By July 2006, the survey was ready to be administered electronically to the over 400 international PhD students at the UT. In September, the survey was declared officially complete, with nearly 120 respondents. A team of Dutch and foreign PhD students has spent the last months compiling data and presenting those results to the Executive Board in order to improve conditions for PhD students. P-NUT released the results officially on Tuesday, March 13 at one of its monthly lunches, entitled `Internationalization for PhDs at the UT.'
Of the respondents, about two-thirds were from outside the EU. Within the UT, they worked mostly in EWI and TNW.
One of the seven categories addressed immigration procedures. Although nightmarish stories about immigration procedure regularly circulate the UT, few survey respondents reported problems with acquiring a residence permit. Erhan Bat (Turkey, Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials, TNW), who participated in the design and analysis of the survey, was pleasantly surprised to learn that only 12% had problems with their permits. According to the survey, costs of immigration procedures increase for those outside the EU, including the costs for accompanying family members. For one-third of the respondents, such costs were over 500 euros; for 12% of respondents those costs soared past 1000 euros, which by and large (96%) was not reimbursed by the research group. Finally, at least 20% of respondents will definitely remain in the Netherlands to work; another 70% expressed a desire to work in the Netherlands.
Another category dealt with partners. Half of the respondents are here with their partners, of whom roughly two-thirds come from outside the EU. Maryana Escalante Marún (Venezuela, Biophysical Engineering, TNW), another P-NUT member who contributed to the design and analysis of the survey, had expected a higher rate of problems and is particularly pleased by the `positive outcome.' Less than a quarter experienced problems with their partners' immigrations procedures. Bat attributes some of the results to `perception of the problem, whereby if you accept the conditions of the IND, then, yes, the process runs smoothly, but I think the conditions are tough.' A mere 14 % admitted to having problems living in the Netherlands. It was observed that few partners (about 4%) are enrolled in a UT master's program, which is attributed to the fact that tuition fees are prohibitively high, with limited scholarship possibilities. In November, P-NUT argued this point with the Executive Board, to which the board conceded that it would consider requests by partners for lower tuition fees on an individual basis.
Language is a source of myriad problems and inconveniences for international PhD candidates. Only 10% of the respondents speak Dutch fluently. An overwhelming majority (95%) expressed a desire to study Dutch. Here too the meeting with the Executive Board yielded excellent results: henceforth, all Dutch courses offered at the UT will be free of charge for PhD candidates. Bat emphasizes that language remains a barrier for their partners. Jobs are nearly impossible to find without proficiency in Dutch; Dutch courses are expensive.
Another category dealt with arriving in the Netherlands. Over half of the respondents (65%) would have like to have had a mentor during those first days or weeks of employment to guide them. The biggest source of frustration was dealing with paperwork. During their meeting with the board, P-NUT pointed out the lack of available information in English on visas and permits. Consequently, a new website with relevant information in English for international PhDs at the UT has been launched: http://www.utwente.nl/p-nut/For%20Non-Dutch/ (click on Office for Foreign Employees [PAO]).
As far as social interaction is concerned, by and large (80%) respondents felt integrated in their research group and within the university. They participate most often in social activities organized by the research group, and express a preference for `activities (ice skating, soccer, golf)' and `city trips / excursions (Keukenhof),' in other words, far away from the mentally exhausting atmosphere where they spend the majority of their waking hours.
For the latest information on P-NUT and the plight of international students and employees, consult http://www.utwente.nl/p-nut
