Assprof, Part VII: Deciding, or not until you've given me a tour

I sent an email the next day saying that I couldn't really decide in two days. I wanted to see the labs and meet people first. I was going to bring the Goose back to Sweden anyway later that week before going back to France early Monday morning. I proposed that I could postpone my return to France for a day and show up at the department on Monday if someone had the time to give me a tour.

No problem again. I was welcome Monday morning and the deputy head of department would show me around since she couldn't be there herself. It was all great. Deputy head showed me around all of the potential lab facilities and explained that no-one really had their own permanent space, rather lab space was allocated when people needed it. I expressed concern about access to certain equipment that would be crucial for my research and she admitted that such equipment was in relatively high demand but that more of it was ordered and on it's way and there was possibly funding for more.

I had a lot of questions and she directed me to other people who could answer them better than herself. All I spoke to, technicians as well as researchers, were very helpful and my gut feeling turned from meh to yes during the course of the first half hour. I explained shortly to Deputy Head about the four body problem and she seemed to sympathize with my wish for some time to think carefully about it. But in fact I had already decided. It looked good. No startup funds as such, no dedicated labspace. Only an office, a computer and a salary offered. But a great atmosphere and one step up the Swedish academic ladder at a uni that actually has quite a lot of money and that's rare these days. And Sweden is closer to Norway than Normandie is anyway.

In an email exchange with the Head of Department later in the week we agreed on salary and startup date. I obviously asked if I could finish my postdoc and start first of March 2009. Out of the question. She wanted me to start within six months which would be first of September. I countered that I would spent "most" of August in Canada on a conference and work-related trip so it would be difficult to start before first of October. It was accepted. I realise it's not the most important negotiation topic, but I was quite happy with myself.