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Okay, so there is a There is a world of difference between the two, and it's really important that you understand that. So a locum consultant post is essentially someone who's working at the level of a consultant. Um, they are appointed. They could just be appointed on a telephone conversation. Okay. But the important thing is it is not not a permanent job, and it does not come with some of the rights and benefits of being a permanent consultant. In fact, it comes with very few rights and benefits. You're effectively there to fill a service gap. And if you're a trainee, um and you know, I think, um, without putting any aspersions on staff grades or specialty doctors, it's like the difference between being a trainee and a specialty doctor or staff grade. It's one is that you're not really necessarily going anywhere. The other one is that you're a valued colleague and part of the team. Um, so that's the first thing. The second thing is that locals come in two flavours Now. When I before I came to the Norfolk and Norwich, I was a locum, adding books for four months and they needed someone to replace Ricky Villa. They did have a substantive job going. I was invited to go for that job, but I'd already decided I was going to work at the Norfolk and Norwich, and so I did. My job said Thank you very much and left. But it's quite common for units to do the let's get too low comms, and then maybe we'll have a substantive post, and if any of them are good, we might give them a job. But there are other units which will actually use a succession of locals who are appointed for a year or 18 months as labor and then just get rid of them and get a new person. And the reason for that is put bluntly, A locum will do the on call. They'll fill in any list there, given they can't argue they have no fixed sessions. They just do what they're told to do, and they can't work in the private sector. So they offload some of the NHS work and they're not competitive down the road. And certainly there's a lot of units in London and places like that where they don't want to necessarily be appointing more substantive consults who will be competing with them. They just want people to do the job in the NHS hospital. So I think it's important for you to read the lie of the land as to what you're actually letting yourself in for and understand what you're like to get out of it and what the department want to get out of it. A try before you buy is absolutely sensible on both sides if you don't know the department. But, um, you want to be very wary about being someone's wage slave, you know, because they'll just throw you away like garbage at the end of the year. Lovely. Um Nish Did you want to speak just a little bit about the actual consultant interview itself? Kind of the structure and the types of, um, broadly speaking, the topics that get brought up? Yeah, sure. So the first thing is, is that before we have the interview, we decide what questions were going to ask. Okay? And each person there has a role. Um, and the service director will often but not necessarily do a sort of management orientated question. There'll always be somebody who does a technical question um, because it's kind of felt to be normal, Uh, and and so we will divide it up. There'll be someone from the university who will ask something about the medical school or whatever. And some of these questions are fairly set piece, um, and or they'll start with a set piece bit. And then the follow on bit might be more challenging. Um, and you get a big variety. So, um, my favorite question that I really hate that everyone, that it's every interview. Tell me about your worst mistake. And at that point everyone comes out with something which was like, Oh, I once like park my car with my wheel just slightly over the line and it might have upset the person next door, but it's not like a crime. It's not terrible thing, and and it will be the clinical equivalent of you know, I did this small thing wrong, but I corrected myself and and no animals were harmed. And the reality is, is that either you're the best doctor in the world or you're the biggest liar in the world, and a lot of interview course is I've been told, will tell you not to be too truthful with that question. Now, personally, I would prefer somebody actually told me a story about a poor judgment. They made a mistake. We are human. We make mistakes, particularly when you're junior and you learn there were consequences. And maybe you you sort of thought, I'm going to be a better version of myself From now on. I that would score far more points with me than something that's just designed to show that I know how to say this bad thing happened. But it wasn't terrible. And I felt a duty of candle form and told the patient, because that is the stock answer, and I'm afraid that you start to spot the stock answers. Now a stock answer will get you a pass mark, but it won't get you merit or anything higher. And actually, the trouble is is that sometimes when people just give a little bit more and take a little bit risk, then they get they really do win the interview. And there's a There's a question that I'm probably going to ask some of you in the breakout sessions so I'll save it. But it was actually the dividing question between two candidates in an interview about 10 years ago. And it was a question that was designed to put the candidate into such a dilemma that they had to decide. Um, well, I'm going to