Unemployment insurance while on grant

johndoe · Post by **johndoe** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 1:38 pm

Hi all,

I am a postdoctoral researcher. I did my PhD on a salary in Finland and did my postdoc abroad in Sweden on a grant (which was given to me by an EU funding agency. They deposited around 3000 Euros every month for about an year). I completed my postdoc and recently returned from Sweden. Currently, I am unemployed and looking for work. I am a member of IAET unemployment fund and applied for earnings related allowance from them. Basically, they are giving me the allowance according to my salary during PhD and not according to my latest postdoc related salary/grant. The following is what they say in the letter I received. Is it standard procedure across all unemployment funds that they do not consider your grant (which is common in academia)? Would it benefit if I change to other employment funds? Any suggestions and advice would be highly appreciated.

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interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 3:05 pm

Too late for you now, but this is why postdocs should be advised to join Mela (http://www.mela.fi/en/) or similar, to not end up between the systems.

betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 3:40 pm

johndoe wrote:Is it standard procedure across all unemployment funds that they do not consider your grant (which is common in academia)?

Yes.

http://tieteentekijoidenliitto.fi/tyo/apurahat

"Apurahoja ei oteta huomioon ansiosidonnaisen työttömyysturvan määrää laskettaessa."

johndoe wrote: Would it benefit if I change to other employment funds? Any suggestions and advice would be highly appreciated.

No.

interleukin wrote:Too late for you now, but this is why postdocs should be advised to join Mela (http://www.mela.fi/en/) or similar, to not end up between the systems.

Mela is for pensions and is not relevant for earnings related unemployment benefits.

johndoe · Post by **johndoe** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 4:31 pm

Moreover, IAET only gives unemployment benefits for only 2 years or so and then its gets dropped to basic Kela unemployment benefits I guess. The problem is if for example I get unemployment benefits for say 1 year now, and get a postdoc position with grant again, it means that I will then only have 1 year (and not 2 years) of unemployment benefits from IAET fund for later. They do not care that you have been working since then.

betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:02 pm

johndoe wrote:Moreover, IAET only gives unemployment benefits for only 2 years or so and then its gets dropped to basic Kela unemployment benefits I guess. The problem is if for example I get unemployment benefits for say 1 year now, and get a postdoc position with grant again, it means that I will then only have 1 year (and not 2 years) of unemployment benefits from IAET fund for later. .

Check with your fund but I think grants don't count to the 500 days. The 500 days is calculated for payment days of benefits and while on a grant you most likely will not be paid anything.

https://ytk.fi/ansioturvan-abc/paivarahaoikeuden-kesto

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