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Terms of employment

Video describing the UvA's Terms of Employment

Staff members with a UvAnetID can find more information in the A-Z list of their faculty or unit. See staff.uva.nl.

Collective labour agreement

UvA staff members are covered by the agreements as laid out in the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU). The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU) covers all staff directly employed by the University of Amsterdam. The UvA also has also put in place a number of supplementary schemes and regulations relating to topics such as study facilities and extra leave options.

Salary

As a UvA staff member you have been assigned a job profile based on the University Job Classification (UFO). Each profile consists of a number of levels with corresponding salary scales.

Salary scales depend on your education, level of knowledge and experience. You can find the salary scales on the Universiteiten van Nederand  website (in Dutch) under ‘Salarissen/Premies’.

In addition to your salary, you receive an annual holiday allowance (8% of your gross salary) and a year-end bonus (8.3% of your gross salary, roughly equivalent to an extra month’s salary).

The 30% rule

If you a foreign national employed by the University of Amsterdam (UvA), or an UvA employee posted to another country you may, under certain conditions, be eligible for the ‘30% rule’. This rule allows you to receive part of your salary – up to 30% – as a tax-free allowance, resulting in a higher net income. The allowance is intended to compensate for the additional costs incurred as a result of your temporary stay in another country.

Employment contract

As a new staff member at the UvA you will receive an employment contract. Before you commence employment, your P&O department will schedule an appointment to explain the terms of employment to you. They will discuss your salary, the nature and duration of the contract and other important aspects with you. You will also receive information about UvA schemes and how you may use them. The P&O department will ask you to bring along the information and documents required to formally finalise your employment contract.

A full-time working week consists of 38 hours. You can choose to work either two hours more or two hours less than the standard full time week.

Temporary employment

Generally speaking, the maximum term of a temporary employment contract is one year. For academic staff, some positions are subject to a maximum term of four years. These include postdoc positions (Researcher 3 and 4) and positions that involve temporary external funding or co-funding. In the case of support and management staff, the term can be extended, for example in the case of temporary projects designed to support operational management, or in the case of external funding or co-funding.
After temporary employment, employment for an indefinite period of time follows upon proven suitability and continuation of the position.

For student assistants, the UvA has special regulations governing the duration and scope of their appointment. For more information, see the regulation below and Article 10.1 to 10.4 of the CAO.

Appointment conditions for academic staff

In the case of academic staff, the Board establishes appointment conditions that job candidates must meet for each individual position. The  Framework for Requirements for Appointments and Promotions of UvA Academic Staff  (Kader Benoemings- en Bevorderingseisen van Wetenschappelijk Personeel) sets out the conditions for new appointments and promotions. The Framework Document stipulates, per post and level, which requirements apply to the UvA as a whole and which can be specified by individual faculties.

Academic environment and academic integrity

The UvA's scholars and scientists are at the heart of both the city of Amsterdam and society at large, and play an active role in the public debate. All UvA staff involved in teaching and research have an individual responsibility to uphold standards and values of academic integrity. The University of Amsterdam endorses the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Academic Practice, which describes the principles of academic integrity.

Insurance

As an employee you are insured in and around your UvA workplace. In addition, the UvA offers several group health insurance policies. UvA staff and their family members, as well as pensioners and (former) employees who are incapacitated for work are entitled to make use of this policy. Visit the websites to calculate your health insurance premium and apply for health insurance: 

Zilveren Kruis collective health insurance website 

Zorg en Zekerheid collective health insurance website

The UvA has purchased group partial disability insurance for its staff members. This policy ensures that all UvA employees receive at least 70% of their most recent salary in the event of partial disability. Employees also have the option to take out full disability insurance at a discount through the UvA.

Discounts are also offered on a lot of other insurance policies relating to housing, cars, travel, mortgages, legal aid, etc.

Pension

As a UvA employee you build up a pension with the ABP. You are, to an extent, free to decide when you retire. The longer you keep working, the higher your pension. You can also take partial retirement, but this must amount to at least 10% of your working hours.

Are you planning to retire before you reach the age you are entitled to AOW (basic state pension in the Netherlands)? If so, you can use the ABP to compensate for the AOW, so that your gross income before and after the AOW remains the same. You need to apply for this scheme yourself, around six months before you want it to start. You can start receiving the ABP Multi-Option Pension from the age of 60 up to a maximum of five years after you become entitled to AOW. Your date of birth determines when you qualify to start receiving the AOW pension. You can easily determine on what date you are entitled to AOW on the website of the SVB.

As from 1 January 2015, you no longer accrue pension over your income in excess of €100,000 (in 2024: €137,800). If you want to maintain a certain level of surviving dependant’s pension and/or old age pension, you can arrange to compensate for this reduction. The additional contributions are then paid from your net wages. You can opt for the ABP's net pension scheme (in Dutch). You can find more information about your pension on the English ABP website.

Are you a new UvA employee?

Before commencing employment, the UvA terms of employment will be explained to you. Your salary, the nature and duration of the appointment and other important aspects will be discussed. You will also receive information about UvA schemes and how you may use them. The P&O department at your faculty or unit will make an appointment with you to discuss the above. During the meeting all the necessary information and documents will be collected in order to formally finalise your appointment.

Schooling opportunities

For employees who want to prepare for a different position or are keen to work on their professional development, the University offers a range of provisions, such as training and study programmes, sabbatical leave for academic staff, study leave, development days, and allowances to cover study expenses. Every employee can also request a career advice consultation. You can find more information under career development and professionalisation.

Ancillary activities

The UvA takes a positive view of ancillary activities (nevenwerk). These can improve employee performance and generate important contacts for the University and for scholarship in general. However, ancillary activities can also conflict with the UvA's interests. This is one of the reasons why you are required to register your ancillary activities in the personnel information system. Some key date will be retrieved from this system and (after your consent) published on the UvA website.

Work-life balance

The UvA offers a number of provisions designed to make it easier to balance your work and personal life. Options include parental leave, extra leave days for unpaid activities or saving for sabbatical leave. You can find more information under work-life balance.