Working at Roskilde University

Employee of the Danish State

Working at any university in Denmark entails becoming an employee of the Danish state. A myriad of rules and regulations govern the terms of employment, which may appear intricate and bureaucratic to outsiders. Nonetheless, the benefit lies in the structured framework designed to uphold transparency, equality, and fairness within the Danish state employment. Below, you'll find general information regarding your employment, as well as the foundational rules and regulations upon which these terms are based.

Academic positions 

Academic positions at universities in Denmark are categorized as follows:

Full Professorship: 

This is a tenured role encompassing research, including publication and academic dissemination responsibilities, along with research-based teaching and associated examination duties. Additionally, there may be a requirement to share knowledge with society, including engagement in public discourse. Professors might also be tasked with research management, providing guidance to assistant professors, and participating in academic evaluations. The university determines the specific balance between these responsibilities.

Associate Professorship: 

This is a tenured role primarily focused on research, including publication and academic dissemination duties, as well as research-based teaching with associated examination responsibilities. Similar to full professorships, there may be an expectation to share knowledge with society, including involvement in public debates. Associate professors may also be involved in research management, mentoring assistant professors, and participating in academic activities. 

Assistant Professorship: 

This is a 3-4 year position aimed at furthering education, comprising research duties, including publication and academic dissemination, as well as research-based teaching with associated examination responsibilities. There is also an expectation to share knowledge with society. The university establishes the specific balance of these responsibilities, which may evolve over time, but must ensure that the assistant professor can enhance their qualifications in relevant areas, typically research and teaching. Guidance and support are provided to improve pedagogical skills, leading to a formal assessment of teaching qualifications. In certain cases, the assistant professorship may include the opportunity for tenure track.

Postdoc: 

This is a fixed-term academic position primarily focused on research, with some teaching obligations and limited additional duties as determined by the university. The distribution of responsibilities is determined by the university. However, there is no specific focus on enhancing pedagogical skills, which means that this role alone may not qualify for appointment as an associate professor.

PhD Fellowships:

In Danish universities, a PhD Fellowship represents a three-year fixed-term educational position. Those awarded these fellowships are contracted and receive a salary according to the collective agreement that governs staff with university degrees in the public sector. As such, PhD Fellows are considered members of the faculty staff.

All applications for academic positions undergo evaluation by an appointed assessment committee, comprising 3-5 members. This committee includes an internal chairman and 2-4 external members, all of whom must hold the rank of associate professor or professor and be endorsed by the Academic Council. The committee evaluates candidates as either qualified or not qualified, with the final decision to offer a position to a qualified candidate resting with the Appointment Committee.

To gain a better understanding of academic positions and their requisite qualifications, please refer to The Job Structure for Academic Staff.

For insights into the assessment and appointment processes for academic staff, please consult The Appointment Order.

Similar to other faculty positions, PhD applicants are evaluated by an assessment committee consisting of two internal members.
Prior to receiving a contract offer, successful applicants must gain acceptance into one of Roskilde University's four PhD schools. The minimum qualification for entry is a master's degree equivalent to a Danish Master's degree (i.e., a Bachelor's degree plus two years of Master's studies, totaling 160 ECTS, in accordance with the Bologna Process). Foreign diplomas undergo assessment before candidates can be admitted into the PhD program and employed under a contract.

For more information on the assessment of foreign degrees, you can refer to the website of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

To explore further details about becoming a PhD scholar at Roskilde University, visit our website on PhD Programmes.
 

Teaching portfolio

Please be aware that if you are applying for a position that involves teaching, you need to include a teaching portfolio with your application.

Guide: How to prepare a teaching portfolio and information about how your portfolio will be used during the recruitment process
 

Co-author Statement

If you need to make a co-author statement, you can use the template below:

Co-author Statement (pdf)
 

Faculty Expectations

Faculty Expectations is a tool that makes mutual expectations explicit for academic staff at the University. Faculty Expectations defines an ideal for academic staff member at the University. Read more about Faculty Expectations here (PDF).
 

Job on special terms

If you have questions about being employed on special terms, please write to recruitment@ruc.dk

As an international employee at Roskilde University, it is important to note that your employment is subject to the possession of a valid residence and work permit. 

Upon accepting the employment offer, non-EU/EEA citizens must apply for a residence and work permit before arriving in Denmark. This permit is necessary to legally reside and work in Denmark. Therefore, your employment is contingent upon maintaining a valid residence and work permit.

As a member of staff at RUC, you will typically fall into one of the following permit categories:

1. Researcher
2. PhD fellow
3. Visiting researcher / guest PhD student

Please, contact International HR to assist you with obtaining the right residence and work permit for you and, if eligible, for accompanying family members. The processing of visas and residence and work permits may be rather time-consuming, please, contact us well in advance.

