Awkward (and other) questions about MNers jobs-following on from *Pinocchio's 1st thread.

Lorry drivers - how much time do you spend kipping in lay-bys / visiting nearby friends / drinking tea, and then blame it on the traffic. Also international lorry drivers - do you bring back vino?

What is the pattern of your ME if that is not too personal? It's different for everyone but for me I wake up feeling exhausted. My energy can be okish in the morning but I absolutely slump at lunchtime and sometimes don't pick up for the rest of the day (have to lie staring at the ceiling). Sometimes if I get enough sleep in the afternoon I pick up again in the evening but generally any time I do anything - talking, eating, sitting, walking - it's like a clock ticking, with my energy dropping every minute that goes by. A lot of time is spent resting to get out of energy slumps.

If the workplace facilitated your working according to your illness what would you like to do? Hmm, that's a really hard question to answer because the original thing I was pursuing (don't want to out myself) was a high energy career. But I'd love to be an academic now, if I could be. I find it tremendously frustrating that I have a good brain, an interest in all sorts of things and yet my body fails me and no job or academic institution can offer me a way of contributing in my own small way. I had to leave university because my uni wouldn't make the kind of allowances I needed, but then I was very unwell and it would have taken a lot of allowances!

Are you involved in any support groups? Yes, one in particular which is just fantastic, full of positive, supportive, intelligent people. It has helped me tremendously.

Is there a 'Mentoring Scheme' for more 'experienced' people with ME to be in contact with newly diagnosed people to assist them with benefits, lifestyle modification, support and contact? I think this would really help others. Not that I know, but I agree it would be amazing. I think Action for M.E offers a lot of that support but it's not the same as being welcomed into the community which can provide friendship too.

Mignonette - I've heard of this Bill and had a quick look - Saatchi believes that docs are scared to try novel treatment in cases where there is no good treatment. so has created this Bill to give rules that docs could follow and then be able to argue they weren't being reckless when the novel treatment doesn't help/has side effects etc.

I assume it's a Private Member's Bill, but probably what will happen is DH and senior NHS types will meet Saatchi and Becker and doctors, establish whether there really is a problem with docs being willing to go beyond the book in cases where there isn't good treathment, and probably improve some guidance, and the Bill will be tossed out at Second Reading. But I don't know details of NHS policy on treatments - if there's a real issue with docs worried about being done for malpractice, this could be useful?

The charity I worked at had a letter bomb before I worked there. We once had a suspect package and the bomb squad turned up - it was just poorly addressed.

I'm glad they're more annoying than harmful :)

Sunshine - where I worked it wasn't much of an issue for the first few years, though they'd had to put high fences and security cameras in during the 80s. We mostly had rats and mice, which most people didn't care about so much - Huntington Life Sciences where they had dogs, and universities with monkeys, were the main targets, but it was drummed into you not to tell strangers where you worked, check under your car before getting in (I laughed - salary too low to afford a car!), etc.
But then a group decided to target our place, with regular 'vigils', ie a morose bunch shouting abuse for hours. We used to ask them if they really thought calling us fcking ngger/other racist term c*nts was really going to convince us to change our work. This bunch would try and engage us in conversation at the bus stop, claiming we did still have cats and dogs in a secret underground bunker that we didn't know about because it's secret (hadn't had any for years). Security had to ask us not to take the piss out of them after someone pointed at the nearby farm and said "yeah, right, I'm going to torture those cows and donkeys all day tomorrow" and head of security got 4 hours of being called a donkey-shagger through a megaphone...

All post was scanned in a separate building before being passed through - fake bombs were weekly, possibly active ones regular. One couple did get their car blown up outside their house, which was scary, though actually they were happy as it needed repairs - some people asked the activists to blow up their cars so they could claim on the insurance...

