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SENSE is a member of Platform Zelfstandige Ondernemers, or PZO, the Dutch platform for independent professionals, which was set up in 2002 to champion the interests of freelancers in the political arena. PZO lobbies for freelancers’ interests on matters such as new laws, incapacity for work, pensions and mortgages.
Since 2010, PZO has had a seat on the Dutch Social and Economic Council (SER). This means that it can participate in discussions with employers, unions and other organizations in matters concerning the freelancer. It is also a member of the European Forum of Independent Professionals (EFIP).
SENSE members can benefit from our collective membership, which means saving an easy €100 per year. As an added bonus, SENSE has a seat on the PZO board, allowing us to bring your ideas and issues to their attention more directly.
Benefits of a PZO membership
Joining PZO doesn't just give you the satisfaction of knowing someone in The Hague is looking out for you. It also offers more tangible benefits:
- Workshops and webinars organized throughout the country by the PZO Academy
- Information and advice on a variety of topics, from liability insurance to maternity leave
- A free help desk for tax and legal matters
- Discounts with companies offering a wide range of services for freelancers, from insurance and GDPR compliancy to software packages and mobile phone contracts, and even rapid phone repair services
- Knowledge-sharing lunch sessions which bring freelancers up to date on subjects such as marketing, innovation, and financial matters
- Access to a large network of other freelancers
SENSE Conferences and PDDs
SENSE used to organize conferences every two years and professional development days in alternate years. Since the pandemic, we have not organized a full in-person conference but expect to do so again in our jubilee year, 2025.
- The 2015 conference was held in Utrecht on 14 November 2015. It consisted of two plenary sessions, two elective sessions (with ten topics to choose from), a panel discussion, and lots of networking opportunities.
- The 2018 conference was held in ’s Hertogenbosch on 9-10 June 2018. It featured two plenary sessions and five elective sessions (with 25 topics to choose from).
- The 2020 conference was originally planned for Maastricht, but due to lockdown and the coronavirus it was moved online and took place on 3-5 June 2020. Attendees were treated to 15 separate workshops, as well as ample networking opportunities. An additional 7 workshops were offered as an autumn jubilee during the same year.
The professional development days (PDDs) are mini-conferences aimed primarily at SENSE members themselves.
- The 2019 PDD was a one-day event in Amersfoort on 21 September 2019. It consisted of two plenary sessions and four elective sessions (with eight topics to choose from).
- The 2021 PDD was a two-day event online, on 18 and 25 September 2021. It featured two plenary sessions, three panel discussions, six elective sessions available on both days and 9 additional sessions to choose from, not to mention networking opportunities during specific times on Zoom and all day long on Wonder.
- The 2023 PDD will be held in Utrecht on 30 September 2023.
SENSE 2018 Conference
Englishes now!
Trends affecting language professionals
Call for proposals (now closed)
We invite proposals that relate to the theme of the conference: trends affecting English-language professionals.
Whether you work in editing, translation, interpreting, copywriting, teaching or any other relevant field, don’t miss this opportunity to share your expertise with fellow professionals!
Priority will be given to presentations, panel discussions and workshops that express a clear take-home message and explain its relevance to our members. Presentations could describe promising practices, report research findings, demonstrate techniques, share experience with new technologies or provide knowledge updates. Please note that SENSE is a knowledge-sharing and peer-training network and encourages submissions from both seasoned and novice presenters with expertise to share.
To submit a proposal, please send an abstract of 200 to 300 words and a short biography (150 words maximum) to conference@sense-online.nl by Wednesday, 29 November, clearly marking your message as a ‘Proposal for SENSE Englishes now! conference June 2018’. Please submit your proposal and biography as one document in Microsoft Word.
Your abstract should briefly describe the what, how, and why of your presentation and it should have an informative title. If you would like to discuss the suitability of your proposal before sending in your abstract, please feel free to contact John Linnegar at conference@sense-online.nl.
Presentations will take one of three forms:
- TED-style talk: 10 minutes (no question time)
- Short presentation: 30 minutes (including questions)
- Long presentation: 60 minutes (including questions)
Please indicate the proposed length of your presentation.
We are also inviting proposals for workshops, to be held the day before the conference – Friday 8 June. The duration of the workshops will be 3 hours 15 minutes (including a short break).
The deadline for submitting your proposal and biography is Wednesday, 29 November 2017. You will be informed by 12 January 2018 whether your proposal has been accepted.
Download the presentation submission template here.
Download the workshop proposal template here.
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
© Images by photographer Michael Hartwigsen of SENSE’s inaugural conference, held in celebration of our 25th Jubilee, at Paushuize, Utrecht on 14 November 2015. All rights reserved.
2018 Conference
Englishes now!
trends affecting language professionals
SENSE 2018 Conference (9-10 June)
Englishes now!
