You are taking five weeks off this summer. Not only to go on vacation, but also to think about your future. Isn’t it time to take the plunge and start your own business? Can you manage that financially? If you resign yourself, you must immediately generate income. You would rather be fired, so that you can at least bridge the first period with unemployment benefits.
Go talk to your employer. You can draw up a settlement agreement that will terminate your contract. In the event of dismissal, you would be entitled to a transition payment, but you now waive this. With such an agreement you are entitled to unemployment benefits.
It is wrong to see this as abuse of the social system. This system also offers opportunities to people who get stuck. The duration of unemployment benefits is now so short that it is difficult from day 1 to find a new destination.
UWV benefits agency has a program to help people entitled to unemployment benefits on their way as entrepreneurs. You first go through an entrepreneurship course via UWV to learn and see whether this is really something for you. After that you can opt for a starting period of a maximum of 26 weeks. Your benefit will then be almost 30 percent lower, but you do not have to state your income. After that, the benefit can be permanently reduced. Working for the previous employer is not allowed during the starting period. If that leaks out, you will be fined.
As a starting entrepreneur, you can also continue to work for your former boss, but without unemployment benefits. You should think about this carefully before you leave.
It is worth considering becoming an entrepreneur while you are still employed. From 1 August, a new labor law will apply that gives employees more rights to do other work outside of their contract hours. The employer may only withhold your ancillary activities if he has a good reason to do so. Good reasons are: you want to work for a competitor in your spare time, or you are going to work more than 48 hours a week for months at a time.
If you start small, you will get an impression of the possibilities and obstacles. How does the environment react? Ideal is, for example, working 30 hours a week for the boss and 10 hours for yourself. If all goes well, you can still become self-employed afterwards. Then you can also receive unemployment benefits. You will then receive unemployment benefits for 30 hours, while you will receive an exemption for those 10 hours a week.
You may be able to keep up with your employer with a job on the side. Don’t forget: those who are in paid employment look jealously at the self-employed, who in turn is jealous of the wage-slave. Self-employed people also depend on their clients. It’s better to have a petulant boss than an important customer who doesn’t speak up anymore.
Reinout van der Heijden is editor-in-chief of the Geldgids. Have a question yourself? Money [email protected]