It is established practice that artists who are unemployed may maintain their professional skills without it affecting their right to claim unemployment benefits. Maintaining your professional skills is considered something that will improve your chances of employment in the future.

You will not be asked to report on how or if you are maintaining your professional skills, and there will be no unemployment benefit eligibility statement given by the TE Office in that regard.

You do not have to give up any equipment or tools you need to maintain your professional skills or your collection of works in order to be eligible for unemployment benefits. You also do not have to give up your studio.

You do not have to be removed from the various registers managed by relevant authorities. An unemployed artist can still be on the VAT register, prepayment register or trade register. Your continued registration may be a prerequisite of future work opportunities.

The following activities are considered to be maintaining professional skills:

  • Practising on your own or having your skills assessed by an expert in the field;
  • Familiarising yourself with new tools or working methods, including new materials and techniques;
  • Applying for grants and exhibitions;
  • Publicly exhibiting artwork that you had finished before you became unemployed;
  • Occasional performances or talking about your work to an audience;
  • Taking part in conferences or networking.

Whether or not your activities are considered maintenance of professional skills will be decided on the basis of an overall review of your activities. Note that preparing for an agreed production or any for-profit activity is not viewed as maintenance of professional skills. A case such as this would be interpreted as you resuming your previous artistic activities or restarting your artistic activities on a full-time or part-time basis.