When your appointment ends, you want your dissertation to be finished of course. Sometimes, however, that is not the case. Which rights do you have in this case? And can you still continue working on your dissertation? If your contract ends or if you are dismissed, you may be eligible for a WW or BW benefit (supplementary unemployment benefit). However, to be eligible for benefits, you are not allowed to work on your dissertation while you are unemployed, you must be available for other work, registered with the employment agency (CWI), and actively apply for jobs. If you continue to work on your dissertation, it is assumed that you are performing work for which a reward may be expected, regardless of whether this work is paid or not. You do not meet the criteria for receiving benefits. If you spend part of your time on unpaid work after your dismissal, you may be eligible for a partial WW benefits. You must be unemployed for at least five hours. You will need to indicate every month whether you have performed paid or unpaid work and for how many hours. Writing your dissertation is included in this. If you do not report your dissertation work, this is considered fraud. Writing your dissertation during your period of unemployment is therefore not as obvious as many supervisors and advisors make it seem. For more information see: (UWV)..
Courtesy privileges
It seems quite common for PhD candidates whose contracts expire to be offered a temporary 'courtesy privilege' by the university to complete their dissertation. This means that individuals who have no other formal relationship with the university are given permission to perform certain activities at the university without the university requiring any compensation, except for an expense allowance.
Usually, the conditions for this hospitality arrangement require that the activities do not constitute core activities of the faculty. Because you were previously employed as a PhD candidate, your activities obviously fall under the core activities of the faculty staff. In fact, you could argue that there is a fictitious employment relationship and you could request an appropriate salary through legal proceedings. Case law is based on the factual circumstances and not on whether the parties have made other agreements.
