http://www.hawking.org.uk/index.php/com ... article/96

I'll be applying

Hell of a job for the right person.

So they want
a PA
a Car Mechanic
an Electronics Expert
a Computer programmer

all in one package for £25K

hmm - lovely job but finding that skill set may be difficult

Sounds like the job to be Gwyneth Paltrow's nanny and speaking a bazillion different languages, pay was pretty poor but the perceived celeb status that goes with it is meant to subsidise that

...and 5 years' experience of doing the exact same job already...

Does being married count?

Not really:

Can you successfully ring the travel agency that he deals with?


Can you make sure his box of tricks works ok, by mainly staying in contact with the manufacturer and previous engineers?


Contact and liaise with the firm that make them; put batteries on charge; look after a car (book it for servicing when it's needed, make sure there's fuel in the tank before you take it out with him in it).


Do you know PowerPoint/Keynote?


Can you answer a phone and take messages?


Can you answer a phone and know a bit of web design?

As for the black box stuff, I'd imagine that's just a test of your ability to learn and adapt. Which given the sort of person they're looking for (I'm sure a lot of you could do it) isn't a rare thing.

It's essentially a PA job with some additional stuff on the side.
£25k isn't bad, it's about what you'd get lecturing in an FE college, but without the qualifications.

There just aren't enough smileys in the world!

You all missed the small print "Are you willing to be fired into a black hole, will you gladly spend the rest of eternity with the eminent Stephen Hawking on his journey to another universe".

Once I read that I was out.