Research assistant

As research assistants ( depending on the type WHK or WHB / WHF ) and student assistants ( SHK ) are called in German universities employees, the support services in research and teaching and related administrative activities provide.

• 4.1 activity
• 4.2 working conditions, remuneration
• 4.3 representation

Term

The official name is " research assistant " or " student assistant ". Colloquially student assistants are often referred to as " Assistants ". This can be interpreted as an abbreviation for " scientific assistant ", but sometimes evokes associations with the also abbreviated with " student assistant ", " aid volunteers " in the Second World War.

Definition

Research assistants can also research in the field of Public Service ( OD ) work. The structure of labor relations is reserved for countries and universities and may differ accordingly. Research assistants are excluded from the collective agreement for the public sector in the country. The colloquial term is a research assistant or short HiWi.

Generally, a distinction is made between research assistants with a master's, diploma or master's degree ( WHK ), research assistants, the university studies with a standard study period of at least 6 semesters (eg, a technical college degree, a diploma I- degree or a bachelor's degree program ) have successfully completed (WHB or (deprecated) WHF ), and science in a broader sense assistants before completion of studies ( Student Assistants, SHK ). What exactly is meant by a student or graduate assistants, governed by the respective State Higher Education Act in detail.

Employment as a research assistant independent of the possibility of a promotion, but this is generally given in an activity to which a corresponding degree.

Research Assistants

Activity

Research Assistants provide supportive academic services in research and teaching and herewith related administrative activities. They are high school teachers and teachers (professors and lecturers ), people with self- teaching duties or scientific staff or employees assigned to ( Higher Education Act § 46, paragraph 1). The exact action depends on the contract of employment or transfers, while also teaching activities of transferring knowledge, practical skills and scientific methods can be transferred. Often graduate assistants are also used as a correction Wizard, such as to correct homework or exams. The scientific assistants differ from academic staff to the extent that they may be employed a maximum of 19 hours per week. Also these are paid by the hour and not employed in positions ( - interests) and remunerated. Her work can also differ in the degree of autonomy of the work performed. In contrast to the Scientific Research Assistants employees are not subject to TV -L.

Working conditions, remuneration

The contracts for research assistants are usually completed about 8 to 19 hours per week. In the SC can research also included the same number as for permanent employees present at work hours - that is, ~ 39 hours / week or 156 hours / month.. .

The remuneration is partly determined by the State and by the university:

• In Baden- Württemberg the remuneration in WS 2011 was 13,27 € for WHK with a Master's degree from which WS 2012 13.46 euros and 13.71 euros as of the summer term 2012. For assistants without academic degree, the tariff is currently at € 8.90.
• In North Rhine -Westphalia it is currently (as of 2008 ) for WHK at universities 13,55 euro, for WHK with Fachhochschule degree at colleges 9,98 €.
• In Berlin, the job title ' Research Assistant ' does not exist.

Student Assistants

Activity

Student assistants are for services in research and teaching, and hereby employs related administrative activities. Prerequisite is enrolling at a university as a student. After a first professional degree higher education employment as SHK is possible only when an enrollment in a Master's program or a second degree, this being interpreted differently depending on the university or varied and can therefore in the case of Absolvierens of another master study or a second degree can not be guaranteed employed by each university than SHK if you have previously obtained a master's or Master's degree. Under certain conditions, student assistants can also conduct tutorials as a tutor.

Contacts with the occupation of student assistant positions often result in seminars and lectures, some are also advertised. In part, high school teacher looking for students who want them already noticed positively sind.In Berlin made ​​the points in a regular procedure known and occupied with the participation of staff councils of student employees.

Student assistants provide as defined by the Federal Labour Court scientific services. They support research and teaching through their own services, which " by its nature, a scientific service " are. Must be distinguished from temporary jobs. If these predominate in the employment relationship, the agreed rules (including table pay, holidays, notice periods ) for the Public Service apply to this employment; they are then befristbar even after WissZeitVG but only after the TzBfG. Are both types of student employment meant so in union framework is often the term " student employees " are used.

In the Berlin Higher Education Act, a different definition is used in § 121. After that is a scientific activity is not necessary, so that managing and supervising activities are included.

Working conditions, remuneration

The contracts for student assistants are usually completed over 4 to 19 hours per week. In order to qualify for social security purposes not as an employee, this activity is less than half of the working week in the relevant state must be why the maximum duration may vary. For the lecture-free time more extensive contracts are allowed.

The compensation is usually determined in part by the State and by the university. However, there are high wages, ( all states except Berlin and Hesse ) established by the collective bargaining unit of German states in 1993. The remuneration corresponded to the then hourly wage of Salary Group VIII / IX (converted € 8.06 ) of the Federal Employees' Collective Agreement. This policy was adopted last June 23, 2008 and regularly updated since then with regard to the level of rates.