Trends affecting language professionals
The conference itself will start at 12:00 on Saturday, with registration and lunch. The afternoon's sessions will be followed by drinks and bites and a networking dinner. The conference will continue from 09:30 on Sunday. The morning sessions will be followed by an optional lunch and a sightseeing opportunity for conference delegates and their partners to discover the hidden treasures of ’s‑Hertogenbosch.
Before and after the conference there will be workshops, sightseeing options and more. Please return to this page to see the news!
The basic conference package will include the conference sessions on Saturday and Sunday, lunch, drinks and dinner on Saturday, and an overnight stay (with breakfast) in a single room in the conference hotel.
’s‑Hertogenbosch or – easier to pronounce – Den Bosch has been awarded the title of Most hospitable town in the Netherlands. It is time to make our own assessment!
To make sure we all can make the most of this professional development and networking opportunity, SENSE has organised four hours of sessions on Saturday afternoon followed by a networking dinner. After a good night’s sleep, we attend another four hours of sessions followed by a lunch to close the event itself.
For everyone who could handle the full marathon we will be organizing workshops and sightseeing options on Friday, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.
© Images by photographer Michael Hartwigsen of SENSE’s inaugural conference, held in celebration of our 25th Jubilee, at Paushuize, Utrecht on 14 November 2015. All rights reserved.
2018 Conference
Englishes now!
trends affecting language professionals
SENSE 2018 Conference (9-10 June)
Englishes now!
Trends affecting language professionals
The conference itself will start at 12:00 on Saturday, with registration and lunch. The afternoon's sessions will be followed by drinks and bites and a networking dinner. The conference will continue from 09:30 on Sunday. The morning sessions will be followed by an optional lunch and a sightseeing opportunity for conference delegates and their partners to discover the hidden treasures of ’s‑Hertogenbosch.
Before and after the conference there will be workshops, sightseeing options and more. Please return to this page to see the news!
The basic conference package will include the conference sessions on Saturday and Sunday, lunch, drinks and dinner on Saturday, and an overnight stay (with breakfast) in a single room in the conference hotel.
’s‑Hertogenbosch or – easier to pronounce – Den Bosch has been awarded the title of Most hospitable town in the Netherlands. It is time to make our own assessment!
To make sure we all can make the most of this professional development and networking opportunity, SENSE has organised four hours of sessions on Saturday afternoon followed by a networking dinner. After a good night’s sleep, we attend another four hours of sessions followed by a lunch to close the event itself.
For everyone who could handle the full marathon we will be organizing workshops and sightseeing options on Friday, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.
Timetable
Friday 8 June 2018
Workshops and/or sightseeing to be announced.
Prices - see below.
Speakers to be announced.
Saturday 9 June 2018
|
12:00 |
Conference registration and hotel check-in |
|
13:00 |
Buffet lunch |
|
14:00 |
Conference sessions: keynote speaker and parallel sessions |
|
18:00 |
Post-conference networking opportunity with drinks and snacks |
|
20:00 |
3-course networking dinner with open bar and tea/coffee |
Sunday 10 June 2018
|
08:00 |
Buffet breakfast in the hotel |
|
9:30 |
Parallel sessions and keynote speaker |
|
13:30 |
END of conference |
OPTIONAL on Sunday 10 June 2018
|
14:00 |
Traditional Brabant ‘koffietafel’ lunch in the hotel |
|
15:30 |
Sightseeing tour of ’s-Hertogenbosch |
Call for proposals
We invite proposals that relate to the theme of the conference: trends affecting English-language professionals.
Whether you work in editing, translation, interpreting, copywriting, teaching or any other relevant field, don’t miss this opportunity to share your expertise with fellow professionals!
Priority will be given to presentations, panel discussions and workshops that express a clear take-home message and explain its relevance to our members. Presentations could describe promising practices, report research findings, demonstrate techniques, share experience with new technologies or provide knowledge updates. Please note that SENSE is a knowledge-sharing and peer-training network and encourages submissions from both seasoned and novice presenters with expertise to share.
To submit a proposal, please send an abstract of 200 to 300 words and a short biography (150 words maximum) to conference@sense-online.nl by Wednesday, 29 November, clearly marking your message as a ‘Proposal for SENSE Englishes now! conference June 2018’. Please submit your proposal and biography as one document in Microsoft Word.
Your abstract should briefly describe the what, how, and why of your presentation and it should have an informative title. If you would like to discuss the suitability of your proposal before sending in your abstract, please feel free to contact John Linnegar at conference@sense-online.nl.
Presentations will take one of three forms:
- TED-style talk: 10 minutes (no question time)
- Short presentation: 30 minutes (including questions)
- Long presentation: 60 minutes (including questions)
Please indicate the proposed length of your presentation.
