Money...

Blowfish

I'm in final year Comp Sci. and thinking of doing a PhD, so i'm looking into the financial aspect of it.

I know the basic grant/funding amount is about €16k, but i'm wondering if there are any ways to up that a bit. I know its possible to demonstrate on top of that, so how much extra do you earn from it, and are there any other ways of making money?

I don't mind at all being broke most of the time (hell, i'm used to it ), but right now i'm still at home, and if I did a PhD I'd prefer to move out so as not to bum off the parents for another few years.

hunnymonster

What university are you intending to do PhD in?

Blowfish

hunnymonster wrote:

What university are you intending to do PhD in?

I'm looking at Trinity (sorry RA )

Red Alert

It depends both on your funding and the university. A lot of funding has attached that you must demonstrate/tutor as a condition of your funding.

On the whole though I think demonstrating is good experience regardless of whether you're paid or not

r3nu4l

Yep, demonstrating is a great way to make some cash and also keep in touch with what's happening in the undergraduate world as well as being great for the CV etc.

During my PhD I also gave group grinds in Molecular Genetics coming close to exam time. I chose a few likely exam topics and charged groups of 20 students IR£5 each (before the euro). I gave four grinds of one hour each, meaning that I made IR£400 in one month on top of my demonstrating and funding

ballroom blitz

I'm doing a PhD in Trinity and I'd say the average wage is around the 16k mark but I also demonstrate which pays really well and adds about E2,000 to the basic a year if you do 3 hours a week. Demonstrating is encouraged and its easy money!!

hunnymonster

It depends on the department and whether you are receiving a trinity award or not. The conditions of the trinity award mean you can be asked to do up to 6 hours a week demonstrating/tutoring for no additional pay. It pays 20 and odd cent an hour if you are getting paid.

There are lots of little jobs around college that will earn you some money. The library regularly recruit part time staff. I have no idea how much it pays. You could invigilate exams. I think that pays 40 euro for a 3 hour exam. More when you become chief invigilator. The students union and GSU should have details. of all the work available. There are also part time lecturing bits floating around. These pay 52 euro an hour so are a bit more competative. TAp is one place to register your interest

hunnymonster

Another option to look as it whether you will now be eligable to apply for a county council grant based on your own income (most undergrads only qualify on their parents income).

Red Alert

hunnymonster wrote:

Another option to look as it whether you will now be eligable to apply for a county council grant based on your own income (most undergrads only qualify on their parents income).

So basically once you're a postgrad your parent's income doesn't come into the application? Sounds good.

If you're over 23 when starting

Red Alert

Cheers for the info!

Blowfish

Red Alert wrote:

It depends both on your funding and the university. A lot of funding has attached that you must demonstrate/tutor as a condition of your funding.

Well actually i'm looking at applying to IRCSET, so its no strings attached.

hunnymonster wrote:

Another option to look as it whether you will now be eligable to apply for a county council grant based on your own income (most undergrads only qualify on their parents income).

I'm getting the HEA grant now, so actually I should be eligable. Any idea how much it is?
[edit] although I suppose if my funding and the parents income were put together it would go over the grant income allowance and count me out.

hunnymonster

The co co either goes on your parents or your income not both together.

Age (over 23) is one criteria to be assessed on your own but living independently is another. I'm not sure of the exact details but if you've been away from home the entire time you've been an undergrad, you may be eligible to apply to Dublin corp.

ircset is great, but competition is high. The only person I know getting it at the moment is a foundation scholar. Many departments will not use you for demonstrating when they essentially get free labour in the form of trinity award holders.



All this information should be checked. I've left the post-grad scene now and only hear bits and pieces that are being discussed by our current crop.

newestUser

You don't have to be broke while being a research student in Computer Science.

Your basic grant/funding works out at approx 16-19k. That's tax free.

You may be eligible for a local authority grant. That's 3k, and your fees paid.

There's lot's of opportunitities to get money for labs/tutoring/etc. I got nearly 5k for this last year. I recall once getting paid approx 32 euro p/h for tutorials.

You have very flexible working hours. If you want, you can get a part-time job as well (if you don't mind the additional work!). I work part-time in a call centre, it's uber-flexible, I pick and choose hours I want to work. If my PhD requires a lot of my time, I can disappear for a few weeks. That can add another 4-5k.

All of this is virtually tax free. While being a research student, I've managed to save a deposit for a house (and then some!), while living in rented accomodation in Dublin. And I've managed to have a life as well, ie I'm not sitting on a crate eating pot noodles 7 nights a week. Which I think goes to show that it's not only possible not to be permanently broke, but to actually make money, while doing a PhD. I do work a lot though.

Apologies if this comes across as boasting, I'm not intending for it to. I just want to point out to the OP the variety of ways to earn money while doing a PhD.

dory

Wow newestUser that sounds really cool. Thanks for posting!
Getting paid to study seems like my ideal 'job'. I love learning but don't want to sponge off my parents for ever. :cool:

hunnymonster

hunnymonster wrote:

The co co either goes on your parents or your income not both together.

That's actually incorrect - if you're under 23, you will be assessed both on your income and your parents' income. If you're over 23 (and are 'independent' of your parents) you will be assessed on your own income (and your spouse's, if applicable).

The application form sets this out - it asks for income from "Father, "Mother" and "Candidate" (and spouse, as I said above) in several places.

Michael Collins

newestUser wrote:

...If you want, you can get a part-time job as well (if you don't mind the additional work!)...

Some research awards stipulate that you do not have a part time job (as it may interfere with your studies), I can't be sure but I think IRCSET might have this clause.

All in all €16,000 or there abouts ain't too bad when you're still in college, you get all the benefits of student life...and €16,000 more in your pocket than when you were an undergrad!

rain on

I know the IRCHSS has a condition that you can't do more than.. I think it's three hours work per week. But there are a few differences between IRCHSS and IRCSET, so maybe that's one of them.

Red Alert

The thing to watch with IRCSET (if you're applying) is that what it looks like they look for and what the seem to actually want are two different things. If you do get an IRCSET, there's a lot of housekeeping to be done - they like their reports, surveys etc.

ballroom blitz

Red Alert wrote:

If you do get an IRCSET, there's a lot of housekeeping to be done - they like their reports, surveys etc.

There is not that much TBH just an annual update report usually done in July. They just want to make sure you are doing some research and not sitting on your ass enjoying their money!!

Blowfish

The one thing I don't like with IRCSET though is that they apparently don't let you know whether you've got it or not until early June. Thats slightly crazy, because if you don't get it, pretty much all of the other funded PhD's will be gone, plus all of the grad positions will be filled.

I'm thinking of just applying normally because of this.

Cheers for all of the info btw, its definitely been of help.

ballroom blitz

They pushed the closing date for the first round of IRCSET forward to the 14th of February and it takes between 6 and 8 weeks to find out if you got it so you would hear about it by mid to late April.

randomname2005

As far as i know, ircset is limited to 6 hours per week demonstrating/tutorialing, but it was a few years ago when i applied (and didnt get it).

One thing to bear in mind is that you cant spend all your time working outside of your research. Its great thinking 'I can do this many hours demonstrating tutorialing, etc etc' but a PhD is a lot of work (Im just coming to the end of mine) and reading the other threads here will make you realise that it does have a huge effect on your life and you may not have the time to be doing all the other jobs.

Because my funding wasn't great I ended up doing part time work, which did impact on the length of time it has taken me to finish up.

R