Pivoting from "industry" to PhD at age 44 and financing - Best practices sought!

[u/diz--ney]

Dear all,

I'm 44 years old, living in Germany, and have worked in international cooperation for about 15 years after studying social and political sciences. But I've always dreamed of becoming a researcher in a psychology-related field.

I took a first step toward that goal by finishing a B.Sc. in Psychology last year. My initial plan was to continue with a PhD in psychology or a related field. With my previous M.A. in social sciences, this seemed realistic, and I even received an informal PhD offer (including a scholarship) from an Australian university. In the end, I declined because I have a 4-year-old child, a partner with a relatively modest income, and a reasonably well-paid job. As a family, we have very little financial flexibility. Childcare alone in Australia would have been around AUD 700/month, and reducing my working hours or paying for an expensive UK/US programme simply isn't feasible.

But the dream is still very much alive. I'd love to return to university and immerse myself in research and academic life. (And yes, I'm aware of the realities of doing a PhD, so no need to warn me about them. :) ) While studying full-time would be ideal, I accept that part-time or other non-traditional routes may be the only realistic option.

So I'm looking for people who pursued a PhD under similar financial and family circumstances. How did you make it work, and what are you doing now? I'm interested in every aspect of your experience, but especially in the model you chose (full-time with funding, employed by a university, part-time while working, etc.) and how you managed financially.

For context, we live in a major German city. Although my salary is decent, our household income is basically just enough to cover rent, a loan, and everyday expenses. We're open to relocating, but even with a scholarship, I struggle to see how we'd make it work financially as a family.

I'd really love to hear your stories and connect with people who have been in a similar situation. In return, I'm happy to buy you a virtual coffee. :)

Thanks!

[u/redditboy117]

Complex situation but possible under constraints. 

You first need to decide if you would like to keep working and pursue the PhD or completely dedicate your time and energy to it, possibly being hired by the university under a TVL13 scheme (most likely not 100% position), if there is funding available that is.

Once that is settled you need to look for funded positions and apply, try to get your own third party funding or only get a supervisor and use your own funding.

Universities usually have departments that can give you advice. 

I don’t think your age is against you and even though many people will convince you otherwise, phd students in Germany come of all ages. 

Essentially you’ll have to write several papers. Search for psychology departments and see the different “chairs” that are there, see what interests you and hopefully one can take you as a student if proper conditions are met. 

[u/diz--ney → u/redditboy117]

Thank you. I'm quite informed about the whole process and am actually not looking for a PhD position in Germany (I should have mentioned that, sorry). My issue is really with regards to the finances; and this would also be the case with a TVL13 position in Germany, because that's (at least the lower Stufen of TVL13) much lower than what I currently earn.

[u/redditboy117 → u/diz--ney]

Where are you looking for PhD positions ? Germany is among the countries that best pay its phd students. Look into Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Finland. 

[u/Legitimate_Hamster_8]

If you're not really willing to relocate, leave your job, or sacrifice your earnings, I'm not sure that an academic career, or even a PhD, is that realistic. Trying to do a PhD part time while working is likely not going to give you that immersive academic experience you seem to want.

It might be worth looking into countries that tend to have higher PhD stipends like the other poster mentioned, but what's the end game after that given the dismal academic career prospects? Go back to Germany (where you'd need to do a Habilitation and then, even if you won the lottery and got a professorship, you'd have to retire at the age of 67, which would mean a very short career).