GrACe | Graduate Centre

A position as academic staff explicitly includes work on your own research projects. However, depending on whether the position is financed from the university's financial framework or from third-party funds, the proportion allocated to the doctorate varies. The choice of research topic can also be affected. In addition to research, the duties usually include participation in teaching and involvement in the further work of the chair or projects and involvement in academic self-administration.

Employments based on the universiy's basic funding (so called "basic funding positions" or "qualification positions"; in German: "Haushaltsstellen" or "Qualifikationsstellen") are generally limited to 1-3 years and are usually part-time. It is often possible to extend the contract so that the entire doctoral phase can be spent in this position. The maximum duration of employment is based on the Act on Temporary Employment Contracts in Science (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz - WissZeitVG), according to which a maximum of 6 years may elapse between the qualification levels achieved during employment (e.g. master's degree and PhD). An extension is only possible due to special circumstances (e.g. birth of a child) or by changing the basis of the fixed-term contract. Basic funding positions are regularly advertised publicly and the job opportunities are directly accessible via the home page of the university website ("Stellenausschreibungen").

In contrast, one advantage of externally funded (project) positions is that you can continue to be employed after six years. The individual contract terms are limited to the duration of the project - usually also 2-3 years - although the continuation of the project or follow-up projects may also be planned. It is often possible to take on smaller management tasks early on in a third-party funded project, e.g. supervising student assistants. The scientific field to be worked on is clearly limited to the specific project.

In both cases, the salary is based on the public sector pay scale, salary level TV-L 13.

The advantages of an academic position - whether at a chair or in a research project - are

• Covering the costs of social, health, unemployment and pension insurance
• Opportunities to gain experience in research, teaching and academic structures
• Insights into teaching and university organisation
• very good opportunities for networking.

However, the time required is comparatively high. It can be a challenge to reconcile the other requirements of the position with work on the doctoral thesis. Both require time and commitment.

Important: Doctorate and doctoral position are not necessarily related and it must be clarified on an individual basis whether the conditions that apply to the doctorate and employment have reciprocal effects.

Independent research institutes such as the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Helmholtz Association, the Leibniz Association or the Max Plank Society award doctoral positions at their numerous locations, which are already tailored to specific research topics and areas by the institutes. You can benefit from the sometimes very high reputation of the respective institute, sufficient time to work on your own research and good follow-up opportunities after the doctoral phase.

Phd studies can be started alongside employment outside the university. Depending on your personality and character, this formal separation of earnings and research can be seen as an advantage or a hindrance. In any case, you should bear in mind that a Phd project is time-consuming and that the combination of work and doctorate needs to be well organised. In favourable cases, the employer may have an interest in the doctorate and, for example, grant time off - this must be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

It is possible to finance your Phd studies with the help of a scholarship either for the entire period or for periods of time, whereby the amount and project duration of the funding can vary. Scholarships are awarded by numerous foundations, organisations for the promotion of gifted students and universities. Doctoral researchers doing an individual doctorate as well as doctoral researchers in a structured PhD programme can apply. Full scholarships, which finance living expenses, usually have an initial term of 2 years and the possibility of being extended for a further year.

The prerequisite for funding is usually "special qualifications" - i.e. you must have good grades and/or your project must be convincing. Non-university scholarship providers are usually politically, trade union or religiously orientated and expect their applicants to at least be open to the corresponding profile. In addition, there are also foundations, e.g. from companies or private individuals, where the funding opportunities often depend on the desired topic(www.stiftungen.org). The central contact for foreign doctoral researchers is the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which also awards scholarships to Germans who wish to carry out research projects abroad.

The advantages of scholarships:

• Living expenses are guaranteed so that all working hours can be devoted to Phd studies. The scholarship amount is currently around € 1350 per month. In addition, there are allowances for material costs and a monthly child allowance for children. Doctoral researchers with children under the age of 12 have the option of an additional parental year. Alternatively, these funds can also be utilised in full or in part for increased childcare costs, e.g. for necessary research stays abroad. Scholarships are tax-free under the conditions of Section 3 (44) of the Income Tax Act (EStG). In cases of doubt, the responsible tax office will make a binding decision.
• Most scholarship providers offer an accompanying academic and/or non-material programme.
• Scholarship programmes offer additional opportunities to reflect on intermediate steps of your own project ending date.

However, there are also some disadvantages to consider. For example, receiving a scholarship is not an employment relationship subject to social security contributions. This means that you often have to pay high contributions to the statutory health insurance scheme. You also do not pay into the statutory pension and unemployment insurance schemes. It should also be borne in mind for the period after the doctorate that, according to the collective agreement, the level of salary in the academic sector also depends on the previous length of employment - the time spent working on the Phd studies with a scholarship is not recognised. If the scholarship period is over and there is no employment relationship, there is also no entitlement to unemployment benefit from the time spent working on the doctoral thesis. As scholarships are linked to the purpose of quickly and successfully advancing one's own qualification, many full scholarships largely exclude additional earnings from part-time jobs. Many foundations also set age limits.

Phd studies last several years, during which living expenses as well as research and publication costs must be covered. It is therefore essential to consider funding options at the transition between different stages of your academic career.

With the funding line for doctoral researchers, the Bielefeld Young Reseachers' Fundhttps://www.uni-bielefeld.de/uni/einrichtungen-organisation/grace/bnf/ responds to the need for financial support with the career bridge Master's - doctorate in the preparatory phase and with final scholarships for Phd studies.