Extend the employment contract
As a supervisor of doctoral students, you are responsible for extending their employment contracts in a timely manner.
Duration of employment
Doctoral students are employed from the time of enrolment until they have completed their doctoral examination.
Initial contract and subsequent contracts
The initial contract has a minimum duration of 18 months and covers both the aptitude colloquium and any repeat colloquium.
Subsequent contracts generally have a minimum duration of 12 months. In exceptional cases, a contract may have a shorter duration prior to completion of the doctoral programme if its end date is based on the already fixed date of the doctoral examination.
Procedure
Doctoral students are usually informed about the continuation of their contract six months before it expires, but at least three months in advance.
Employment contracts are not automatically renewed. The renewal process must be started in ETHIS at least two months before the end of the contract.
Non-renewal
Prerequisite
Non-renewal of the employment contract is only possible if you have resigned from your supervisory role due to ongoing performance or behavioural problems on the part of the doctoral student.
Procedure
If doctoral students do not perform as expected or if there are behavioural problems, address these issues at an early stage. Communicate expectations and objectives clearly and in writing, and set reasonable deadlines for improvement. Further information can be found on the Performance and behavioural problems page.
If the doctoral student still fails to meet the agreed objectives, you can withdraw from supervision.
Please note:
- Your declaration of withdrawal must be submitted via ETHIS.
- In any case, involve your HR partner in the process at an early stage.