Using foreign PhD as work experience

[mohoozee]

@mohoozee I'm in the same boat as in the thread to which you replied above. I can understand why the term 'part-time' is mentioned. That's so because at some universities, the contract specifically states that the employment is a certain percentage (either 50%/60%/65%) of the full-time employment. That certain percentage equates to the number of hours which the reference letter states. Since a full-time work is usually 40 hours/week in Germany, 50% employment would mean 20 hours/week to start with. This may increase as one progresses through their PhD. Given that my contract did not mention full-time, and that would be misrepresentation if it's written as such in the reference letter, my admin at the university is legally bound to write part-time. Is there any specific reason because of which you mentioned to avoid writing part-time in the letter?

Given that my PhD also lasted for just less than 5 years and was not technically a full-time position, my total PhD work experience adds up to around 3.5 years (or 4680 hrs) as per the calculation on IRCC website. IRCC considers full-time as 30 hours/week (1560 hours/year). Link here -> https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/eligibility/federal-skilled-workers.html#skilled

Thanks for pointing this out. I remember now that my contract also started out at 60% but during the second year of my PhD the university modified our contracts to 100% after recognizing that PhD work 100% anyways and no one ever worked outside of the university for the remaining 40%. Having said that, my reference letter explicitly avoided the "full/part-time" nomenclature altogether. It simply states "...... was gainfully employed at the university from 20..-20.. with a gross annual salary of CHF........ His/her duties include but not limited to the following......" Those were the exact words of the letter. I don't see how a letter drafted like that can be construed as misrepresentation.

 

[canada&back]

Thanks for pointing this out. I remember now that my contract also started out at 60% but during the second year of my PhD the university modified our contracts to 100% after recognizing that PhD work 100% anyways and no one ever worked outside of the university for the remaining 40%. Having said that, my reference letter explicitly avoided the "full/part-time" nomenclature altogether. It simply states "...... was gainfully employed at the university from 20..-20.. with a gross annual salary of CHF........ His/her duties include but not limited to the following......" Those were the exact words of the letter. I don't see how a letter drafted like that can construed as misrepresentation.

I understand what you meant. It's just that I was wondering if writing part-time in the letter would raise any issues, since you mentioned? Of course, not writing is not misrepresentation, but writing full-time (in my case) would be. That's what I meant to say. Apologies if it sounded otherwise.

 

[mohoozee]

I understand what you meant. It's just that I was wondering if writing part-time in the letter would raise any issues, since you mentioned? Of course, not writing is not misrepresentation, but writing full-time (in my case) would be. That's what I meant to say. Apologies if it sounded otherwise.

Apologies for my late reply.

Yes, I'm guessing having "part-time" on the letter would be a red flag but that's based on my hunch and I have no evidence to support that. I'm sure you won't have a problem using the kind of phrasing I used above. I'm sorry that's not completely helpful.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Captain2019]

I think your draft reference looks good. However, I would personally remove the part-time part. In addition, you should ensure that the hours add up to at least 30 per week.

I applied using my Swiss PhD and everything went smoothly. There is no reason why German PhD won't work too as long as your reference letter is well crafted.

Good luck.

Thank you very much for swift response. This definitely helps!

 

[Medicinal chemist]

Hi all
I’ve got my PhD from south korea (integrative program 4 years ) i was paid monthly by a tax-free scholarship
And i was working in the lab 45h every week but i take also in the first 2 years courses it was about 6 hour every week
Note : i don’t have an employment contract
Will they count this as a work experience?

 

[canada&back]

@Medicinal chemist It's doubtful that your PhD can be counted as work experience, majorly because you didn't have an employment contract. However, since I've personally not been in this situation, I can't say anything for sure. Maybe others can shed some more light.

 

[denoza]

@Medicinal chemist It's doubtful that your PhD can be counted as work experience, majorly because you didn't have an employment contract. However, since I've personally not been in this situation, I can't say anything for sure. Maybe others can shed some more light.

I have a similar situation. I am about to finish my PhD from China. The scholarship here is also fully paid, but there is no employment contract involved. I wanted to ask, what sort of documents are you supposed to submit for EE pool or for applying for visa later on? As I read this thread, many of the people talked about the experience letter from the supervisor. Will it suffice in our case? Since we do not have the tax payment slips, because our scholarship amount is exempted from taxes. In addition the payment slips are also not provided, the money is just deposited in the bank account every month. Thanks!