Nordic citizens

• A residence and work permit is not necessary
• We recommend to make an appointment at International House Copenhagen to apply for an EU Certificate – an EU residence document for citizens of EU, EEA countries and Switzerland to stay for more than 3 months
• You must register with the public authorities if you are in Denmark for 6 months or more.
• You are allowed to work and conduct research in Greenland and in the Faroe Islands.

EU/EEA citizens

• A work and residence permit is not necessary.
• A work and residence permit is required to work and conduct research in Greenland or in the Faroe Islands.
• You must obtain an EU registration certificate and register with the public authorities if you will be in Denmark for more than 90 days.
• You can apply for permanent residence after 5 years.

EU/EEA citizens can reside freely in Denmark for up to 3 months without registering with the public authorities. If you seek employment, you can stay for up to 6 months.

If you expect to stay for longer than the 3 or 6-month limit, you must apply in person to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) for an EU residence document (registration certificate).

Non-EU/EEA citizens

• You are required to hold a valid residence and work permit.
• You are required to hold a Danish work permit before you start to work (with very few exceptions).
• You might need a visa to enter Denmark and the Schengen-area as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
• An additional work and residence permit is required to work and conduct research in Greenland or in the Faroe Islands.
• Accompanying family members are also required to hold residence permits.
• Working illegally can lead to severe consequences such as monetary penalties, deportation and ineligibility for future visas and residence permits.

Roskilde University is part of the global network Housing Anywhere, which is a peer-to-peer platform where people can rent out rooms to international students and staff. 

As a student, intern, PhD candidate, researcher, or visiting professor of RUC you are entitled to priority access to all accommodation available on Housing Anywhere.

The platform allows to choose from rooms listed by local students or verified landlords and securely book prior to your arrival.

Roskilde University has no separate housing service for incoming academic staff. You are welcome to search for accommodation at the Danish housing portals. Since finding accommodation in Greater Copenhagen area may be rather complicated (especially close to autumn), International HR may be able to help you make arrangements for short-term accommodation in urgent cases.

Explore our brochure "Getting Started" for tips and tricks on how to find accommodation and living costs, etc.
 

At Roskilde University, we prioritize providing personalised assistance to our international staff to ensure you feel welcomed, supported, and seamlessly integrated into our organisation from day one.

Online Pre-boarding course

To help you land smoothly, International HR has prepared an online pre-boarding course with loads of useful and interesting information that you are welcome to dive in:

For scientific staff (VIP), English version.
For technical-administrative staff (TAP), Danish/English version.
 

Personalised International HR assistance

To alleviate the stress of relocation, the International HR at Roskilde University provides tailored support for the relocation, onboarding, and well-being of international staff. The International HR advises and assists regarding practical aspects e.g., CPR/MitID, proof of residence, EU certificate, residence card, bank account, etc.

Apart from the individually tailored service from HR, please, be welcome to explore the "International Students' Survival Guide to life in Denmark". Its primary focus is catering to students, while also offering a wealth of valuable information on navigating the relocation and onboarding.
 

Meet-and-greets

Embarking on your journey with us also includes personalised one-on-one meet-and-greets with International HR designed to provide and extend a warm welcome. These confidential personalised guidance sessions offer the chance to delve into our organisational culture, address any practical obstacles that may arise during onboarding, and lay the groundwork for a fruitful collaboration to kickstart your tenure with us on the right foot.
 

Danish language training

In addition to the opportunity for enrollment in the state-supported Danish language education at a language school, where instruction is available for both the foreign employee (with CPR) and the accompanying partner, there is also the option for customized Danish lessons. Please contact International HR to inquire about additional alternatives.
 

Co-operations for better landing

Roskilde University has engaged into co-operation with International Dual Career Network that hosts career events to help global employees’ partners to land a job in Denmark. Partners of RUC staff members can join IDCN free of charge.

International House in Copenhagen is the university’s major partner in helping newcomers to overcome any transition obstacles, tap to useful networks and join leisure activities. Visit the International House event page here.

On the Euraxess Denmark portal you will find useful information on Danish research and innovation landscape, career development and funding opportunities.
 

With its 25,000 students and 90,000 residents, Roskilde is a city with a multitude of educational opportunities and facilities tailored especially for students. Holding the top spot for tourism in the Region of Zealand, Roskilde Municipality is known for its cultural heritage, Roskilde Festival and other music festivals (in Danish), outdoor activities and nature, family and kids infrastructure (in Danish) and events. 

Roskilde University is located in Trekroner, in the eastern part of Roskilde, which is about 30-40 min train ride away from the Copenhagen airport (Kastrup).

The best way to come to Trekroner from the Copenhagen airport is by train which leaves directly from the airport. Please make sure to buy your one-way ticket in the airport before getting aboard the train.

Please, explore more info on public transport here.