A beginner's guide to Dutch academia discusses Dutch attitudes to work, employment contracts and the structure of academia in the Netherlands, with its universities and research organisations.

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Research funding

The guide also surveys the various funding options for research projects. For example, it describes how funding awards depend not only on the researcher’s skills but also on whether the research addresses relevant socio-economic problems or facilitates valorisation by third parties.

Terms and conditions of employment

The extent to which foreign researchers can negotiate a salary is limited because academic pay is subject to a collective agreement. On the other hand, maternity and parental leave is longer than in many other countries. Researchers also have considerable freedom to set their own hours.

Equality

One interesting detail is that Dutch instructors and students tend to treat one another as relative equals. Instructors guide students on a shared journey of scholarly discovery rather than simply convey knowledge to them. Relationships between academics are also relatively informal. The guide concludes with a list of informative websites, reports and manuals. It also provides a list of abbreviations and acronyms that Dutch academics will also find useful.

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