Employment terms
Salary and terms of employment for university employees in Denmark
If you are employed at a university, you will either be employed as technical and administrative staff or scientific staff. Both are covered by the academic agreement for employees in the Danish state sector.
Find the collective agreement and other relevant agreements in the state here (in Danish)
But if you are employed as scientific staff, you are also employed in a position covered by a job structure defined in the Danish University Act. You can read more about what this means on this page.
Salary and terms of employment as a PhD student in Denmark
Qualification requirements:
Master's level
Employment period:
As a PhD student, your employment period is 3 years. It can be extended if you are on parental or adoption leave, or if you have a long-term illness.
When your programme as a PhD student ends, your employment also does so without notice, unless otherwise agreed.
Job content:
As a PhD student, you are obliged to provide the study effort required in the prescribed plan for the programme. In addition, you have a duty to carry out tasks for the employing institution to an extent equivalent to 840 hours spread over 3 years.
Salary:
As a PhD student, you receive a PhD scholarship which consists of your basic salary, pension and a PhD supplement. You can also negotiate about individual supplements such as a qualification supplement. You can find the current salary levels in IDA's public salary tables.
Find your salary level as a PhD student (in Danish)
Read more about terms of employment for PhD students here
Find good advice for negotiating salary as a public employee
Salary and terms of employment as a research assistant
Qualification requirements:
Master's level
Employment period:
You can be employed for a maximum of 3 years in a position as scientific assistant. After the position expires, you cannot be re-employed, and you are therefore terminated without further notice.
Job content:
If you are employed as a research assistant, the majority of your tasks must be research and/or teaching. You can spend a smaller part of your working time on professional development and other tasks.
Pay:
As a research assistant, you get a basic salary and an annual supplement. In addition, you have the option of agreeing an individual function supplement and/or qualification supplement.
Find your salary level as a research assistant in IDA's public salary tables (in Danish)
Find good advice for negotiating salary as a public employee
Salary and terms of employment as a postdoc
Qualification requirements:
Master's level and scientific qualification at PhD level
Employment period:
The postdocposition is time-limited, and you can be employed for a maximum of 4 years at the same university.
Job content:
If you are employed as a postdoc, your work mainly consists of research and a small amount of teaching. In addition, you can get other tasks to a lesser extent. It is usually a full-time position, but you can be employed part-time.
Pay:
As a postdoc, you get a basic salary and an annual supplement. In addition, you have the option of agreeing an individual function supplement and/or qualification supplement.
Find your salary level as a postdoc in IDA's public salary tables (in Danish)
Find good advice for negotiating salary as a public employee
Salary and terms of employment as assistant professor/researcher
Qualification requirements:
Scientific qualifications at PhD level
Employment period:
You can be employed as an assistant professor/researcher in two ways: in a fixed-term position or as part of a tenure-track programme.
A fixed-term position as an assistant professor has a duration of 4 years, and you can then be re-employed in a new fixed-term position, but for a maximum of 8 years in total.
A tenure-track programme means that you move to an associate professor position after a maximum of 6 years. However, this presupposes that you are assessed as academically qualified. You must request an academic assessment no later than 6 months before your employment expires. If the assessment is positive, you can be employed as an associate professor. If the assessment is negative, you can agree that you will continue for a period of up to 2 years, after which you will be assessed again. If the second assessment is also negative, you will be dismissed from your position as assistant professor with notice in accordance with the collective agreement.
Job content:
It is the content of your position that determines whether you will be employed as assistant professor or researcher:
- Assistant professor (adjunct): Your primary tasks are research and research-based teaching
- Researcher (forsker): Your primary tasks are research and research-based teaching. In addition, you can get tasks with research-based public-sector consultancy
Pay:
As an assistant professor/researcher, you get a basic salary and an annual supplement. In addition, you have the option of agreeing on an individual function supplement and/or qualification supplement.
Find your salary level as assistant professor/researcher in IDA's public salary tables (in Danish)
Find good advice for negotiating salary as a public employee
Salary and terms of employment as associate professor/senior researcher
Qualification requirements:
You can be employed as an associate professor/senior researcher if, as an assistant professor, you have gone through a track-tenure programme with a subsequent positive assessment, or after applying to a job posting, if it is assessed that you have the right professional qualifications.
Job content:
It is the job content that determines whether you will be employed as a senior researcher or associate professor.
- Associate professor (Lektor): Your main tasks are research and research-based teaching.
- Senior researcher (Seniorforsker): Your main tasks are research and research-based teaching as well as research-based public-sector consultancy.
Pay:
As an associate professor/senior researcher, you get a basic salary and an annual supplement. In addition, you have the option of agreeing on an individual function supplement and/or qualification supplement.
Find your salary level as a senior researcher/lecturer in IDA's public salary tables (in Danish)
Find good advice for negotiating salary as a public employee
Salary and terms of employment as a professor
Qualification requirements:
To be employed as a professor, you must meet a number of high requirements. You must be able to document that you have:
- A high degree of original scientific production at an international level
- Experience with teaching at several levels
- Experience in developing teaching and teaching material
- Documentation that you have developed your field of study in terms of research and teaching
- The ability to handle research and teaching management tasks and other functions, e.g. in relation to the university's external cooperation
Job content:
As a professor, your primary tasks are research and research-based teaching. In addition, research-based public-sector consultancy may become part of your tasks.
Pay:
As a professor, you get a basic salary and an annual supplement. In addition, you have the option of agreeing on an individual function supplement and/or qualification supplement.
Find your salary level as a professor in IDA's public salary tables (in Danish)
Find good advice for negotiating salary as a public employee
Salary and terms of employment as a part-time lecturer
If you are employed as a part-time lecturer at a university, you will be covered by the Agreement on part-time lecturers at universities.
Find the agreement for external lecturers at modst.dk (in Danish)
Job content:
The position as part-time lecturer is a part-time position with the main emphasis on teaching. The purpose of the position is for universities to employ lecturers with practical experience.
You can work a maximum of 500 hours per year as a part-time lecturer. If it is necessary for the organisation or implementation of the teaching, the number of working hours can however amount to up to 780 hours annually.
You cannot be employed in a principal scientific position (assistant professor, researcher or similar) and as a part-time lecturer at the same university.
Pay:
As a part-time lecturer, you are paid by the hour, and you also have the opportunity to negotiate permanent and temporary supplements.
Find your salary level as an external lecturer in IDA's public salary tables (in Danish)
Find good advice for negotiating salary as a public employee