On commencement of the promotion process, the law provides space for an employment contract with a term of 18 months (1,5 years) at most. This term functions as a probationary period. The regulation regarding the go/no-go decision for your thesis is mostly handled locally. Often, the progress in the first year will be discussed with your supervisor(s) within 8 to 14 months after the start of your contract.
Factors influencing a go/no-go-decision can include (as far as these were not yet hard requirements for your initial application):
- A positive master’s diploma evaluation or a positive result of a qualifying examination,
- Proof of proficiency in English,
- Approval of your project proposal,
- Approval of your Training and Supervision Plan,
- Evaluations of your first-year ‘pilot study’,
- A positive formal go/no-go decision by your promotor(es).
If there is doubt about your progress, your supervisors might express this to you, in an attempt to show more progress until the 18 months have passed. As soon as you have received a go for the rest of your PhD, the Human Resources (HR) department is not equipped to raise any more questions, for example about financial backing.