So on the whole activists were just annoying, though on the days they came we could get driven to the next-nearest station which made our commute a lot easier, so often we'd wait for them to arrive! Getting into arguments with uninformed people was more annoying - my mice were incredibly well looked after (much better than the staff...), and if there was any alternative to using them we would as their care cost a fortune (about 50p a day per mouse, and I'd have about 30). Spending money on security and staff means much less for the science, though.

Almost all 'procedures' were humane killings or breeding animals with a modified gene, ie putting a male and female into a cage to shag until the female got pregnant, so really not exactly suffering. Even less than for animals raised for meat in the UK - though I've been round a few slaughterhouses and was relieved by what I saw there. And tucked into ham sandwiches and sausages after. Interestingly, about 1/3 of the scientists I worked with were vegetarian on ethical grounds, but had no problem with a quick killing.

mignonette of course, but don't expect too much - it's been a long time!!!

Teachers Sorry if this has been asked already, I have skimmed some of this thread (feel a bit slackerish admitting that in view of who I'm asking!) : Do you like some children more than others? Does it make any difference to how you treat them? What kind of child do you prefer? Diligent and sensible, or loud and funny? Do you feel a bit guilty if there are children you don't really like but there's no obvious reason for it?

Scientiss I owe my life to medical science and am grateful that animal experimentation has been done. I also worked for a research charity and learned a little more about what it entails. However, I know that there are many people against animal testing.

How much of an issue are anti-vivisection extremists for working researchers?

Posted too soon! Some actors and actresses are indeed hugely good looking, but often it's bone structure, good skin and good hair rather than looking like models.

Itstarts, it's definitely true that there are people who the camera really loves. They don't necessarily look weird off camera, they sometimes look like normal people.

Return are the people you're interviewing out of this world good looking? I knew someone who worked in film and she said what looks good on film quite often looks very weird in real life so a lot of actors were a bit odd looking! But I can't see how that is.

So a slightly different angle. I don't work. I have M.E so I can't work. Anyone have any questions about that, either living with M.E or life not working?

I've been a biomedical science researcher, if anyone wants to know about daily life in a lab, getting research published, animal experimentation, etc.
Or advising the Government on stuff (civil servant), recycling, waste, the food chain (from the farm to shops, hospital and school meals, wherever)

TeaForMe I didn't really do any research other than having a look online and also having a look at some pole dancing stuff.

The idea was that I would go on the first night and see what it as like as each club is different and each has their own rules. Before my first night of work I did go an visit the club I intended to work in and just watch how things were done and see if it felt ok to me.

I'm lucky that the club I have chosen to work in is very clean and has strict rules, I have since learned from the other more experienced girls that not all clubs are like this and stuff goes on behind the scenes. I think if the club had been one of the more seedy establishments I know I would have walked in seen an eye full and walked right out and I would never have even considered trying anywhere else as I would have just assumed they were all like that.

womban did you do lots of research before you went in to it? Visiting strip clubs yourself? Maybe I'm naive but I wouldn't have a clue what was expected of me when I turned up for my first day!

educatingarti I did an archaeology degree and volunteered at a local council`s archaeology unit during some of my holidays. By getting known by the people there I then managed to get paid contracts doing the same work. It would be very hard to get paid work without experience so most people have done the work as a volunteer before. I think a lot of people who are interested in doing it don't realise how physically hard work it can be so only do one day before deciding it's not for them!

It's VERY hard to get permanent contracts and if you don't have one then it's generally quite seasonal work so you need to find something else over the winter.

As for pay, no it's not good and that, along with the lack of permanent contracts, was one of the reasons I moved on. I also couldn't imagine carrying on working on site in 20 years when my joints are failing etc. The academic side of things isn't my cup of tea so I now do something completely unrelated!

Sorry it has taken a while to come back to the thread ladies...I will try and catch up with the Q's

BabyLabrinth No one knows apart from my DH. It wouldn't be terrible if others knew or found out, but I just find it easier having just DH know. I have to say I do worry about what people would think, but then at the same time I don't do anything to be ashamed of.

