The University of Oslo (UiO) offers numerous positions primarily aimed at students. The type of position you should fill must be based on an assessment of the tasks and level of responsibility assigned to the role. The qualifications required for the specific position must be met.
Position code and employment conditions
Subject consultant (position code 0389)
Contents of the position
The role of a subject consultant is utilized for three purposes:
- he need for employees without a master's degree for teaching tasks
- Simpler, public oriented dissemination tasks
- Students involved in research projects with tasks of either a short-term or simpler nature, which do not meet the requirement for providing insight and experience in scientific work and methods equivalent to that required for a scientific assistant
Se UiOs position structure (Norwegian).
Note: For teaching tasks where the individual meets the requirements for appointment as a lecturer, position code 1009 should be used.
Qualification requirements
Commenced education at a university or college level. Practical work experience may also be required.
Permanent or temporary employment
The main rule in the public sector is employment in permanent positions. Temporary employment presupposes a legal basis for temporariness. The most relevant grounds for temporary employment are:
- Section 9 (1) a of the Civil Servant Act when the work is of a temporary nature
- Section 9 (1) b of the Civil Servant Act for leaves of absence
- Section 9 (1) c of the Civil Servant Act for a period of up to six months when an unforeseen need arises
Regulations
Civil Servant Act (lovdata.no) (Norwegian) Personnel Regulations at UiO (Norwegian)
Research assistant (position code 1018, 1019 or 1020)
Contents of the position
A research assistant is a recruitment position intended to lay the foundation for a future academic career, through tasks that provide insight and experience in scientific or artistic work and methods.
Examples of relevant tasks include:
- Data collection, conducting tests/experiments/trials
- Screening of research studies, literature review
- Analysis and visualization of data
- Writing mentorship
- Writing of one's own thesis
- Editorial work and quality assurance of research publications
- Preparing a project description for a PhD project
- Developing teaching materials and course content
The position may also include some other career-promoting work, such as teaching, assistance/participation in seminars and events, and research communication. However, this should not constitute the main part of the position.
Qualification requirements
- Position code 1018: at least one year of completed undergraduate studies or equivalent
- Position code 1019: bachelor's degree or equivalent
- Position code 1020: master's degree or equivalent
Individuals who have been employed as a Ph.D research fellow or have obtained a PhD cannot be employed as a research assistant.
One can only be employed for one fixed-term period as a research assistant at UiO.
Permanent or temporary employment
A research assistant is a temporary fixed-term position based on the Universities and University Colleges Act.
The fixed-term period is up to two years. The length of the fixed-term period should take into account the nature of the work and the potential time for other career-promoting work.
Institutions may extend the fixed-term period up to the maximum timeframe of two years if the extent of other career-promoting work has increased significantly after the start of the position.
Special conditions
One can only be employed for one fixed-term period as a research assistant at UiO.
Research assistants should have access to professional guidance throughout the fixed-term period.
If the employment is linked to a project, a description of the project and a realistic progress plan should be prepared no later than three months after commencement.
Leave and reduced working hours that the employee is entitled to by law or collective agreement, as well sick leave, entitle the employee to an extension of the fixed-term period. Institutions may, in special cases, extend the fixed-term period due to unforeseen obstacles related to the work that are beyond the employee's control.
It is not recommended to use an hourly contract when employing a research assistant.
Regulations
Act on universities and colleges section 7-6 (lovdata.no) (Norwegian), Regulations om the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 part IV (lovdata.no) (Norwegian), Civil Servant Act (lovdata.no) (Norwegian)
Administrative or technical positions
Contents of the position
If the main content of the position consists of administrative or technical tasks, UiO's position structure (Norwegian) should be applied. The tasks of the position determine which job code should be used.
Examples of typical administrative tasks in positions for student include:
- Reception desk duty
- Student information
- User support
- Web publishing
- Event support
- School visits and similar communication tasks
- Student mentor leader
Technical positions
Examples of technical tasks include:
- Training in the use of technical equipment
- Laboratory work
- Maintenance of instruments and equipment
Qualification requirements
Qualification requirements for the various position codes are stated in UiO's position structure.
Permanent or temporary employment
The main rule in the public sector is employment in permanent positions. Temporary employment presupposes a legal basis for temporariness. The most relevant grounds for temporary employment are:
- Section 9 (1) a of the Civil Servant Act when the work is of a temporary nature
- Section 9 (1) b of the Civil Servant Act for leaves of absence
- Section 9 (1) c of the Civil Servant Act for a period of up to six months when an unforeseen need arises
Regulations
Civil Servant Act (lovdata.no) (Norwegian) Personnel Regulations at UiO (Norwegian)
Recruitment and follow-up
- As a general rule, all vacant positions 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.
Before starting work
- Everyone working at UiO must have a contract before they can begin their work.
- Hourly contracts are created in DF?'s solution, Employment and Work Contract (toa) (Norwegian). It is also possible to create short-term monthly contracts using this solution. For longer monthly contracts, please contact your local HR department.
- An employee can be paid from various subprojects and work packages. It is possible to include multiple subprojects and work packages in a single contract.
- Several researchers may go together in employing a student. 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 case officer must be notified of the employment at least 2-3 weeks before the work is to start, more if the position is to be publicly advertised.
- 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 specific position code.
- All employees 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
- For hourly contracts:
- The employee must record hours and submit timesheets via the self-service portal or the DF? app.
- The case officer who created the contract will receive the timesheets digitally from the employee. The case officer will contact the researcher/project leader when a timesheet is submitted to verify that the number of hours is correct. If the hours are correct, the timesheet is approved, and payment will be made according to the payment schedule for main salary.
- It is not possible to record more hours in the contract than the total scope of the contract. If the employee needs to work more hours than initially planned, a new contract must be created.
- Timesheets must be submitted continuously and before the contract expires.
- For monthly contracts:
- For monthly contracts, salary is paid at the main payroll run based on the agreed percentage of the position.
- Whether the employee should record daily working hours depends on the position and what is agreed upon in the employment contract.
- Absences must be registered in the self-service portal.
Salaries and labour costs
The local case officer 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.
