CAREER BREAK FROM RESEARCH

ssg007 · Post by **ssg007** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 3:09 pm

Hi Ladies and Gents,

Does anyone have any experience about taking a “CAREER BREAK” in Finland?

I would like to know if “CAREER BREAK” exists in Finland, especially in research environment. I am a Postdoctoral researcher at AALTO (finishing my 2nd year by this July) and desperate for a break from academia. However, I have a contract for another 2 years. I am planning to go somewhere for few months (3-6), but would like to return to Finland at some point (possibly later this year). Do you think this break could create any problems when I make the permanent residence application later? Of course this break is completely for personal reasons, and nothing to do with the research / work.

Regarding the Permanent Residence MIGRI says, “Your residence in Finland need not have been completely without interruption before you can obtain a permanent residence permit. Your residence will be considered uninterrupted if you have resided in Finland at least half of the validity period of your residence permit”.
What does this “at least half of the validity period of your residence permit” mean?

Thanks in advance!

**Sponsor:**

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 4:36 pm

ssg007 wrote:What does this “at least half of the validity period of your residence permit” mean?

Residence permit valid for a year -> divide by two -> apply 1 day to the result = answer to your question. If your permit is valid for two years, four months and 16 days, the same calculation would apply.

betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 7:11 pm

ssg007 wrote: Does anyone have any experience about taking a “CAREER BREAK” in Finland?

There's general thing about vuorotteluvapaa

http://www.te-palvelut.fi/te/fi/tyonhak ... index.html

However, I don't think it works in your case because to get it an employed jobseekers needs to take your place during it.

ssg007 wrote: I would like to know if “CAREER BREAK” exists in Finland, especially in research environment. I am a Postdoctoral researcher at AALTO (finishing my 2nd year by this July) and desperate for a break from academia. However, I have a contract for another 2 years. I am planning to go somewhere for few months (3-6), but would like to return to Finland at some point (possibly later this year).

You are on the 1600 hour total work hours. If you don't mind the hit on your salary, you could just negotiate the total hour sum down and take your break in connection with a summer holiday. However, this all relies on your supervisor agreeing with the plan.

GermanInHelsinki · Post by **GermanInHelsinki** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:28 pm

It is of course not a problem regarding Residence Permits if you leave the country for a trip and come back later this year.

You need of course the explicit permission from your employer for that. Otherwise you would be breaking your contract, which would of course result in the termination of your contract and can even lead to compensation claims from your employer.

Oho · Post by **Oho** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:58 am

betelgeuse wrote:
ssg007 wrote:
There's general thing about vuorotteluvapaa

http://www.te-palvelut.fi/te/fi/tyonhak ... index.html

However, I don't think it works in your case because to get it an employed jobseekers needs to take your place during it.

Paid sabbatical with a good likelihood is out of the question as the odds are good the 10 year work history requirement is not met by the OP. Furthermore sabbatical requires mutual consent between employer and the employee.

Replacing a postdoc researcher would, on the other hand, be almost a cinch. Doctors, except perhaps in medicine, are dime a dozen unless the replacement needs to continue in a very specific project. For example as far as I can tell there have been close to 40 applicants to every open vacancy in the group I work in. Well its not in academia but in industry.

Godzilla · Post by **Godzilla** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:11 pm

Oho wrote: Replacing a postdoc researcher would, on the other hand, be almost a cinch.

Replacing a good postdoc is never a cinch because they are usually working on some very specialized task which 2 other people in the world can do, and the other 2 both have jobs. It is especially hard in Finland where, in my experience, the PI will be immediately swarmed by 50 unemployed and useless Finnish applicants. On the other hand, getting a good foreign applicant to come to Finland is hard, because, to be realistic, we are at the ass-end of the Earth from an academic perspective. While it is true that there is an oversupply of doctorates in Finland, it is also true that most of these are not actual, employable academics, but rather people who have floated through the Finnish system as sort of a hobby.

It is very hard to fire people on fixed term contracts while the contract is on, but not actually turning up for work for 6 months might just do the trick. Still, Finnish universities are reluctant to give the boot even to people who do that, so just going regardless of what your PI says might work out, and you can still collect your paycheck. On the other hand, when the contract is up you'll be out on your ear, and it'll be hard to ever get another job in academia again after that.

But, if you have a good reason to go, most likely having an honest talk with your PI about it is the best way to go. The funder might be flexible, or not, you might be able to do part-time telework, or go 0 hours for some time. The best option might be some sort of informal deal between you and the PI. You just won't know the options until you have that talk; it will depend on 1) how much your PI wants to keep you 2) what the options are considering the funders rules, requirements of the project etc. 3) how much the PI is convinced you really need that break.

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:42 pm

Replacing a postdoc researcher would, on the other hand, be almost a cinch. Doctors, except perhaps in medicine, are dime a dozen unless the replacement needs to continue in a very specific project. For example as far as I can tell there have been close to 40 applicants to every open vacancy in the group I work in. Well its not in academia but in industry.

Knowing how difficult it sometimes is to get funding for research, an interruption in the process might kill the whole study.
So easily finding a replacement might be bad, but not finding him might also be bad.

Oho · Post by **Oho** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:23 pm

Godzilla wrote: While it is true that there is an oversupply of doctorates in Finland, it is also true that most of these are not actual, employable academics, but rather people who have floated through the Finnish system as sort of a hobby.

Most of whom? True enough with me but most of my current colleagues have done their doctoral studies in graduate schools full time, well so did I but left the academic world pretty much as soon as I graduated. As for my colleagues I guess they got tired of low wages and no one really giving a damn and thus left for private sector.

ssg007 · Post by **ssg007** » Sun Sep 21, 2014 11:13 am

Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot for all your replies and really helped me to negotiate with my Professor. So, my Professor completely understood my situation and let me take a career-break for a period of up to one year. In fact, I do not know what I am going to do once I am back in my home country or elsewhere (stay completely away from any job market / do some work that I always wanted to do / etc). I understand that I have to notify the Finnish authorities about my move. But I wonder how should I put this down in the KELA or MAISTRAATTI's papers under reason for leaving/relocation because I do not know what I will be doing? If I mention that I am leaving for personal/family reasons (which is the case) but later if I find some interesting thing to do and get paid, would that affect my residence/residence permit status when I get back?

Please share your experiences!

Many Thanks!

BR

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