PhD students told to consider selling Avon products to make ends meet

Postgraduates who have been selected for their excellent potential to become future leaders in environmental science and sustainable business should consider joining clinical trials to cope with the cost of living crisis.

The advice issued on Wednesday by the prestigious Aries Doctoral Training Partnership funded by the Natural Environment Research Council at the University of East Anglia provoked outrage among researchers who described the letter as "appalling"

An email to PhD students on the programme recognised that many were finding it difficult to live on their stipends, and attached a three page document from the UEA careers office setting out options to make ends meet.

Many students are not allowed to do more than six hours of paid work a week because doing so would interfere with them completing their course on time.

PhD students can boost their finances with university level teaching and training, tutoring, and exam work, and go on to suggest dog-walking, pet-sitting, paid-for clinical trials, and sellingAvon products as alternative sources of income, according to a letter.

She received a PhD from the University of Kent in 2019. The advice was called "unbelievable" by Natalie and "appalling" by Jess. Prof Thibaud Gruber is a professor at the University of Lausanne.

There are many examples of how PhD students are let down by the system. Lowe said that students are producing vital research which has a direct and meaningful effect on society. We expect these people to live like teenagers despite the fact that they are adults with kids of their own, because they advise government on policy, advance medical research, tackle the climate crisis and so on.

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the major UK science funding programme, said the letter did not reflect their position.

The director of the program apologized for any offense caused. The cost of living crisis has a disproportionate impact on our students. Many students are having financial difficulties now.

We undertook to gather evidence for how best to lobby UKRI around this as they review it. We offered some practical advice. As we try to improve global response to this problem for students, we wanted to provide support.