These video clips were produced in 2008 to offer advice and guidance to research students approaching their PhD viva or preparing for post-doctoral job interviews in academia and beyond. The aim is to provide input from both sides of the table: they feature viva examiners, supervisors and experienced interviewers as well as those who have recently got their PhDs. If you are looking for general advice in dealing with an interdisciplinary topic, approaching your viva or life after the PhD, these clips can help guide you through the planning and processes.

Co-supervision Supervising together; disagreements between supervisors…

Interdisciplinarity Looking for jobs; favouring a discipline…

Job Applications The cover letter; pressure in interviews.

Applying for academic jobs in the USA The MLA Convention; tenure…

Preparing for your viva Knowing your examiners; rereading your thesis…

The Viva: The examiner's point of view How the examiner prepares; presence of supervisor at the viva…

The Viva: Opening questions Scene-setters; summarising your thesis…

The Viva as an experience Entering into discussion; dealing with the unexpected…

The Academic job interview: Preparation Researching the department; anticipating questions…

The Academic job interview: Presentations Teaching a sample lesson; presentations based on your research…

The Academic job interview: The interview itself Unexpected questions; dos and don'ts…

The Academic job interview: Closing & Feedback Closing questions; feedback …

This series of clips was produced by the IGRS under the AHRC-funded Research Training Network in Modern Languages 2006-08.