• Name: Charlotte*  
• PhD Programme: Social work, South West Doctoral Training Partnership
• Type of study: Full-time. Started in 2022, aiming to end 2025
• University: University of Bristol   
• Children: Two children. One two-year-old at nursery, and a five-year-old in school and after school clubs.   
• Childcare:  Two-year old attends nursery four days a week.  
• Stipend: £1500 a month 
• Nursery fees: Using 75% of stipend for childcare  

Charlotte’s* story:

“My interest in social work began when I moved to the United States with my husband. I wanted to study for a PhD to further my career in academia. I had previously worked in communications, and I always really enjoy the research-related aspects of my role.

In 2020, we moved back to the UK, and I wrote a proposal for a PhD thesis whilst pregnant with my second child. I talked to some friends and colleagues about the implications of studying whilst raising children, however, I decided that a PhD would give me some more flexibility with juggling childcare than a full-time job might.

Despite this, the challenge of working or studying with children should not be underestimated. With a PhD, there are additional factors to consider. For example, you are solely responsible for yourself and your workload; you don’t have colleagues who can cover for you when you are ill, or a team that you can share responsibilities with. If I don’t work on my PhD, the research doesn’t get done and I can’t progress.

The main struggle that I have experienced is financial, and I feel very pressured to finish my PhD within the course of my three-year funding, as I am not eligible to receive a stipend after three years. I also found the regulations around working alongside a PhD to be unclear. My handbook states that I should be working on my PhD for 38-hours a week; when I tried to ask if I could take on paid work alongside this, I didn’t receive a clear answer and was instead referred to the handbook, which doesn’t stipulate either way. I think I would also find it hard to find the time, or the energy, to do paid work alongside my PhD.

I’ve also noticed that different PhD funders provide varied amounts of funding, or funding for different lengths of time and different purposes. I haven’t, for example, been able to access funds to attend academic conferences and this isn’t something I can afford to cover the cost of myself.

One of our children is currently at school, whilst the other attends nursery for four days a week. Childcare costs currently use up around 75% of my stipend each month. We feel lucky that we are able to get by, however, we are renting at the moment, and we are not able to save up to buy a house due to our monthly living costs – of which childcare is a major contributor. I feel like there is a definite clash between being able to progress in your career and doing what’s best for your family. If I want to progress in academia, I need to gain my PhD, but this has come with challenges.

The cost of childcare was something that I really considered when applying to study for my PhD, and it was hard to rationalise how we could make this work with the low stipend I’d be receiving. My husband had already studied for a PhD – which he really valued and so, even though it was a really hard decision to make, we wanted to try and make it work.

I did look into whether I would be eligible for any additional support, but I found it very hard to find any schemes that I could apply to. I really think that some form of funding and tax-free childcare would help me to progress with my studies, if I could access it. Had I known how challenging managing the cost of childcare would be alongside my PhD, I would have waited until both my children were in school.”

*Published under a pseudonym. Content correct as of July 2024.