Chocchaffinch The pole does get cleaned in between dancers yes, as it tends to get slippy due to others fake tan etc rubbing off on the pole. With regards to tippers, we don't really get tipped but we do get some big spenders. The girls always know who the regular big spenders are, but we all work on a whoever gets there first sort of basis, its always gutting when you miss out though. Stalkers, no gladly I have never had one but you do get guys who come in to see you especially.

Mineisapintowine Well I got into because I needed extra income and with already having a full time job and DC's I wanted to spend my evenings with made my second job possibilities quiet narrow. I used to be a dancer when I was young (granted not this type of dancing though lol) and I knew of a club in a nearby town and I just thought I would try my luck. As far as the interview went, well it was fine all they really wanted to see was what I looked like and check my ID, I did't have to dance thank god...think I might have died of nerves. The first night I worked I was petrified, mostly though I was worried about getting on with the other girls given that I was older and I assumed that the girls would just be bitchy. I was surprised though as I get on really well with the other ladies and the dancing really isn't so bad.

Thedietstartstomorrow My DH is absolutely fine with it, he actually gave me the confidence to give it a try. He is really supportive of it and especially since I am not doing it just for me, I am doing it for us so we can have a nicer future as a family. He doesn't ever come in the club though as he is at home looking after the DC. If he did come in the club though I wouldn't act any differently or dance any differently as other than flirting and dancing its not like I'm doing anything rude or disrespectful...as far as I am concerned I am just doing my job. I always tell him what has gone on at work and we often have a laugh together about some of the funny/strange people or just funny things that happen.

As for the money there are times when it can be very good yes, but there are also times when it is crap as you actually pay a fee to work and then the club takes a commission on top of whatever you earn. It is entirely possible to go home with nothing, thankfully its rare but happens. What makes it so lucrative though is not how much you make overall but rather what you can make in such a short space of time. If I took on a second part time job it would take me weeks to earn what I can in the space of a weekend. For me its something I can do that doesn't take me away from my DC's as they are asleep and don't know I am gone, where as if I had another part time job along with my full time job they would hardly see me and I would find that very hard.

Long post...sorry

Are some digs more sought after than others?
Most archaeologists tend to have a period they specialise in or just simply enjoy more than others. I loved working on Iron Age sites rather than anything more recent, e.g. mediaeval, for the opposite reason to the one you mentioned... Much less likely to find lots of stuff so less to slow me down from digging a bloody big hole

I have worked on an episode of Time Team (some time ago) and it was not fun at all! I was constantly moved between trenches as they wanted a woman in every trench they were filming at the time. Their recording of what they found was done to a much lower standard than normal digs even though they must have a bigger budget.

terror I trained as a mh nurse, 1 year general nursing then 2 years mh. We do get to choose 1 specialist placement towards the end. I chose forensic mh.

You can swop and change though, a friend of mine worked in acute settings then changed to child and adolescent

Teaforme I'm envious. Is archaelology as hard to get into and as badly paid as it is reported to be?

I'm a private tutor if anyone has any questions about education and learning etc

Ooh, yes! On Time Team it seems to be endless crouching in ditches to dig up small walls, or things visible only to archaeologists. Are some digs more sought after than others, in terms of what you're likely to find?

I could only put up with the cramp and the cold if there was definitely going to be a mammoth under there.

Great thread.

Until recently I was an Archaeologist... any questions?

ReturnPlacenta, talk to me about whether I am imagining this thing: sometimes in a film there is a certain look that all the characters have (you often get this with the women)... So as the plot progresses... suddenly I no longer know who anyone is.

I've not been asked to do this, in fact I've had discussions before about there being a danger of too many characters looking too similar, and we address that during the casting process. I've watched things though, where I've had the experience you describe. And I iron my name tags on.

Serial killer-type stories sometimes have a theme when it comes to looks for the 'victims'.