Month: January 2018

Is it possible to get financial support if I undertake further study in the Netherlands?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

If you wish to pursue an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the Netherlands, there are several ways to obtain funding without visiting the bank. The Dutch government, foreign governments, the EU and private companies finance different programs that offer beurzen en subsidies (scholarships and grants) to support you while studying:

Huygens Scholarship Programme (HSP)

HSP is a scholarship programme for international students with exceptionally high grades who want to study in the Netherlands during the final phase of their bachelor’s or during their master’s studies. For more information and the application procedure visit Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education.

Grantfinder tool

Nuffic operates an online search engine with information on a range of Dutch scholarships for international students. Select the country and type of course to find a list of available grants. Grants are often related to specific universities and/or degree programmes.

www.studyinholland.nl/scholarships/grantfinder

Higher education grants

Some higher education institutions have special funds for students. Once you have selected the university or professional higher education institution of your choice, contact their careers service or international office to receive information about available grants. You can apply for a contribution towards tuition or course fees for EU and EEA students or for a loan to help pay for the fees. Visit the Education Executive Agency – DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs) for more information about study grants and the restitution of tuition fees.

https://www.duo.nl/particulier/international-visitor/funding-for-school-and-studies.jsp

Holland Scholarship

The Holland Scholarship is financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap) as well as several Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences. This scholarship is meant for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their bachelor’s or master’s in the Netherlands.

www.studyinholland.nl/scholarships/highlighted-scholarships/holland-scholarship

European Funding Guide

The online-platform www.european-funding-guide.eu supports students and PhD candidates finding financial aid for their academic studies. The database contains a great variety of scholarships that support students, e.g. paying their cost of living, financing their semester abroad or supporting them during their dissertation. In addition, the platform provides numerous templates for applications and articles about how to apply for a scholarship.

What are my legal rights and obligations when I have a temporary employment contract?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

A temporary contract has a start date and an end date. The contract will end on the agreed date, though the employer is required to inform you in writing if the contract will be renewed at least one month before the end date. We strongly advise you to ensure that you get a contract in writing, although a verbal agreement is also valid in the Netherlands. The employer is obliged to inform you in writing of the main items covered in the contract within one month after the start of the contract. Within legal limits, both employers and employees are free to decide what will be covered by the contract.

You can find more information about temporary contracts here 

 

What are my legal rights and obligations when I have a permanent employment contract?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

The most important difference between a temporary and a permanent contract is that a permanent contract has no end date. This means there is no indication of any intention to limit the duration of the contract, such as “for the duration of the project”. Hence, and unlike temporary contracts, there is no mention of an end date in a permanent contract. Also the “term of notice” will be different for a permanent contract, since your legal position is different. The differences for terminating a permanent labour contract are explained below:

  • A permanent employment contract can be ended by one of the parties. The legal terms of notice need to be respected.
  • The rules are different for employers and employees. The employee has the legal right to end the contract without a procedure but he or she must respect the legal and agreed period, which is usually a minimum of one month’s notice.
  • Both employer and employee have the right to go to court and ask to end the permanent labour contract.

What are my legal rights and obligations when I have an on-call contract?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

An oproepkracht (on-call employee) only comes to work when called upon to do so. The rules that apply depend on the type of contract. For instance, there are rules with on payment when no work is available, minimum hours guarantee or minimum wages for hours worked.

More information about on-call contracts is available here .

I have some legal issues with my employment contract. Where can I get a legal assistance?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

As a first step it may be useful to contact a vertrouwenspersoon (confidential advisor) of the company you are working for and discuss your issues.

If this doesn’t help, you can seek information and advice at het Juridisch Loket (the legal advice office) free of charge. If they conclude that you need professional legal assistance, they may be able to give you some suggestions. Their website lists 30 offices throughout the country as well as contact details. It is possible to send an email by filling in the online form (form is in Dutch only). Sometimes contact by email is not possible. In this case, it is suggested to make a phone call.

It is also possible to go to one of the offices of the Landelijk Netwerk Gratis Inloopspreekuur  Advocaten , a network of lawyers offering legal issues reviewed for free by a lawyer in their neighbourhood. After the initital review, regular fees apply. More information on https://www.inloopspreekuuradvocaat.nl/english/

It is good to know that individual labour disputes in the private sector are generally dealt with by a single court judge. Individual labour disputes in the public sector are regulated by administrative law and dealt with by an administrative court. Labour law is an intricate and complex field subject to changes. It is advisable to consult legal professionals when issues or disputes arise.

 

What are the official public holidays in the Netherlands?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

Whether you are free from work on public holidays depends on the agreements made between employers and employees in the CAO (collaborative labour agreement) or those in your employment contract.

