On 24-9-2014 10:43, andrel wrote:
> On 24-9-2014 9:31, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>> I am surprised all this was possible. I naively thought that after 3
>> years (2 years temporary contract plus extension) a permanent position
>> was mandatory, at least at governmental and university sites. Or maybe
>> so it was in the past?
>
> that sort of rules are still in place. In my situation the rules
> apparently do not apply because I have switched employers (... -> KNAW
> -> AMC -> KNAW) and then counting starts anew each time. That I have
> been doing the same thing in the same group does not count. Or so they
> claim.

Yes, that is the trick of course and often they are deliberately misused 
in that way. Not much one can do about that.

> (BTW I published also some thoughts related to this at
> https://magazine.thepostonline.nl/#!/Een-pleidooi-voor-meer-slow-science
> which you should also be able to find via blendle.nl . ALso available
> from my website bytehouwer.nl/slowscience.pdf, but it is in Dutch. If
> there is any demand for it I will make a translation, Google makes a
> mess of it)
>
>> I am not sure, I seem to remember some rules in
>> that direction when I was employed.
>
> Are you unemployed yourself? Or just retired or switched to a different
> job?

I am currently officially retired, at 68. However, I was 57 when I was 
'sacked' (I do not much like the term) together with a dozen others at 
our TNO institute because we did not generate enough external funding. 
Needless to say that that is rather difficult for an earth sciences 
research scientist. To be fair, I must say that I was treated very 
fairly, I had the backing of the syndicate, and was offered an early 
retirement under very acceptable conditions. To tell the truth, I was 
quite glad to quit working as I was beginning to have work-related 
health problems.

>
>> What makes me angry is that nowadays getting a job is more a question of
>> age than of skills. +40? I am sorry my dear sir. You are an expert but
>> your age, you know, your age...
>
> I am 50+. Which indeed means that I have to become a freelancer or have
> to find a job in management and not be productive myself anymore.
>

Yes, I believe that sums up the situation indeed. Americans would 
probably call this a new opportunities situation (and they are not 
wrong) but in Europe we have a different approach to this, especially 
the older generations. We always believed more in stable job continuity 
and job protection.

Thomas

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