I am just about to start work as a research fellow. I was told that I needed to attract my own funding to do the research while in the job and I am just really worried about I will do day to day.

I mean I can imagine writing lots of research proposals in the first few weeks to get this funding. But when I wait the months for decisions, what would I do... Would I start doing research... I am just totally confused. Obviously they want me to have a healthy research output but if I spend the first 6 months or more waiting to see if I can get funding for my work, what would I have to do?

Any input experiences from people who have started their first job would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

I've never been a research fellow like this but two friends had differing experiences - I'll tell them in the hope that one might be relevant. In the first case, it was a fixed term 1 year post with the possibility of extension if he brought in funding (no luck in the end). He was expected to publish from his PhD while awaiting the results. He found it quite an isolating experience - there was no mentoring or any sense that anyone was really interested in him. The second case was where a friend joined a research centre on an open-ended contract. Basically she was expected to act as a research assistant on other already-funded projects while applying to be a PI herself. There was quite a lot of flexibility expected of her, but on the other hand so long as there was grant money coming in somewhere, they kept her on even though her initial applications were unsuccessful.