New Operational Agreement on teaching load for predocs came into force on October 1, 2024

The previous Operational Agreement on the "amount and distribution of the teaching load for part-time teaching and research associates” (https://swa.wu.ac.at/refo/Dokumente/BV%20Lehrverpflichtung%20teilbesch%20Prae%20doc/OA%20Teaching%20Load%20part-time%20associates.pdf) from 2012 will be replaced by the new Operational Agreement "Teaching load of university assistants predoc" (https://swa.wu.ac.at/refo/Dokumente/BV%20Lehrverpflichtung%20teilbesch%20Prae%20Doc%20nach%2031.10.2024/BV-Lehrverpflichtung-praedocs-final_2024.pdf - currently only in German) for teaching and research associates whose employment at WU began after September 30, 2024. The regulations agreed therein ensure that these employees are not required to teach during their first year of employment at WU, in accordance with the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement for universities. As a rule, teaching will therefore only be required from the semester following the end of the first year of employment. The teaching load therefore only begins when predocs have been employed at WU for two full semesters. In concrete terms, this means, for example, that predoc employees whose employment relationship begins between October 2, 2024 and February 28, 2025 do not have to teach until the summer semester 2026. Under the previous Operational Agreement, however, the teaching load for these employees would have already started in the winter semester 2025. However, predoc employees whose employment began on October 1, 2024 will begin teaching in the winter semester 2025, as under the previous regulations.

The extent of this teaching load is two credit hours per week at the beginning (i.e. from the third semester at the earliest) and increases to three credit hours per week at a later stage (generally from the ninth semester). Previously, the teaching load only increased to three credit hours from the 11th semester. Overall, however, these changes do not lead to an increase in the average teaching load across employment contracts, but to a different distribution over the contract duration, which is more in line with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

There may be a deviation from the above scheme of teaching load if relevant prior work experience is taken into account at the start of employment. The new version of the Operational Agreement contains several calculation examples that clearly illustrate the effects of relevant prior work experience with regard to the start and extent of the teaching load per semester. However, it is ensured that teaching is only required before the third semester if at least three years of relevant prior work experience are credited. Under the previous regulation, an earlier teaching load already arose if four semesters of relevant prior work experience were credited.

If more than the standard amount resulting from the Operational Agreement is taught, predocs are generally entitled to a teaching allowance (LZ 1). This currently (2024) amounts to € 716 per semester per additional credit hour taught. This results in a monthly amount of € 119.33 per additional credit hour (more details can be found here https://www.wu.ac.at/en/the-university/organizational-structure/representative-groups/academic-staff-council/newsletter/br-info-1-2024-01022024/interne-lehrzulagen-seit-2009-zum-ersten-mal-erhoeht).

For predocs whose employment relationship with WU began before October 1, 2024, the previous Operational Agreement remains relevant. This agreement also stipulates that the first two semesters of employment at WU are teaching-free, but the semester in which the employment relationship began already counts as the first semester. This method of counting means that predocs can be entrusted with teaching before the end of their first year of employment. This, in combination with the changed circumstances at WU since the "old" Operational Agreement came into force, were the main reasons for agreeing on these new regulations.

^07.11.2024

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