The “Term Time” Puzzle – Life as a PhD Student in the UK

When you’re doing a PhD in the UK, your life doesn’t run on the neat calendar blocks of undergrad life. There’s no “September to December term” followed by a long winter break, then “January to March” with another big gap in between.

Nope.
For most of us, it’s research all year round.

Recently, I had an email from Sainsbury’s (my weekend job) asking for my term dates for 2024–2025. Simple enough, right? Except… as a PhD student, I don’t really have “term dates” in the same way. My only official breaks are Christmas, Easter, and the odd bank holiday. The rest of the year, I’m “in term” even if I’m taking a short holiday, it’s something I apply for through my department, not an automatic university break.

I explained that I’m getting a letter from my university to confirm this. But the request got me thinking… it’s funny how small admin details like this can remind you how different a PhD is from other courses.

When people ask me, “When’s your next holiday from uni?” I almost laugh. The truth is, the research doesn’t stop experiments, writing, and deadlines don’t follow the public school calendar. If I want a break, I plan it, request it, and then go straight back to the lab or my thesis.

It’s not a complaint — it’s just the reality. Doing a PhD is a bit like having a long-term job where the boss is your research question, and it doesn’t take days off.

So yes, I’ll get the letter for Sainsbury’s. But deep down, I know the real “term” for me is every single day until I hand in that thesis.