Um.

[kaberett]

Can people, like, talk to me about the economics of doing a PhD part time? Because I think I need to at least consider doing this part-time rather than full-time at least temporarily (witness the last month, the majority of which I have spent asleep and incapable of sitting upright for more than about 5 minutes without noticeable impact on brain function), but I'm terrified because I have no idea which of ESA, Housing Benefit etc I'd be eligible for, and how much of my savings I'd go through before they arrived, and if they'd even make up enough of the shortfall.

Comments

[karen2205]

You can claim ESA now anyway - you're eligible as a full time student in receipt of DLA.

Off the top of my head I don't know what counts as income for the purposes of ESA/what sort of funding you've got the PhD.

The same is true of Housing Benefit - as a full time disabled student you are entitled to claim, though I'm not sure what counts as income.

I can look this stuff up when I'm at work and have the right book to hand.

The other thing to check will be the arrangements you've got with whoever's funding your PhD - often for part time students the award is fees only not fees + studentship.

[kaberett]

My award's from the university directly, I'm pretty sure it's fees+studentship if part-time, in that I've been told I have x amount of money spread across y time, and how I choose to use it is up to me, to large extent.