The Netherlands has one national holiday:

  • Koningsdag (King’s Birthday) on 27 April

In addition, there are a number of generally-observed public holidays:

  • Nieuwjaarsdag (New Year’s Day)
  • Tweede Paasdag (Easter Monday)
  • Hemelvaartsdag (Ascension Day)
  • Pinksteren (Whit Monday)
  • Eerste Kerstdag (Christmas Day)
  • Tweede Kerstdag (Boxing Day, also known as Second Christmas Day)

 

What vacations am I entitled to in the Netherlands?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

Every employee in the Netherlands is entitled to vacation with full pay. The right to vacation days is built up during the course of a year. The minimum number of vacation days to which you are entitled after one year is four times the agreed number of days you work each week (usually 4 x 5 = 20 days). If you have not yet been employed for one year by an employer, your vacation days will be calculated proportionately.

You will receive full pay during your vacation. In addition, you are entitled to a minimum vacation allowance. The vacation allowance is payable by your employer and is paid at least once a year (usually in May). Your employer must specify the amount of your vacation allowance on payment in your contract.. The vacation allowance amounts to  a minimum 8% of your income in money (basic wage, bonuses and allowances).

The CAO (collaborative labour agreement) might include other agreements about the number of vacation days, the payment, and the amount of the vacation allowance.

Legal vacation entitlements can be saved up to six months. Any extra vacation entitlements (e.g. if you are entitled to more than the minimum number of vacation days) can be saved up to five years. It is also possible for an employee to exchange vacation days for money from the employer, but neither the employer nor the employee can force the other into such an arrangement.

 

Which possibilities are available for special leave?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

Employees in the Netherlands are not only entitled to fully-paid vacation days, but also to several kinds of special leave such as:

  • Emergency leave
  • Parental leave
  • Adoption leave
  • Paternity leave
  • Pregnancy and maternity leave
  • Extraordinary leave
  • Short-term compassionate leave
  • Long-term compassionate leave

 

More information about special leave is available here.

I receive unemployment benefits in the Netherlands. How do I maintain this once I move abroad?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

Applications for benefits under the Werkloosheidswet – WW (Unemployment Insurance Act) have to be submitted to the Government’s Employee Insurance Agency (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen – UWV). If you move to another EU country or a country that belongs to the EEA in order to find a job there, you can take your WW-uitkering (Dutch unemployment benefit) with you for a maximum of three months. For more detailed information please have a look at https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/work/unemployment-and-benefits/transferring-unemployment-benefits/index_en.htm. Before you leave, you need to arrange this with Public Employment Service (UWV Werkbedrijf). Please bear in mind that the employee who becomes unemployed after resigning from a job is not entitled to receive this benefit.

More information at the UWV website (in Dutch only): www.uwv.nl/particulieren/werkloos/index.

Find the contact of the administration that you may have to get in touch on the country that you are moving to at: europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/national-contact-points.

I am currently unemployed. Am I entitled to an unemployment benefits?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

If you become unemployed due to no fault of your own, for example as a result of the termination of a contract for temporary employment or if you are made redundant, you are entitled to a WW-uitkering or werkloosheidsuitkering (unemployment benefit). These benefits are intended to be a temporary form of subsistence income whilst you search for new employment.

Government’s Employee Insurance Agency (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen – UWV) determines whether you are entitled to a benefit, the amount you will be paid and how long the payments will continue. The amount and duration of your benefit will be determined on the basis of your previous salary, your age at the time you became unemployed and your work history. When determining if you are eligible for a benefit, UWV will, amongst other things, check if you have become unemployed through your own fault.

Information on receiving unemployment benefits can be found by visiting the UWV website (in Dutch only):
www.uwv.nl/particulieren/werkloos/ik-word-werkloos/index.

What are the requirements to be eligible for unemployment benefits?

Posted on by Katerina Triantafillou

The WW (unemployment insurance act) insures employees and civil servants in the Netherlands who become unemployed. If you are eligible for the WW-uitkering (unemployment benefit), you will receive 75% of the wage most recently earned (up to a maximum) in the first two months, thereafter 70%. To be eligible for the unemployment benefit, you must be available for work and satisfy the following criteria:

  • You are insured for unemployment. This is usually the case if you were an employee within a company or organisation operating in the Netherlands
  • You are below the retirement age of 65 and above the age of 26
  • Your working hours have been reduced by your employer by at least five working hours per week and you are no longer entitled to be paid for these lost working hours
  • You are immediately available for paid work
  • Before becoming unemployed, you have worked for at least 26 weeks during the past 36 weeks (if you are a citizen of a European Union state or European Economic Area country and you have worked for less than 26 weeks in the Netherlands, the UWV will take into account the time you have worked in your previous resident country over the applicable 36-week period)
  • You are not receiving a sickness, incapacity (IVA) or disability (WAO) benefit that precludes you from working

For occupational groups such as artists, musicians and film employees, a lower requirement of employed weeks applies. The length of your entitlement to this benefit depends on your employment history.