We are also inviting proposals for workshops, to be held the day before the conference – Friday 8 June. The duration of the workshops will be 3 hours 15 minutes (including a short break).
The deadline for submitting your proposal and biography is Wednesday, 29 November 2017. You will be informed by 12 January 2018 whether your proposal has been accepted.
Download the presentation submission template here.
Download the workshop proposal template here.
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
Conference fees
Members and non-members will pay different fees to attend the conference (membership costs only €80 per year). Members of sister organisations will also be entitled to a discount. Last but not least, there's a special fee for those contributing to the conference. Registration will open at the beginning of January 2018. All fees shown include Saturday night at the conference hotel.
| Early-bird fee* | Contributor fee* | Standard fee** | |
| SENSE members | € 327.50 | € 277.50 | € 377.50 |
| Members of sister organisations | € 367.50 | € 317.50 | € 417.50 |
| Non-members | € 402.50 | € 352.50 | € 452.50 |
* Registration and payment by 16 February 2018
** Registration will close on 26 May 2018, or earlier if tickets are sold out.
What this fee includes:
- Lunch on Saturday
- Network drinks
- Conference dinner
- Saturday night in a single room at the conference hotel (type of room depends on availability, ask about other options)
- Conference sessions on Saturday & Sunday
| Extras | |
| Guest package (Saturday lunch, networking drinks & dinner) | € 92.00 |
| Supplement for single use of double room | € 15.00 |
| Sunday lunch (Brabant ‘koffeetafel’)* | € 24.00 |
*Sunday lunch not included in conference fee.
N.B. Prices exclude hotel tourist tax (€ 3.20 per person per night)
© Images by photographer Michael Hartwigsen of SENSE’s inaugural conference, held in celebration of our 25th Jubilee, at Paushuize, Utrecht on 14 November 2015. All rights reserved.
2018 Conference
Englishes now!
trends affecting language professionals
SENSE welcomes all language professionals working primarily in English in the Netherlands or with a connection to or interest in the Dutch language market. Although most SENSE members live in the Netherlands, this is not a requirement for membership. Our membership rates are very affordable, and we offer students a discount.
New members
Simply complete this form and pay your dues to activate your membership.
Returning members
If you wish to rejoin SENSE after a break, please contact the Secretary at membership@sense-online.nl.
Membership dues
Membership costs only €80.00 per calendar year.
- If you join between 1 January and 30 June, the cost is €80.00.
- If you join between 1 July and 31 October, the cost is only €40.00.
- If you join in November or December, then the cost is €80.00, which covers both the current year and the following year.
Student members
Membership dues for students are 50% of the regular membership fee, for the duration of their studies. In addition, student members can attend SENSE events at half price and can receive mentoring at a discounted rate. Student members must provide evidence that they are enrolled in an accredited training programme.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the Secretary at membership@sense-online.nl.
SENSE has a rich programme of events for you to attend: workshops, SIG meetings and annual social events in addition to various mentoring activities and mini-workshops. Visit our Events page to see a list of upcoming events, and visit the SIG section to find out more about our Special Interest Groups. If you have a specific query, post your question on our Members' only forum. SENSE also publishes a quarterly digital magazine called eSense which features society news, interviews and background articles of interest to English-language professionals. You can view the current issue and access back issues here.
Guidelines for Proofreading Student Texts
SENSE has prepared its own Guidelines for Proofreading[1] Student Texts and a Form to Confirm Proofreading Services. These can be downloaded free of charge.
• SENSE Guidelines for Proofreading Student Texts (pdf download here (582 KB) (662 KB))
• SENSE Form to Confirm Proofreading Services (document download here (43 KB) (43 KB))
The guidelines and form were compiled to help SENSE members carry out and formalize assignments. The guidelines apply to a range of student texts written in English, including single-author, monograph-style theses (i.e. Bachelor and Master theses, plus certain doctoral theses). They do not cover assignments to edit papers that are to be submitted to a scientific or academic journal, nor such papers included in a compilation doctoral thesis.
The form may be adapted for your own use, but please keep the SENSE logo on it and acknowledge the original source.
Comments and suggestions are welcome, via info@sense-online.nl. We would particularly welcome suggestions on how to acknowledge and clarify the language professional’s contribution to students’ work that will be assessed as part of their degree or diploma qualification.
[1] Proofreading here also means editing, as used by the University of Essex (UK). This term is explained in the Guidelines.
One of the important benefits of belonging to SENSE is access to the members’ Library. This comprehensive resource is packed with links to useful information, including the many books and articles published personally by SENSE members. The digital collection includes the valuable Best Practices Handbook written by and for members only. Other material is freely available to the public, such as the SENSE Guidelines for Proofreading Student Texts.