Employment contracts of less than one year do not qualify as relevant professional experience according to civil service regulations. When starting in a new position, you are therefore allocated back at Experience level 1 – without taking the progress you have already made into account. This applies even if the change of contract is seamless and remains within the same facility. Experience level 1 must be fully completed in a single employment contract to qualify for Experience level 2. However, once these twelve months have been served, shorter contractual terms then apply as relevant professional experience. Students who are awarded their doctorate within the allocated six years and are employed as a research associate at the same time can therefore also achieve Experience level 4 with a considerable salary when they graduate. It is not important whether you have a full-time position while completing your doctorate or, as is the case for most PhD positions, have a part-time job (50%–75% position).
Does changing to another research project or institute in Germany have an impact on postgraduates' experience level?
Many doctoral candidates are employed in third-party funded projects are required to move from job to job to secure their income. Graduates who have been employed for at least a year with one single employment contract and has therefore gained the required professional experience is in fact in a secure position in terms of their experience level. After this point, shorter contractual terms then apply as relevant professional experience. Even switching between different employers, states and collective agreements is no longer a problem, and the duration of each stage remains the same for doctoral candidates and other researchers from now on. However, they must submit an application to their new employer. In the case of a difficult candidate situation, institutions can even accommodate their future employees to some extent, for example by classifying them into the next experience level earlier than usual. However, in such cases, postgraduate must also have completed their first twelve months without interruption. Employees who change from one collective agreement to another as a postgraduate should inquire in advance whether this will have any detrimental effects on their salary. The collective agreements also stipulate a range of very different salaries within Pay band 13.
If doctoral candidates go abroad, become temporarily unemployed or receive a scholarship, what effect does this have on their experience level?
Many doctoral students want to spend a period of time abroad, as this is required in many scientific professions. Others are awarded a scholarship and finance themselves or take a break from their doctorate if they are offered a good job in the private sector. Some things should be kept in mind with regard to the experience level: Employment contracts at foreign universities and research institutions are generally recognised automatically. However, more caution should be taken with scholarships, even if the scholarship is affiliated with an institute and the same work is performed as employed researchers. This time may be included in the duration spent at each stage, but this is not necessarily always the case. After all, this time is considered "beneficial" rather than a "detrimental interruption". The latter is the case, for example, when a doctorate student enters the private sector for several years to continue their doctorate studies there. Only professional experience gained with a public employer is considered relevant. If such an interruption lasts more than three years, the employee may even be punished when returning to public service by downgrading them to a lower experience level. On the other hand, this does not apply to postgraduates on maternity leave or paid leave. This is also true of incapacity for work up to a maximum of 39 weeks. Time spent at the particular stage is still counted in such cases. Parental leave, however, is considered to be an interruption and is not counted for transition to the next experience level.
What additional salary benefits are there for postgraduates in Germany?
Postgraduates who hold a PhD position at a research institution receive and annual special payment, like all other employees in the civil service. This varies depending on the collective agreement and tariff area (East or West), but ranges between 33 and 60% of the average gross salary. Postgraduates who already have children and are paid on the basis of the TV-H, which is only valid in Hessen, will also benefit from a child supplement. The collective agreements also allow for additional compensation for services rendered, such as special services associated with the acquisition of third-party funds. However, there is no standard practice among the federal states and the various institutions.