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

Appalling' advice on coping with the cost of living crisis from prestigious agency provokes anger among researchers

Postgraduates chosen for their excellent potential" to become future leaders in environmental science and sustainable business should consider selling Avon products, pet-sitting and 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", ridiculous" and unbelievable".