Yesterday I went to see the company which left some weird impressions during and after the first meeting. It was a first impression, and I decided to give them a second chance. For several reasons, but mostly since I firmly believe everyone deserves a second chance.
The second meeting had a much more relaxed atmosphere. Turns out they were genuinely impressed when I answered 'four' to the question how many kids I have. Yes, I know, they cannot legally ask such questions, but it is a small company and I don't see how making that a secret would help me in getting a job with them. If having four kids would be a hurdle, I'd probably never be happy in a job there.
Anyway, the discussion was good, I got to ask some critical questions and point out both my strengths and flaws. Same issue here: everyone has flaws. Pretending to be perfect will not help me in finding a job that fits. The others around the table seemed to have a similar opinion.
In general there was a good click and after 50 minutes I was told they would make me an offer. That was a surprise, as I never considered this an official job interview. However, I even managed to chime in that my preference would be a job for 4 days a week initially, which seemed to be no problem at all.
Back home I didn't quite know what had hit me. Part of me was thrilled that there are apparently still people who value others for their skills and are willing to take a leap of faith with someone who doesn't quite fit the default company profile. Another positive thing: I can use this in negotiations with other potential employers, including my current one. Beware! The lady has leverage and is not afraid to use it!
Another part of me is scared sh!tless: taking up this offer means I really have to leave astronomy. Apparently I'm not as ready for that as I had thought. It feels like an enormous loss, and I am genuinely sad about it. Astronomy is what I wanted to do since I was 8 years old, I cannot imagine doing something else. The ivory tower is all I have known for almost 20 years. Outside it looks cold and barren, and I'm scared to leave.
Ivory Tower
Friday, 16 May 2014
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Legal issues
Sit yourself down, this is going to be a long one.
Figuring out if I can have another extension on my contract was highly non-trivial. At first HR said no to me and some other people. But it turns out they were mistaken. Took me a few iterations with them to understand exactly what my contract position is though. In my case I can work here for up to 6 years, with two renewals along the way. Standard it is only 3 years though, hence the confusion.
Under Dutch law, temporary contracts are strictly limited. A person has to be offered a permanent contract after a certain number of renewals, or after the 3 (or 6) years. Fair enough if you work in a business, but this is killing for scientific positions. Post-docs either have to move into a staff position after a successful job, or leave. Since I formally work for one of the largest scientific employers of the country, I will be excluded from jobs even in another of their institutes.
One option is to become unemployed for 3 months, then the sheet is cleaned and they can offer me another temporary function. However, that constitutes a delay that is not always welcome. Though I wouldn't mind a three month holiday myself ;-)
Completely unrelated to my job search, but I need to get this off my chest.
I spent a morning in a small claims court on Tuesday. When we moved here 4 years ago, the market crashed and selling our house was no longer an option. So we rented it out. The second tenant was a total jerk, didn't pay rent and left the house a mess, so I filed a suit. The agency renting it out for me messed up. The collecting agency messed up. And I was left on my own to make amends as well as I could in front of a judge.
Apparently in the Dutch legal system you cannot expect people to treat your house with some measure of respect, even if they have a contractual obligation to do so. Though he had to pay the rent, only the damages that we had repair bills for were granted. In the end the legal fees were higher than the money I got back. Lesson learned.
Free legal advice to all of you renting a house here: don't pay your last month's rent if you want your deposit back. The burden of proof is on the landlord. And if you move out of the country, there is not a chance in hell they will come an find you. Also, if you stay here, there are no legal or other consequences, even though your contract says it is not allowed.
Maybe I should have gone to law-school. For sure these people make much better salaries than a mere astronomer. And they can mess up without having to pay for the consequences.
Figuring out if I can have another extension on my contract was highly non-trivial. At first HR said no to me and some other people. But it turns out they were mistaken. Took me a few iterations with them to understand exactly what my contract position is though. In my case I can work here for up to 6 years, with two renewals along the way. Standard it is only 3 years though, hence the confusion.
Under Dutch law, temporary contracts are strictly limited. A person has to be offered a permanent contract after a certain number of renewals, or after the 3 (or 6) years. Fair enough if you work in a business, but this is killing for scientific positions. Post-docs either have to move into a staff position after a successful job, or leave. Since I formally work for one of the largest scientific employers of the country, I will be excluded from jobs even in another of their institutes.
One option is to become unemployed for 3 months, then the sheet is cleaned and they can offer me another temporary function. However, that constitutes a delay that is not always welcome. Though I wouldn't mind a three month holiday myself ;-)
Completely unrelated to my job search, but I need to get this off my chest.
I spent a morning in a small claims court on Tuesday. When we moved here 4 years ago, the market crashed and selling our house was no longer an option. So we rented it out. The second tenant was a total jerk, didn't pay rent and left the house a mess, so I filed a suit. The agency renting it out for me messed up. The collecting agency messed up. And I was left on my own to make amends as well as I could in front of a judge.
Apparently in the Dutch legal system you cannot expect people to treat your house with some measure of respect, even if they have a contractual obligation to do so. Though he had to pay the rent, only the damages that we had repair bills for were granted. In the end the legal fees were higher than the money I got back. Lesson learned.
Free legal advice to all of you renting a house here: don't pay your last month's rent if you want your deposit back. The burden of proof is on the landlord. And if you move out of the country, there is not a chance in hell they will come an find you. Also, if you stay here, there are no legal or other consequences, even though your contract says it is not allowed.
Maybe I should have gone to law-school. For sure these people make much better salaries than a mere astronomer. And they can mess up without having to pay for the consequences.
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