 

[egam189]

Hi All,

I did 1 year and 5 months research visit as a PhD student to Canada, and I was here on a work permit. I did not attend any classes and I was compensated (grant). Do you think I can use this as a Canadian work experience for my Express Entry (Foreign Skill Worker)?

I have a letter from the HR office about my duties, my UCI number, NOC number and the hours + compensation (pay) during my visit in Canada.

 

[Khizar.abid]

I am a PhD graduate from Malaysia and I was awarded with the scholarship. I carried my research as a full time and completed my degree in 3.3 years. I did not take any course work, my work was purely research based. Therefore, I want to ask that can my research time period be used as experience for the express entry. I would appreciate if someone can help me in this matter.

 

[KevinK6]

Does a 20hr/week RA in the US as part of PhD count as work experience?

 

[egam189]

Hi All,

I did 1 year and 5 months research visit as a PhD student to Canada, and I was here on a work permit. I did not attend any classes and I was compensated (grant). Do you think I can use this as a Canadian work experience for my Express Entry (Foreign Skill Worker)?

I have a letter from the HR office about my duties, my UCI number, NOC number and the hours + compensation (pay) during my visit in Canada.

It's me, I have just received ITA under CEC, so I will let you all know whether they will accept my Canadian work experience.

 

[KevinK6]

It's me, I have just received ITA under CEC, so I will let you all know whether they will accept my Canadian work experience.

Guys does anyone has a sample employment letter based on GRA during PhD?

 

[egam189]

Guys does anyone has a sample employment letter based on GRA during PhD?

To Whom It May Concern,

This letter serves to verify that Miss/Mr XXX is currently a full-time scientific employee at the University XXX. The Canadian National Occupation Code for Research Assistant is 4012. Details of her employment are given below:

• Job Title: University Research and Teaching Assistant
• Date of Joining: XXX
• Employee ID: XXX
• Type of Employment: Full time
• Department: XXX
• Reporting Manager: XXX
• Annual compensation: XXX

Miss/Mr XXX's position involved the following hours of work:
• 01.09.2016 – 30.09.2016: XXX
• 01.10.2016 – 28.02.2017:XXX
etc.

In Swedish/European/German (or other) Universities during a Doctoral degree, the student is:
- employed as a University Research and Teaching Assistant;
- have no classes;
- do not have exams;
- do not have education programme at all;
- the degree involves 80% research, 20% teaching, and 0% classes.

Duties and responsibilities handled by XXX are as follows:
• conduct literature reviews, surveys, laboratory experiments and other research for use in scholarly publications
• compile research results and assist professors in the analysis of results and the preparation of journal articles or papers.
• conduct seminars and discussion groups to supplement lectures.
• assist in the preparation and administration of examinations.
• grade examinations, term papers and laboratory reports.
(DO THIS ACCORDING TO YOUR DUTIES - CHECK NOC FOR MODE DETAILS)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

 

[MotoMoto]

Hi. My situation is a little bit different, and I am hoping that someone has an answer to my question. My wife and I are planning to apply for the EE, and she will be the main applicant. I am a Ph.D. candidate at a Canadian university. Can I add my 4 years as work experience to our application? My supervisor is willing to write a letter on my behalf.

 

[egam189]

Hi. My situation is a little bit different, and I am hoping that someone has an answer to my question. My wife and I are planning to apply for the EE, and she will be the main applicant. I am a Ph.D. candidate at a Canadian university. Can I add my 4 years as work experience to our application? My supervisor is willing to write a letter on my behalf.

Unfortunately, you cannot use your Canadian PhD as a work experience as stated on their website:
"Can I count work experience that was part of my education toward the work requirement?
No. Co-op terms and apprenticeships completed before graduating do not count as skilled work experience. They are considered part of an educational program.

The work experience you can use to apply for the Canadian Experience Class must not have been gained while studying full time on a student permit (for example, experience gained while on a co-op work term)."

I assume you have a study permit in Canada, not a work permit. It is not work experience then.

https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=394&top=29