To PhD or not to PhD

[DressesWithPocketsRockMyWorld]

I have just handed in my Masters dissertation and I loved every bit of it. I did my own qualitative research and it was honestly one of the best experiences I've ever had. Most of the time I felt like I was writing it for pleasure. My supervisor has looked into me taking the subject to PhD and my uni has said they will waive my fees which is great.

My question is - I dont think getting a phd would further my career (I work in childrens mental health and thats what my research is on) I think I would be doing it for the love of it. Is that silly to do? I would do it part time am I deluded in thinking I could manage to do the work and my actual real job?

Any insights gratefully received.

Snap their hand off, you love the work, they will waive your fees and it might not make a difference now but you've presumably got decades of career where a phd may indeed lead to something more.

I think you will hugely regret letting the opportunity pass.

They'll waive your fees - why? Are you working on someone else's grant/project? I would want to know why they're able to afford to waive fees and if there are any hidden catches to do with that. Usually, PhD funding is competitive, and I'd want to be very sure you were formally supported for the full time you'd need.

I think it's possible to do a part-time PhD alongside a job (I know people who have). It is much, much easier if (like you), you're doing it for the fun and you therefore don't need to worry about trying to publish or going to conferences or teaching, or all of the other things that PhD students who are hoping to go into academia have to do, on top of their thesis.

I would want to know from the university what sort of contingency plans they have for if you don't finish within a certain amount of time. The money for waiving the fees must have come from somewhere - how long will it last? Is there a guarantee it won't run out or be revoked?

If you're dependant on anything else financially (eg tax vouchers on childcare, tax credits), I'd double check that you will still be eligible if you're a part-time student. I genuinely have no idea about this, but I know if you are a full-time student, you have to be careful.

All that said, it sounds fun to me and sounds as if even if it doesn't give you a concrete 'boost' at work, it could feed into your work in all sorts of valuable/interesting ways, so why not?

They'll waive your fees - why? Are you working on someone else's grant/project? I would want to know why they're able to afford to waive fees and if there are any hidden catches to do with that.

Agreed. A fee waiver doesn’t mean that the university won’t ask for a fee. The fees still have to be paid, and they will be coming out of the department’s budget. That’s quite a hit in the current climate when departments are being told to save every penny, and many have made their part-time staff redundant. I would want to know why they are willing to do this.

Thank you all for replying it is really useful. I'm not sure on the fee waiver, but it is something I will check on.

I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you actually have funding, PhD is pretty intense and often comes with extra commitments (either required by the university, your funder or what is just expected to become employable afterwards). But it can open up doors for you to move to either research or policy work on your field if that interests you.