Zakelijk, Arbeid, Schade
Particulier
Termination as PhD candidate without a prior warning
I’m a PhD candidate at a University in the Netherlands and have received the information that my contract won’t be extended, in a moment when I started my reintegration process after a sick leave due to burnout. Usually, a No/Go meeting would need to take place where the first-year process of the research would be evaluated. Anyhow, my supervisors have decided to not extend my contract before the No/Go meeting could have taken place, and this only two months before the contract ends.
The termination was and still is a big surprise and came unexpectedly. There has been no warning upfront besides some critique of my research, which I thought was just a normal process of learning and improving the work. Furthermore, I have received very good feedback as well on my written paper as being an outstanding contribution to the field, my workshops, and the research direction.
Nevertheless, there have been private circumstances and health issues, which have had an impact on my work performance and later on have brought me into a burnout, which I only realized by not being able to hold deadlines anymore. This was an uncomfortable realization and might have left a wrong impression on my supervisors. Anyhow, I tried to be open about it, I explained the situation and I took every step that was needed to be back at work in full capacity as soon as possible.
I invested a lot in moving to the Netherlands, leaving behind my family and friends as a middle-aged single person, and even using my savings to be able to afford housing in the Netherlands with a low PhD salary. I also have invested a lot in the research subject in itself. I do not feel treated fairly, since there was no clear warning outspoken upfront. Also, it has a big impact on my academic career, it feels almost like a traumatic experience and the whole situation is putting me in a very precarious situation now.
I would like to know what my rights are and I have the following questions:
Can they terminate my contract while me being in the reintegration process?
Can they terminate my contract without providing a clear warning upfront?
I know they would need to inform me about this decision three months in advance. Since I have received their decision only two months in advance, can I ask them to extend the contract for one more month?
Can I ask for transition money or other forms of compensation?
I also would like them to prove my academic validity so that I still have the chance to continue my PhD at another University. I wonder how I can do this best strategically.
The termination was and still is a big surprise and came unexpectedly. There has been no warning upfront besides some critique of my research, which I thought was just a normal process of learning and improving the work. Furthermore, I have received very good feedback as well on my written paper as being an outstanding contribution to the field, my workshops, and the research direction.
Nevertheless, there have been private circumstances and health issues, which have had an impact on my work performance and later on have brought me into a burnout, which I only realized by not being able to hold deadlines anymore. This was an uncomfortable realization and might have left a wrong impression on my supervisors. Anyhow, I tried to be open about it, I explained the situation and I took every step that was needed to be back at work in full capacity as soon as possible.
I invested a lot in moving to the Netherlands, leaving behind my family and friends as a middle-aged single person, and even using my savings to be able to afford housing in the Netherlands with a low PhD salary. I also have invested a lot in the research subject in itself. I do not feel treated fairly, since there was no clear warning outspoken upfront. Also, it has a big impact on my academic career, it feels almost like a traumatic experience and the whole situation is putting me in a very precarious situation now.
I would like to know what my rights are and I have the following questions:
Can they terminate my contract while me being in the reintegration process?
Can they terminate my contract without providing a clear warning upfront?
I know they would need to inform me about this decision three months in advance. Since I have received their decision only two months in advance, can I ask them to extend the contract for one more month?
Can I ask for transition money or other forms of compensation?
I also would like them to prove my academic validity so that I still have the chance to continue my PhD at another University. I wonder how I can do this best strategically.