Late update
Very delayed update, with no excuse except that of getting to grips with my new job!
By the way, here are my next events:
A theatre play based on climate change
A discussion on how much the government should influence public health
Testing the physiological responses of playing computer games
Work is going fine:
Pros: - it's challenging and expanding my creativity a lot - for the first weeks, even my dreams were more creative- events are definitely still the area of science communication for me, with all the combination of tasks and skills they entail
- it's very interesting, and sometimes exciting (witness the James Watson incident last week) working for the Science Museum
- the reputation also helps, all the speakers I invite accept straight away
-South Ken is a nice area to work in, near Imperial College, so lots of nice lunches with friends, shops,parks, plus the great incentive of being able to either walk or take a bus to work - no tube!
Cons: - working for a 100-year old public institution is like what I have heard working for the civil service in Portugal is like. Several managerial levels, with a strict hierarchy to be followed, initiative discouraged and a lot of unwritten rules which you are still in trouble if you break.
- Salary is low, as I knew when I joined, however it is made even lower by default contributions to a civil service pension. Other options available which I'm trying to sort out, but a lot extra admin to wade through.
- Have to work evenings, usually two a week. Get paid overtime (normal hourly rate though) but it is still very disruptive not to have evenings free.