Paula Olmo reflects on the experience of taking up a seconded administrative post in IHW and the career development benefits that arose out of it.

I joined the IHW team in August 2020 as part of a one-year secondment as Postgraduate Research Administrator.

Before this role, I worked as an assistant for the International Relationships and Partnerships team for about two years. Back then, I supported several senior staff members in their travels around the world to meet with our partner universities – this was super interesting (and got me travelling to Almaty in Kazakhstan!) however, I really wanted to find a post more in-line with my personal interests. Summer 2020 saw me finishing my degree in health sciences, so when I saw the secondment opportunity at the IHW I thought "why not?" and went for it.

This secondment gave me the opportunity to engage with PhD students, allowing me to meet a group of wonderful people doing very interesting research in fascinating topics. It also helped me improve my CV and tailor it towards a career in line with my goals, and I was able to pursue a MSc in Epidemiology alongside my employment. All this progression was key for me to further apply for (and be appointed to!) my current role in the UofG Centre for Virus Research. It is clear to me that the secondment experience was absolutely fundamental to refine the skills I needed for this post, so I would like to encourage colleagues to apply for secondments that are interesting to them. Although sometimes changes are scary, there is not much to lose, and definitely a lot to gain from.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone at the IHW for making my secondment experience so enjoyable.

Paula Olmo 
Project Administrator/Lab Manager (Thomson Group)
MRC/University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research

IHW actively encourages colleagues to consider secondment opportunities, which are advertised to the relevant job families via email. 

First published: 21 September 2020

<< August 2021