Dramas

So there have been a few dramas since the last time I wrote. This job has really been a bit on-again/off-again. I'm not going to be fully convinced I have it until I'm over there in Paris and I receive my first pay check. The main problem was that the French administration would only pay me if I had a PhD certificate and whilst I submitted my thesis 3 months ago, the examiners had only received it 3 weeks ago. The way the PhD process works in Australia is that I write my thesis and submit it, it is then sent off to 3 examiners, usually at least one is Australian. They then have about 2-3 weeks to ask for an oral defence, which is done only in borderline cases. If there is no need for an oral they will read it, note down any corrections that they think are needed and then send the thesis back to me. I then make those corrections, send the thesis to my supervisor and if he is satisfied I am awarded a PhD, so the whole process normally takes at least 3 months. Which means it is going to be a while before I have that PhD certificate in my hot little hand