Recruitment of research assistants

Employment conditions for research assistants

• The employment conditions for research assistants are set out in the regulation for terms of employment for positions as postdoctoral fellow, PhD candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate Section 1-4 (lovdata.no) (Norwegian).
• Postdoctoral fellows and qualified PhD candidates are not allowed to work as research assistants.
• Research assistants are not allowed to take on research duties, and research assistants do not need to have received organized research training.
• The work should qualify for employment as a doctoral research fellow and a further academic career. Therefore, the position does not include administrative duties. For administrative tasks, a job code must be chosen in line with UiO's job structure (Norwegian).
• Monthly salary is the best way of clarifying the employment situation and should be considered with employment for more than 1-2 months in a position of at least 20%. Please contact the administration manager if you have any questions about this.
• Research assistants have the same employment rights as all other UiO employees.

Recruitment and follow-up

• As a general rule, the position of research assistant must be announced unless
  • the position is externally funded and special conditions suggest hiring without recruitment
  • the position is for less than six months
  • the position is for less than one year and announcement will cause considerable disadvantage for the employer
• The administration manager is responsible for drawing up a contract and the responsible researcher/project manager approves time sheets.
• There are three different position codes for research assistants:
  • SKO 1018 can be used for students without a bachelor's degree
  • SKO 1019 presupposes obtained bachelor's degree
  • SKO 1020 presupposes a master's degree

Before starting work

• Everyone working at UiO, including research assistants, must have a contract before they can start work.
• A research assistant may receive pay from a number of initiatives and projects, but a separate contract must be drawn up for each initiative or project (up to 100% position).
• Several researchers may go together in employing a research assistant. In such cases it is important that the duties are coordinated and that the total workload is clarified and agreed in writing in advance.
• As a general rule, the administration manager and the research consultant/case-handler must be notified of the employment 2-3 weeks before the work is to start.
• Only the administration manager can act as employer. The project manager may discuss possible assignments with a potential assistant, but the project manager cannot guarantee employment or a position code.
• Research assistants are paid according to the stipulations of the Basic Collective Agreements for the various position codes, also when they are employed on a research project. Some units have set their own rates within these limits.

After the contract is signed

• The contractor (researcher/project manager) checks and approves time sheets and ensures that the number of hours does not exceed what is agreed and approved.
• Time sheets must be delivered on a running basis and no later than three months after the work is completed.
• It can take up to four weeks from when the time sheet is delivered until salary is paid, see the schedule for exact dates.

Salaries and labour costs

The local case-handler assists with determining the salary and calculating the total labour costs that will be charged to your funds/project. The costs comprise the following items:

• Gross hourly wage is determined according to the employee's qualifications (completed Bachelor¡¯s or Master's degree).
• Social costs (holiday money, pension insurance and employer's contribution) amount to 44% which must be added to the gross salary amount.
• Overheads: When applying for external funding for employment of a research assistant, overheads should be included in the total application amount. The overhead rate varies according to project type.