I don’t usually bother.

I certainly don’t do it when booking flights and things in case there is an emergency and someone thinks I’m a medical Doctor. Imagine it! There’d be some poor person fighting for there life and all I could tell them would be which machine would be best to diagnose them and how it works!

I must admit I do use the title sometimes when people are being a bit snooty. If someone says ‘is that miss or ms’ in a particularly nosy or patronising way I’ll reply ‘Dr, actually’. I then feel a bit smug and a bit guilty and pretencious but it does usually make people be a bit more polite.

Only when it is appropriate – which is not very often

Almost everyone I meet at work is Dr. something or Prof. something and we all use first names anyway so there is no point!

Outside work it really isn’t important so I tend not to use it there either.

What do you think? Let’s say I trained to be a teacher and I worked at your school. Should I be called Mr Coath or Dr Coath by the students. Does it matter?

The funny thing is that I work with Professors every day and call them by their first names. To be a Professor in Britain means you are very high up – in the USA it means something else and is not such a great honour. But I occasionaly meet really FAMOUS scientists at conferences , most of whom are Professors, and I get the strong urge to call them Professor like I was still at school LOL

not usually – I am too tired of explaining why I can’t cure people’s illnesses. Mind you I do have it on my driving license in the vain hope I will get let off a speeding offence. Doesn’t work though.

Actually it helps now I am a Professor as there is less confusion with “real” doctors. So I do use this title in my work role as it can be useful. But in real life? No – I don’t bother. I am just Chris or Mr.

Not yet, I’m doing a PhD at the moment which is a bit like an apprenticeship to become a researcher, when I pass I will be able to put Dr in front of my name. Just Miss until then!