Following the decision of the General Assembly TdL April 2013, the maximum rate shall be from April 1, 2013 8,79 € / h and from April 1, 2014 9,05 € / h In addition, the Directive gives the possibility of these maximum rates to exceed if necessary, up to 10% and to pay Christmas bonuses. The Directive distinguishes further between the tariff area East and West, in the former, the hourly rates are lower due to the higher -referenced work week. The Federal countries implement Directive varies by:

• Baden- Württemberg: since WS 2013 € 8.90, from the SS 2014 € 9.16
• Bavaria: 7,50 €, with a bachelor € 9.30, with master / diploma € 12,00.
• Rhineland -Palatinate: € 9.02 not finish 10,50 € with bachelor, master with € 14.25
• Berlin: € 10.98 ( by collective agreement TV Stud II, closed 1979),
• Hamburg: € 9.02 ( since October 1, 2013, € 9.29 from October 2014),
• Hesse: average not finish: 8,50 €, with BA degree: different € 10.00, but from university to university
• Mecklenburg- Vorpommern: € 8.79 as a student assistant ( no degree), € 10.24 as a graduate assistant ( with Bachelor's degree ), € 13.92 as a graduate assistant ( with master's degrees )
• Lower Saxony: not finish € 9.10 ( as of summer semester 2014); with bachelor's degrees € 10.85,
• North Rhine -Westphalia: at universities € 9.34 (as of 2013), at colleges € 9.49 (as of May 2013),
• Saxony / Thuringia: € 8.56, € 8.79 ( as of 1 January 2014), € 9.05 ( from 1 April 2014). In both countries, the application of the overshoot and the special payment clause has been excluded from the finance ministries.

The employment contract is concluded between the student or graduate assistants and the respective university, represented by the chancellor or rector / president concluded. Universities are public bodies as a rule. The assistant is thus employed in the public service.

It shall also apply to student assistants, the statutory provisions as to annual leave, for continuation of payment during maternity leave, the labor protection and accident insurance as well as the obligation to tender and the duty to a job reference. This Reglungen find a rule of ignorance among those affected but rarely use. The already named policy contains a model employment contract, but to these questions does not contain information only and generally refers to the laws.

2012 introduced the Trade Union for Education and Science of support from the Max Traeger Foundation study " Student employees - the Situation and the position of student assistants and student employees at German universities and research institutions " before giving an overview on the situation of student employees are in the German higher education and research system. It includes, inter alia, Information on the profile to the employment and working conditions.

In general, assistant contracts are fulfilled as marginal employment. Higher education institutions in recent years, but also increasingly work and fee contracts which are formally be regarded as self-employment, although it is debatable whether it is in any case are such independent types of employment. Part and the holding of tutorials is required as ( unpaid ) internship.

Representation

According to the Staff Committee laws of most states Student assistants are not defined as personnel and thus does not include legally -council. For example, sets the state of Thuringia fixed:

§ 88 deviations for universities For universities under the jurisdiction of the competent Ministry of Higher Education, this law applies with the following exceptions: (...)

Guest manner, part-time and part-time at a university in employment as well as those who practice at the university at which they are enrolled as a student, an employment shall not be considered employees for the purposes of this Act.

Therefore, university staff councils can often only very limited help. After the Bremen law, this group is indeed covered by the right of representation, but as the students at the " Selection Days belong to the past six months the department or for a year in public administrations or from these managed farms employed " (§ 10 BremPersVG ) must be, they have due the usual short limitation period only infrequently, a right to vote. The situation is similar in Bavaria: After BayPVG (§ 13 III a ) there is no option for people with a time limit of six months. Selectable is only those who

• For six months belong to the division of their highest service authority and
• Are employed in public administration or by those managed farms for a year.

Student representatives are not entitled to the higher laws of the Staff Committee and may SHK only assume political or provide assistance through information.

Only in the Land of Berlin there is a dedicated Staff for this group of employees. The Berlin Personalvertretungsgesetz for student assistants for each university defines its own service center. Here due to the regular minimum limitation period of four semesters ( § 121 paragraph 3 sentence 1 BerlHG ) affects the minimum employment clause (three months ) is not as severe as in other countries.

Importance

Parliamentary questions have revealed that assistants now include at universities a relevant proportion of the staff and their work has gained tremendous importance. So in Thuringia assistants provide 15-46 % of the workforce (FSU Jena: 41%). Student employees perform some work every fourth hour.

The temporary job as a research assistant, as soon as she is one quarter of the regular working hours shall be deducted from the maximum limitation period of six years until the completion of a doctorate and can thus hamper its feasibility. Times prior to the completion of a first degree qualifying stay free.