The amendments made to the Job Descriptions of Academic Staff in connection with the new Higher Education Act will take effect on 1 January 2021 and the university will adopt a new structure of academic positions.
New job titles
While so far there were five teaching staff positions (teacher, assistant, lecturer, associate professor, professor) and four research staff positions (junior research fellow, research fellow, senior research fellow, research professor), the new structure includes seven positions, which will all be referred to as academic staff. From 1 January, the job titles of the academic staff of the University of Tartu are professor, associate professor, research fellow, lecturer, junior research fellow, junior lecturer and teacher. In the first two stages of the career model, the teaching and research paths remain separate.
The positions of associate professor and senior research fellow will be joined into the position of associate professor, and the position of research professor is joined with the position of professor. The first-stage positions will no longer include the assistant’s position and the people currently working as assistants can continue, depending on their actual duties, in the position of a teacher or a junior lecturer. In the Faculty of Medicine, as an exception, a person in the position of teacher may be called an assistant. The position of junior lecturer is a new one.
The job titles of research professors, senior research fellows and assistants will be changed in employment contracts in the first half of 2021.
In spring, the senate decided to postpone the introduction of tenured professorships, and this topic will be discussed again soon. The aim of tenured professorships is to ensure the security of additional funding for top-level scientists working in a faculty and thereby develop research fields that are important for the university and for society.
From 1 January 2021, the job titles of academic staff of the University of Tartu are professor, associate professor, research fellow, lecturer, junior research fellow, junior lecturer and teacher.
In its new structure of academic positions, the university proceeds from the R1-R4 framework of career stages used in the European research area (the framework and position in the new structure):
Junior research fellow, nooremteadur, (R1), 42 calendar days of annual holiday.
A junior research fellow must hold a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification and be matriculated to doctoral studies at the University of Tartu.
There is no promotion opportunity for stage R1 position; moving to a stage R2 position (lecturer, research fellow) is possible by a public recruitment procedure.
The employment contracts entered into before 1 January 2021 for an unspecified term with junior research fellows who are not matriculated to doctoral studies must be terminated starting from the new year. If possible, they must be offered a new job. Current junior research fellows who are not doctoral students and have a fixed-term employment contract entered can continue working in the position until the expiry of the term.
Based on their duties, either a junior lecturer, nooremlektor, (R1) or a teacher, õpetaja, (R1), 56 calendar days of annual holiday.
The decision about which job title to use is made at the structural unit. A teacher is engaged in teaching only, junior lecturers also have research duties. Based on input from structural units, job titles are changed in the personnel database automatically on 1 January 2021. Employment contracts are amended within six months.
Both the junior lecturer and the teacher must hold at least a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification. There is no promotion opportunity for stage R1 position; moving to a stage R2 position (lecturer, research fellow) is possible by a public recruitment procedure.
Teacher, õpetaja, (R1), 56 calendar days of annual holiday.
A teacher (R1) must hold a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification. There is no promotion opportunity for stage R1 position; moving to a stage R2 position (lecturer, research fellow) is possible by a public recruitment procedure.
In the Faculty of Medicine, ‘assistant’ may be used as the job title of a person filling the position of a teacher.
Research fellow, teadur, (R2), 42 calendar days of annual holiday. So far, a research degree (a research master’s or a doctoral degree) has been required for the position of a research fellow at the university. From 1 January 2021, research fellows of the university must have a doctoral degree.
If the research fellow meets the requirements for promotion on the basis of professional review, it is possible to the move to the stage R3 position of an associate professor without public recruitment procedure. The faculty council decides on the promotion to an associate professor’s position after considering the decision of the professional review committee.
Research fellows who do not have a doctoral degree and work under an employment contract entered into for an unspecified term will be given a 5-year transitional period for obtaining a doctoral degree. If the research fellow does not get a doctoral degree within that period, the employment contract for the research fellow’s position will be terminated pursuant to general principles of the Employment Contracts Act and, if possible, a new job is offered. Research fellows who do not have a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification and have started work before 1 January 2021 under a fixed-term employment contract can continue working in the research fellow’s position until the expiry of the term.
Lecturer, lektor, (R2), 56 calendar days of annual holiday.
A lecturer must hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification. In creative arts, to meet the job requirements of a lecturer, the person must be a recognised creative artist holding at least a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification.
If the lecturer meets the requirements for promotion on the basis of professional review, it is possible to the move to the stage R3 position of an associate professor without public recruitment procedure. The faculty council decides on the promotion to an associate professor’s position after considering the decision of the professional review committee.
Associate professor, kaasprofessor, (R3), 56 calendar days of annual holiday.
The job title will be automatically changed in the personnel database, employment contracts will be updated within six months.
An associate professor must hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification. In creative arts, to meet the job requirements of an associate professor, the person must have teaching skills and experience, including in supervising students, be a recognised creative artist with experience in creative activities, and hold at least a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification.
If the associate professor meets the requirements for promotion on the basis of professional review, it is possible to the move to the stage R4 position of a professor without public recruitment procedure. The senate decides on the promotion to a professor’s position having considered the decision of the professional review committee.
If the associate professor fellow meets the requirements for promotion on the basis of professional review, it is possible to the move to the stage R4 position of a professor without public recruitment procedure. The senate decides on the promotion to a professor’s position having considered the decision of the professional review committee.
Professor, professor, (R4), 56 calendar days of annual holiday.
A professor must hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification. In creative arts, to meet the job requirements of a professor, the person must have teaching skills and experience, including in supervising students, be an internationally recognised creative artist with at least five years of active experience in creative arts, and hold at least a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification.
Promotion
The career model includes the possibility of promotion to a higher position without announcing an open competition. This possibility is open for academic staff of the second or third stage, i.e. research fellows and lecturers can be promoted to the position of associate professors, and associate professors to the position of professors. Promotion is possible if the employee complies with the requirements established for the higher position. Such requirements are worked out by faculties in the autumn of 2020 and approved by the senate.
An employee’s compliance with the faculty’s promotion requirements will be assessed by the committee during the regular professional review of academic staff. The decision of the review committee must state whether the employee complies with the promotion requirements or not.
Employees must apply for the promotion. Promotion to the position of associate professor is based on the decision of the faculty council, and promotion to the position of professor is based on the resolution of the senate.
Junior research fellows are doctoral students
In future, only doctoral students of the University of Tartu can hold the position of junior research fellow. The Ministry of Education and Research is currently working on a new draft act, which would provide for the employment of the majority of doctoral students in universities, R&D institutions or enterprises under employment contracts that stipulate their research and development activities in the same field as their doctoral dissertation.
Employment contracts made for an unspecified term with junior research fellows who started work before 1 January 2021 and who are not matriculated to doctoral studies will be terminated in the new year due to non-compliance with requirements. If possible, another job may be offered to them. Junior research fellows who work under a fixed-term employment contract and are not matriculated as doctoral students may work in their position until the end of the term of the employment contract.
PhD requirement for research fellows
So far, either the research master’s or doctoral degree was required in the position of research fellow. From 1 January 2021, the university imposes the PhD requirement on research fellows.
Research fellows without a doctoral degree who work under an employment contract made for unspecified period will be given a five-year transition period to defend their doctoral dissertation. If the research fellow does not get a doctoral degree in that time, their employment contract will be terminated on the bases provided for in the Employment Contracts Act, and another job will be offered to them, if possible. Research fellows who started work under a fixed-term employment contract before 1 January 2021 and who do not hold a PhD or equivalent qualification may work in their position until the end of the term of the employment contract.
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