Check your employment contract before signing

Check your employment contract before signing

An employment contract is more than role, salary and start date. References to a cao collective agreement, staff handbook or bonus plan can contain important conditions. Arrangements that matter only on departure also deserve attention before signing. List what is fixed, variable and still missing. This enables targeted questions and negotiation on clauses that may later strongly influence work, income and freedom to move.

Request every attachment and referenced policy before signing.

Compare salary alongside hours, supplements, pension and leave.

Check the practical meaning of restrictive clauses and departure rules.

Start with parties, role and duration

Check the legal employer, registered details, start date and workplace. Record whether the agreement is temporary or indefinite and the end date or objectively determinable ending event. Examine whether the role is clear enough and how broadly the employer may alter duties or location. Earlier contracts or agency work can matter for successive-contract rules. Signing again does not automatically reset the legal count.

Written information: two deadlines after employment starts

When

Examples of information to be provided

Within 1 week

Parties, workplace, role, start, fixed-term duration/end date, pay, working time and any probation

Within 1 month

Holiday, other paid leave, holiday allowance, termination procedures and notice periods, applicable collective agreement and contract type

This information duty does not replace a separate writing requirement for a clause. Request essential missing terms before accepting the offer.

Ondernemersplein (RVO) — https://ondernemersplein.overheid.nl/wetten-en-regels/arbeidscontract-afsluiten/

Salary comparisons need the same basis

Is the stated salary based on your hours or a full-time position? Check gross amount, payment period, holiday allowance and fixed supplements. For variable remuneration, ask about targets, measurement, discretion and payment during illness or after departure. Consider travel costs, homeworking and pension contributions too. Higher gross salary may accompany less pension or more unpaid availability. Compare offers over a complete year with the same hours, without treating an uncertain bonus as fixed income.

Hours, scheduling and overtime determine daily freedom

Check fixed or variable hours, days, availability duties and how schedules are announced. Ask how overtime is instructed and compensated and which hours the employer considers included in salary. On-call work needs a clear guarantee. A general requirement to be “flexibly deployable” does not explain practical obligations. Discuss examples: a late shift, Saturday work and availability during leave. Record meaningful answers in the contract or a confirmed attachment.

Read probation and interim termination separately

Probation must satisfy statutory requirements on form and duration and is not allowed in every temporary contract. For temporary employment, also establish whether both parties can terminate early in writing. Without that option, one month’s notice does not simply let you leave. Check notice periods and any cao deviation. Invalid probation does not automatically invalidate the whole contract. Have a questionable clause assessed before relying on it when leaving or being dismissed.

Cao, handbook and unilateral changes

Ask which cao applies and on what basis. Read the relevant current version, including job grading and leave. Identify which documents become part of the agreement and whether future changes are automatically incorporated. A variation clause does not permit every adverse change without assessment. Keep copies of the policies applicable at signature. A link to an intranet page later edited is less useful for recovering the original arrangement.

Restrictive clauses matter from the start

Read non-compete, client-relationship, confidentiality, secondary-work and penalty clauses for duration, scope and consequences. Ask which specific interest is protected and what work remains possible after departure. Special requirements govern non-compete clauses in temporary contracts. A general ban on secondary work requires a different assessment. Have training costs and compulsory training checked too. Negotiate limits or removal where needed; an oral assurance that a broad clause is “never used” provides little certainty.

Holiday, illness and special circumstances

Check statutory and additional holiday hours and whether collective closure days are deducted. Read sick-pay terms, waiting days and supplementary insurance. For international work, ask about applicable law, social security and reimbursement; a Dutch employer does not automatically resolve cross-border questions. Intellectual property and personal equipment may also matter. Prioritise clauses genuinely relevant to your work rather than considering the same general checklist sufficient for every contract.

Example: attractive pay with a departure problem

You receive a better-paid annual contract and may want to start a course after nine months. It lacks an interim-termination clause and includes a broad relationship restriction. The salary rise then says little about your ability to leave in time. Request a mutual early-termination clause and a limited, clearly described relationship clause beforehand. Also discuss charges on departure. This focuses review on your actual future plans, not just the legal correctness of standard wording.

Request the complete contract, cao, handbook and bonus attachments.

Compare annual pay, hours, pension and leave.

Check probation, interim termination and restrictive clauses.

Have oral promises confirmed in writing before signing.

Is an oral employment contract valid?

Employment can arise without a complete written instrument. Some clauses nevertheless require writing and the employer has information duties.

Must I sign immediately to keep the offer?

Request a specific reasonable review period and all attachments. Urgency does not make unclear clauses less important.

Does my contract always take precedence over the cao?

No. Establish whether and how a cao applies and whether deviation is allowed. An individual signature does not set aside mandatory rules.

Can I still negotiate after signing?

Possibly by agreement, but your position changes once agreement exists. Check essential points before acceptance wherever possible.

Sources and editorial notes
Sources current as of: October 17, 2026
1. Ondernemersplein: entering into an employment contract
Publisher: Ondernemersplein · Overheid.nl
https://ondernemersplein.overheid.nl/wetten-en-regels/arbeidscontract-afsluiten/
2. Rijksoverheid: what is a collective labour agreement?
Publisher: Rijksoverheid
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/vraag-en-antwoord/arbeidsovereenkomst-en-cao/wat-is-een-cao
3. Rijksoverheid: employee notice period
Publisher: Rijksoverheid
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/themas/werk/werkloos-worden/vraag-en-antwoord/ontslag/ontslag-nemen-opzegtermijn-werknemer
The source publications are in Dutch. All language editions cover Dutch law.