• Question: how many hours a week do you work

    Asked by rachellanigan12345 to Michael, Cathal, Ciara, Emma, Sive on 10 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Sive Finlay

      Sive Finlay answered on 10 Nov 2013:

      Hi Rachel,

      The great thing about being a PhD student is that you can choose how and when you want to work. I’m usually in work from around 9-6 each day but during that time there’s always a mix of working on my own projects, teaching, attending seminars, meeting and talking with other researchers as well as plenty to time for scientific banter at tea and lunch! Sometimes I do some work-related reading in the evenings or weekends but usually I try to keep that time for other things 🙂
      Sive

    • Photo: Michael Nolan

      Michael Nolan answered on 11 Nov 2013:

      As a fulltime researcher at Tyndall, I am contracted to work 40 hours per week.
      However, I usually do whatever hours are needed to get the job done. Deadlines for papers/conferences/grant submissions mean you can work into the night. But for most scientists, that is OK – it is different to the normal job, where you would work your hours and no more.
      The desire to understand your area and make a real contribution means you do not count hours.
      Travel to conferences means you are working all the time, but there you meet people, discuss science, see cool science and even catch up on the newest developments.

      M

    • Photo: Cathal Cummins

      Cathal Cummins answered on 13 Nov 2013:

      I come into college about 10am and I leave at about 6pm. I have lunch at 1pm for an hour and I have tea twice a day, about a half an hour each time. So I get about 6-7 hours of solid work done.

    • Photo: Emma Cahill

      Emma Cahill answered on 14 Nov 2013:

      Hey Rachel,
      Work starts quite late in France round 10am. We take a good hour (sometimes more) for lunch and then coffee breaks whenever needed! The good thing about the lab is there is a lot of freedom to organise your day but sometimes I need to stay late for an experiment (I’ve been here till midnight sometimes) or a deadline for a funding application.
      Working with animals means I have to come some weekends too because the mice still need to be looked after everyday!

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