It's going to be interesting to see how you respond to it. Um, so, yeah, you'll get this variety of questions. Everyone's got the same question, the same route to ask every candidate. And there'll be a person from HR making sure we are all asked the same question. But you can go in different directions. So if someone takes you down a rabbit hole, you're allowed to chase them. Um, and you're allowed to see where that takes you. And of course, what happens at the end of it is that we go around and at the end of the thing, people make their notes about each candidate and we'll go around, have a discussion, and we'll go well. So what do you think of Mike and I go? Well, he answered my question. I thought that was really good. Um, somebody else would say he's a little bit weak with this, and at the end of it, we'll have come up with a score. We'll add our scores together, come up with a composite score. The the chairman will indicate that he or she is happy that we've treated that candidate fairly and we'll go through the rest. And in the end they'll be usually what? It's a simple vote, like you know, can we all agree? And usually it's not even for debate. The best candidate has aced it. That is, has been my experience pretty much in every interview I can only think of, like one or two, where there is even a need to actually look at the sheets and add up the scores. Uh, and I'm afraid that's just how it is, you know, um, the mixture of who's really sort of done their homework. And who really ace, is it on the day you often get one clear winner. Okay, lovely. Any no questions at the moment in the group chat? Anybody want to ask anything? Just jump in any questions? Nope. OK, uh, so I've put into the group, chat each group, so find your name, and then on the left hand side of the screen, you'll see mainstage and breakout sessions when you see what group you're in. Go to the breakout sessions and then click into your group. You are going to stay there for the next four workshops. Uh, we the faculty will move around. You. Okay, So you don't have to move. You only have to do it once. And then at the end of the workshops will come back at the main stage. And you just do that by clicking mainstage. Okay, so it's the first time ear we are using the breakout function here. So if there are any problems, drop a message in the group chat and Iggy or myself, hopefully we'll be able to intervene with that. Uh, on that note, you just put a question in the group chat. Uh, what's the best to do with your time when the funding retirement for the consultant post. Don't line up. Okay. Um, initial Rajiv, maybe What's the best thing to do with your time? If you finish your training, you finish your fellowship and there's no job. I'll be quite honest with you. You cannot rely on there doing your job. It doesn't work like that. So what? What might happen is who's promised it to you? It never works like that. Somebody better could come out the woodwork just like that. And that has happened. We have sort of had our eye on somebody and then someone scorch. Eo has come out of the woodwork and they will get the job because the there are people on the panel who are more independent and they will say, Look, I'm so a C and you cannot actually change that. Um, now people have done various things. You can do a locum job if if it's just going to be a short time. But the other thing is is that we have had colleagues who have gone and literally become a consultant, another D G h for three years waiting for this job to come up. And at the end of it, they either decide that they really want the job. Or actually, they're really settled happy. They have a private practice, a nice home, and they don't want to move. And so I think you have to be flexible, Um, going back to the original concept that I mentioned and that Rajiv mentioned it. Um, if I were to put it another way, it would be like saying What if the girl of your dreams ends up married to somebody else? Is that it? Are you done? You know, and what has to kind of accept the fact that you're trying to make the best match that you can? Sometimes it's not perfect. But the vast majority of people I know in consultant posts are very happy with what they've got. Yeah, I think it a lot depends on your personal circumstances as well. Um, I had the luxury of, uh, significant amount of flexibility because I was not from this region. Uh, though my, my, uh, my my wife was east of England trainee or is the east of England trainee. So, uh, I had quite a few hospitals to work within, and we were not tied down from a family point of view. But you do need to be remain flexible and mentally remain flexible. And that's unfortunately, uh, the line of work that we do is, you know, especially if you have a very highly specialized fellowship and you have ambitions to be in a highly specialized practice. Then it further narrows down which hospitals you can apply for, you know? So flexibility is the main thing. Great. Ok, uh, no other questions at the moment. So let's start the workshops. Each workshop is going to be half an hour. I'm gonna ask the faculty to be quite strict with their timings of it, if that's okay, um, and the faculty will move, so just move when you think the half an hour is done. So it's, uh, 3, 22 hours. So if we move, I will call it 3. 25. Okay, so half an hour from now. Well, the faculty will move, but the candidates just stay in the room once you get in there. Okay? You should use the breakout sessions button on the left.