Annabel,

Engineers often get higher PhD funding that humanities
students because their funding is topped up by
commercial sponsorship (for example, my Brother's
aeronautical engineering PhD came with a c£3000 top-up
from Westland Helicopters). Friends of mine starting
out in chemistry PhDs are getting nearer £11,000 per
year funding, while HPS PhDs appear to get less than
£10,000.

As a second point, £12,000 is, in reality, not likely
to represent any more money than the £8500 you got as
a student. PhD funding comes tax-free, and students
don't have to pay council tax. Once you take these
deductions off £12,000 (say roughly 30% overall, which
is generous), you get £8,400. As someone who is coming
to the end of their HPS MPhil and looking for a job in
publishing/sci-comms, I can only add to the large
number of people who have already noted how paltry
this salary is. There is absolutely no way I would be
able to work for so little - it might be possible to
live off this much if you still get support from your
family, but as an independent graduate with debt, it
is not a realistic salary.

I suspect that Thinktank realise that they will get
enough applicants regardless of the salary, as they
know what an enticing job it is on offer. My great
concern with this situation is that sci-comms will go
the way of TV, and end up creating a barrier to less
well-off applicants. For those of us who cannot rely
on economic support from our parents beyond university
(and who have large debts to pay off), it may become
impossible to get a starting job is sci-comms.

Is anyone else concerned about this? I'd be interested
to know what people think, especially with regards to
possible solutions. I'm certainly well aware that many
sci-comms employers are far from wealthy, so is it
inevitable that we're going to see £12,000 starting
salaries?

Josh Nall 



--- Annabel Cook <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> £12,000 sounds a lot when compared to £8,500 I got
> when doing my PhD 
> (around 5 years ago)...  My final year I was paid
> about £800 more, to 
> cover my writing up period (which took 12 months). 
> Why are scientists 
> generally so poorly paid?  I knew engineers doing
> PhDs at the same time 
> as me who were getting more than twice as much.
> 
> Annabel
> 
> -- 
> 
> Annabel Cook
> Science Engagement and Communications Officer
> The Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics
> Roosevelt Drive
> Oxford
> OX3 7BN
> 
> Email:  [log in to unmask]
> Tel:  01865 287649
> Fax:  01865 287650
> 
> Sophia Collins wrote:
> > Exactly. Thanks to the working time directive
> everyone (even TV 
> > freelancers) are entitled to four weeks paid
> holiday. And we all know 
> > that no-one works a 37.5 hour week - 40 is much
> more realistic.
> > 
> > £12,000/52 = £230.77 a week/40 = £5.77/hr
> > 
> > You'd probably be better off waitressing.
> > 
> >> From: "C.A.Stokes" <[log in to unmask]>
> >> Reply-To: "psci-com: on public engagement with
> science"              
> >> <[log in to unmask]>
> >> To: [log in to unmask]
> >> Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Job opportunities at
> Thinktank Birmingham 
> >> Science Museum
> >> Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:36:46 -0000
> >>
> >> Most employees are entitled to at least four
> weeks' _paid_ holiday. I 
> >> don't
> >> think the mere fact that you are being paid the
> minimum wage strips 
> >> you of
> >> that entitlement.
> >>
> >> Also, how many in this line of work really do
> work no longer than 37.5 
> >> hours
> >> per week, whatever it says in their contracts?
> >>
> >> Chris
> >>
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: psci-com: on public engagement with
> science
> >> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Dominic McDonald
> >> > Sent: 22 March 2007 12:50
> >> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >> > Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Job opportunities at
> Thinktank
> >> > Birmingham Science Museum
> >> >
> >> > Just to add a little mathematical rigour to the
> discussion:
> >> > if we assume a 37.5 hour week, and an annual 20
> days holiday
> >> > + 8 Bank Holidays, then £12,000/year equates to
> £6.89/hour.
> >> >
> >> > The minimum wage is £5.35/hour, rising to £5.52
> in October.
> >> >
> >> > Love
> >> > Sweetness
> >> > & Light
> >> >
> >> > Dom
> >> >
> >> > Dom McDonald
> >> > Head of Public Programmes
> >> > The Oxford Trust
> >> > Science Oxford
> >> > 1-5 London Place
> >> > Oxford OX4 1BD
> >> > tel: 01865 728953
> >> > fax: 01865 791854
> >> > www: oxtrust.org.uk
> >>
> >>
>
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