Got a job interview tomorrow

[s162216]

Well I've now suddenly got a job interview tomorrow! Got a call yesterday from a recruitment agency who had seen my Reed.co.uk profile, and was asked if I wanted my CV to be submitted for consideration. Today I got a call asking if I could do an interview tomorrow at 10:00 in Milton Keynes, so I'm going for it! Its not scientific based (basically inputting data into spreadsheets very accurately from what I've been told), but it's something to do.

Sam

[glowing]

Good luck Sam. Hope it turns out to be something you will enjoy.

Glo

[mali42]

Good luck Sam I will keep my fingers crossed for you,


Malcolm

[john]

Yep, the devil and the forum finds work for idle hands, and anything that adds to your CV can't be bad, so best of luck Sam, I'll be thinking of you down here in wet and stormy Dartmouth!

[s162216]

Well I had the interview... it was... quick! Basically about 7 minutes long and then I was out the door! Think it went O.K, I'll find out somewhen today as they want the person to start early next week.

Sam

[glowing]

At least you won't have the stress of waiting and wondering for long. Good luck.

Glo

[s162216]

I'm pretty certain now that I haven't got the job - they told me that they would call back on the same day with feedback about the interview, and to tell me whether I have the job or not. Its now Tuesday and I've received none of that! Looks like another one bites the dust...

On the upshot though I have found an excellent looking PhD project at the University of Nottingham starting this September, which I am going to apply for and hopefully get onto. It also includes an all travel expenses paid year working at an Australian university! I really hope to get it as Australia is one country that I know I can live in for definite as they have a recipricol health agreement with the UK so I can get treated for my diabetes, CVID etc over there at no direct cost to me.

Sam

[john]

Hi Sam,
If you don't get this job then it gives you more time to recuperate from your operation, which IMHO is a good thing!
The PhD project sounds wonderful, dunno if we can spare you from the forum, but the best of luck anyway!!
We should re-plan our pizza soon
John

[glowing]

Hi Sam.
I agree with John. I was wondering how you would cope with a new job so soon after your operation. Good luck with your application.

Glo

[s162216]

Bad news on the PhD unfortunately, I took a closer look at the UK-Australia health agreement and it turns out that drugs for pre-existing conditons are pretty much uncovered (but not procedures so you can still get renal dialysis!), and under Australian law students have to get specialist overseas student medical insurance (which has to be purchased in Australia from one of the 6 designated insurance companies) in order to obtain a visa. Whilst the majority of hospital and GP services are funded under this insurance (as the Australian Medicare system works on you paying and being reimbursed by the government according to the fixed percentage that they dictate for each medical test, blood test operation etc usually in the range of 85 - 100%), all 6 of the insurance companies have pretty much the same rule of pre-exisiting conditions not being covered for the 1st 12 months (which makes them useless to me as I'll only be there 12 months!), and any prescribed drugs are only reimbursed up to a value of AU$50 and a total of AU$300 per year, with the person having to pay for the rest. For just one IVIG infusion I would exceed that yearly limit about 5 times over, and end up having to pay the lot basically (so ~17 infusions = ~£17,850 = $33,368). The PhD only comes with a £14,500 stipend per year and I would exhaust that just with the IVIG if I went over!

To put it bluntly, I can't do that PhD project, or any of the others in that research area that are offered by the University of Nottingham as they all include that bloody year in Australia! Its a real shame as I would love to do a project about GPCR dimerisation, but few projects with attached funding come up each year and their difficult enough to get onto. Guess I'll just have to hope and pray that I find a suitable project somewhere.

I had the appendectomy laparoscopically ("keyhole") so there are hardly any actual wounds etc apart from 3 small incisions that are healing nicely, and the swelling around them is mostly down now so I'm fine doing most things. They encouraged me to be up and about pretty much from the morning after the surgery, and I'm fine so long as I don't overdo it. The job (which they've still not bothered to call me about!) was a sitting down admin type job anyway so I would have been fine (its not like I was going to be a bricklayer carrying bricks up a ladder or something! I definitely would not be able to do that!).

Sam

[glowing]

What a disappointment for you. But it is good to know that you are doing so well after your operation. Even so, don't be tempted to even try being a bricklayer, however strong you become, as something just right for you will come your way. Fingers crossed a.s.a.p.

Glo

[john]

Oh dear Sam, I sense you are really disappointed.
As the most expensive aspect of your treatment abroad would be the drugs and product, why can't you take that with you and get them to administer them as and when?
It seems like something you could ask PIDUK's experts about, now you have a good relationship with them.
At my clinic there are overseas people who get treated for their pre- existing immunodeficiency...how come?
Don't give up on the idea until you have spoken to your contacts and doctors first.
Thinking positive never hurts
Best - John

PS...it could be a good time to get onto home therapy, it would give you more options.

[s162216]

I know that I can't do it SC as I already struggle to find places for my SC insulin cannula to go, and considering how 'difficult' I am to cannulate I don't think I would quite feel like I could do it myself IV. Possibly I might be able to take the product over, but 17 doses of 30g of Privigen = 34 bottles which would take up quite a bit of space and I would have to pack it as hand luggage as the temperature fluctuates massively in the hold so it could possibly freeze. On top of that I would have to take god knows how many other boxes of SC cannulas (assuming 1 every 2 days thats about 182+ at least!), tubing, cartridges, insulin etc for my insulin pump and this is all in my hand luggage! Plus I don't think the NHS would be too keen on signing over about £17,000 of IgG to me!

Then I would still have to get the insurance to get an Australian student visa (and they would probably charge me a fortune because of having pre-existing conditions), and pay the costs for infusing at a hospital by myself as it would not be covered. Its just unfortunate about how the Australian system works, but then again I don't think its entirely right for international (non-EU) students to get free NHS treatment (including for pre-existing conditions) over here when they don't pay for it via taxes etc like UK citizens so you can see why they have such a system.

Its would have been nice, but I'll have to find another PhD which is based exclusively in the UK.

Sam

[s162216]

Well I've applied for the PhD that I mentioned, and I'm liaising with some people who are investigating whether I could get support with health costs regarding the Australian part. I've got 2-3 years to arrange funding/support so I have got some time to manoeuvre.

I'll probably find out in a few days if I've got an interview or not as their apparently being held on the 12th. I'm really hoping to get this PhD project as "Monitoring allosteric interactions across the dimer interface of GPCR heterodimers using fluorescent ligands and single cell imaging techniques" is a topic which really interests me, and I would love to be able to work in.

Sam

[glowing]

Fingers crossed for you Sam.

Glo

[john]

Sounds like a tough project, but someone's got to do it!!!!

[s162216]

Still not heard back from Nottingham about the PhD - considering that their advertising the interviews as being on the 12th, their either cutting it very fine, or their not bothering!

Sam

[glowing]

The waiting and not knowing is rotten. Still keeping fingers crossed.

Glo

[s162216]

Another one bites the dust... just found out the Uni of Nottingham have decided to not shortlist me for the PhD project; it would have been nice if they could have told me, I actually had to email them asking how my application was doing as the interviews were advertised as being on Wednesday!

Sam

[glowing]

Why can't they treat people with more respect instead of just ignoring those who are left wondering. Bad luck Sam.

Glo