• Question: how much do you earn? and what are the hours like??

    Asked by dickinson to Cat, Daz, Holly, Johnson, Pamela on 14 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by laurars, katec, bethanybramhill, potatoe.
    • Photo: Pamela Lithgow

      Pamela Lithgow answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Hi dickinson,
      I earn about £19,000 (I don’t pay tax so it is like a salary of about £25,000) that is pretty good for a PhD student some only earn about £10,000.
      I would about 9-5 Monday to Friday occasionally I have to stay at work later or weekends but not often. This can vary depending on your boss but my boss is pretty good as long as I get my work done.
      Pam

    • Photo: Holly Shelton

      Holly Shelton answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      I have finished my PhD so I earn a bit more. With 4 years post PhD experience I get about £34,000 which is pretty good!! 🙂

    • Photo: Darren Braddick

      Darren Braddick answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Hi dickinson, katec, laurars

      I earn less than Pam and Holly! Most PhDs get something between £10,000 and £15,000 I think, but that’s tax-free and equals something higher. Hours can vary, but its roughly 9AM-5PM on weekdays. PhD students don’t have fixed hours though, and I have worked nights, weekends.. And the pay doesn’t change on that basis.

      Daz

    • Photo: Cat O'Connor

      Cat O'Connor answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Hi Dickinson, Katec and Laurars,

      At the moment as a student I earn £13,500 a year but it’s tax free like Daz and Pam said. It might not sound like very much but it’s enough for a nice flat, good food, a few drinks and trips to the cinema each month with a tiny bit left over to save!

      As a PhD student, I work whenever I want really but I normally try and be in my office for normalish office hours so that I can meet up with my boss if I need to. I normally start a little after 8am and will work until 6ish, head to the gym, go have some dinner and then if i’m not too sleepy spend an hour or so doing a little more work. But it’s not always like this, i’m only this busy right now because i’m coming to the end of my research project!!

      What do you guys think you want to do when you finish school?

      Cat

    • Photo: Johnson Soronnadi

      Johnson Soronnadi answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      As a biomedical scientist I work in a laboratory in a big hospital. I earn about 21,000 which increases as i put in more years . I work between 9-5 monday to friday (37.5 per week). Some days I do out of work call duties 5pm-9am and get full day off next day. I am entitled to 27 days leave in a year, which I use for my holidays with families.
      I am a permanent staff my salary increases as I put in more years. i have to be there within the working hours except the out of duty calls during which I have to work alone in the lab, so It differs from Phd.

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