The required working hours, as outlined in the Protocol, are typically carried out at the department where the PhD student is employed. These working hours are determined through agreements between the Head of Department, Supervisor, and the PhD student.
Whenever possible, the tasks assigned should be relevant to the research project, align with the PhD student's research interests and career goals. Furthermore, the timing and allocation of these hours should be designed to accommodate the PhD plan and should not impede the student's progress in conducting research, attending courses, or pursuing study periods abroad.
The Head of Department is responsible for maintaining a continuous record of the tasks performed by the PhD student, providing a statement of the hours worked, and regularly communicating with the PhD student and principal supervisor regarding scheduled and planned required work. This communication may occur during annual employee development meetings, long-term planning discussions, and when allocating work hours.
It's important to note that the calculation of work hours outlined here applies to students in the 4+4 scheme only after they have successfully passed the qualifying examination.
Hours of work are calculated as follows:
Environmental change
The PhD student is credited X hours of required working hours for an environmental change of a duration of lu weeks. X is calculated according to the following formula:
NB: the maximum value for X is 280 hours. That is, that the environmental change of a duration of a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of 52 weeks, the PhD student is compensated for 5.38 hours per week at 280 required work hours per year.
Teaching, knowledge dissemination and other required tasks carried out on behalf of the Department
The PhD student is responsible for completing tasks related to teaching, knowledge dissemination, and other necessary work at the department, up to a maximum of 840 hours (for those in the 4+4 program, the maximum is 560 hours). These required tasks may, in some cases and with prior agreement from the Head of Department, be carried out within the research group, focusing on work that is relevant to research but not directly linked to the PhD student's own research project. This work is compensated separately from the regular salary.
The teaching workload of the PhD student is calculated with a minimum preparation factor of 3.5, meaning that one hour of teaching is equivalent to 3.5 working hours. If a PhD student teaches a subject within a study element that has a higher default factor according to the Teaching Load Agreement of the Faculty, this higher factor is applied.
It's important to note that the PhD student should not be assigned tasks that are typically handled by administrative employees.
In situations where there is a disagreement between the Head of Department, the PhD student, and/or the principal supervisor regarding the nature, extent, or timing of required work, the Dean, in consultation with the Head of the PhD School, has the authority to make the final decision regarding these required tasks.
Secondary employment
In exceptional situations, the Head of the Department may grant permission for limited secondary employment when such additional work is professionally relevant to the PhD project. To request permission for secondary employment, applicants should submit their request to the Head of Department, along with a statement from the supervisor explaining that the secondary employment will not significantly disrupt the progress of the PhD Program. It's important to note that the primary goal of a fully funded PhD is to provide ample time for full-time research concentration.