Associate Senior Lecturers

Associate senior lecturer (biträdande lektor) is a type of career-development position created primarily to enable people who have recently obtained their doctorate to pursue a career path towards permanent employment as a senior lecturer. The position is regulated by Sections 4a, 12a and 12c of Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance (HF).

Section 4a describes who is eligible for appointment as an associate senior lecturer and reads as follows:

Qualification requirements for employment as an associate senior lecturer are fulfilled by someone who has been awarded a doctorate or has the corresponding research competence. Primary consideration should be given to someone who has been awarded a doctorate or achieved the equivalent competence within five years of the deadline for application for employment as an associate senior lecturer. However, someone who has been awarded a doctorate or achieved the equivalent expertise at an earlier date may also be considered if there are special grounds. Special grounds are sick leave, parental leave or other similar circumstances.

Each higher education institution decides the assessment criteria that must be applied to the appointment of an associate senior lecturer. Prior to such an appointment, the higher education institution must also establish the assessment criteria that will be applied to an application for promotion to senior lecturer under Section 12c. Ordinance (2017:844).

For employment within the state sector, Section 4 of the Public Employment Act (LOA) applies. This states that qualifications and competence are to be the primary consideration when employing staff, unless there are specific reasons for doing otherwise. However, the provisions of Chapter 4, Section 4a of the Higher Education Ordinance allow higher education institutions to deviate from this provision by appointing candidates with fewer qualifications, as it states that priority should be given to appointing people whose doctoral qualification was awarded no more than five years previously. Nevertheless, candidates who have obtained a doctorate or achieved equivalent competence at an earlier date may also be considered in certain cases, i.e. where the person concerned has taken leave of absence due to illness, parental leave or other similar circumstances. It is also important to note that the five-year limit from the date of the doctoral qualification is not absolute. All doctoral graduates are entitled to apply and to be assessed. The employer may, if it is deemed appropriate, still appoint a person who completed their doctorate more than five years prior to the application date. This is in accordance with a ruling, (ref. no. 22-302-04), by the Higher Education Appeals Board, which states that it was permissible to appoint a person whose doctoral qualification was slightly more than five years old, as the difference in qualifications compared with other applicants was sufficiently significant.

Furthermore, the terms of employment for associate senior lecturers are regulated in Chapter 4, Section 12a of the Higher Education Ordinance, which states the following:

An associate senior lecturer may be employed until further notice, but for no less than four years and no longer than six years, which is decided by the higher education institution prior to employment. The purpose of the appointment is for the teacher to have the opportunity to develop research autonomy and acquire the scholarly and teaching qualifications required for eligibility for appointment as a senior lecturer.

An appointment under the first paragraph may be extended for a maximum of two years, if the associate senior lecturer’s sick leave, parental leave or other special grounds means that additional time is needed to achieve the purpose of this appointment.

An appointment under the first and second paragraphs is otherwise subject to the provisions of the Employment Protection Act (1982:80)

Exceptions may be made to the first and second paragraphs through a collective agreement that is made or approved by a central employees’ organisation. Ordinance (2017:844).

This means that the applicant is to have employment lasting no less than 4 years and no more than 6 years. The employment may be extended if there are special reasons to do so, but for no longer than a total period of 6 years.

During their period of employment, the applicant is to apply for promotion to the post of senior lecturer, in which case their employment will be converted to a permanent employment position as a senior lecturer. This type of promotion is regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (HF) under Section 12c, which states the following:

An associate senior lecturer who is employed at a higher education institution under Section 12a must, on application, be promoted to senior lecturer at the higher education institution, provided they are


1. eligible for employment as a senior lecturer, and
   
2. assessed as suitable for such an appointment in accordance with the assessment criteria that the higher education institution decided, under the second paragraph of Section 4a, must be applied to an application for promotion to senior lecturer.

Such a promotion entails employment until further notice as a senior lecturer. Ordinance (2017:844).

Please note that the assessment criteria that form the basis for promotion decisions must be included in the job advertisement and be clearly formulated. The university cannot introduce new requirements and criteria for promotion retrospectively. It is also important to note that since 1 April 2018, decisions on whether or not to promote an associate senior lecturer to a position as senior lecturer may be appealed to the Higher Education Appeals Board. It is also common for there to be local collective agreements governing the terms of employment, but regulations regarding the position may also be set out in the higher education institution’s recruitment and promotion procedures. SULF recommends that you contact your local Saco-S association to obtain further information on the specific rules applicable at your higher education institution regarding employment as an associate senior lecturer.