apply to the university in the town right next to hers (Kiel) to do a masters in electrical and materials engineering. Im choosing this option as there is a company (also in Kiel) that will hire me after the masters and has starting pay of 40,000-50,000 euros per year, along with other benefits. I can also do a PhD with this company after working with them for several years (if they see me fit for it) which allows me access to a better paycheck and a permanent job for the rest of my life if I want it :smile:

Thanks again for all the advice :smile:

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