After reading Ron Iphofen's proposed contract (Soapbox, THES , November 9), any potential PhD student considering taking up a place would be justified in saying: "No thanks, I'll go somewhere where I will be treated like an adult and with courtesy."
I had two PhD supervisors who tolerated my confusion. They were busy people, who nonetheless made time for me. They helped me pull together my work but I was under no illusion that it was my work. They steered a course for me to turn from a graduate with limited experience into a postgraduate ready to pursue a career as a scientist.
David Thomas
School of Ocean Sciences
University of Wales, Bangor