I remain amazed about the pleas to do doctoral work in British history in
the UK. A few facts.
First, most UK programs have prohibitive fee structures for
non-nationals; most good U.S. and Canadian doctoral programs have full
funding (i.e., 3-4 years) of some sort (assistantship, etc.) each year.
Second, most UK programs have no seminar (I'm talking REAL seminar
here), or teaching, experience.
Third, most hiring committees I know of would not consider a UK PhD as
providing equal training to a north American one, and thus their
graduates don't begin on the same playing field.
Fourth, research is not a problem, as most good students in doctoral
programs receive research grants (as Canada's SSHRC and the US
equivalents) for 12-18 months of research abroad; grants which are rare
in many UK university programs.
Fifth, if one does a survey of the origins of today's North
American university British history historians, look at the date of
graduation, because most of these are pre-1990s people.
Sixth, I know of at three recent UK PhDs in British history who are
still trying to get interviews, because they have gone "out of the loop"
with regards to contacts in North America.
Finally, there are some some fine programs in UK universities in very
specialized areas, such as African, Imperial, and Diplomatic, and these
will remain competitive because they have the resources on site, as well as
the people and the money.
Louis Knafla
University of Calgary