What Does KIT Offer You?
Working at KIT
One of the Biggest Research and Education Institutions Worldwide
With about 9250 employees and an annual budget of EUR 789 million, KIT is one of the biggest research and education institutions worldwide. It has the potential to assume a leading position in selected research areas in the world.
Fascinating, Interdisciplinary, and International Work Environment
KIT offers a fascinating interdisciplinary work environment with a large range of research and education opportunities at more than 100 institutes (https://www.kit.edu/kit/english/institutes.php). Our excellent and worldwide unique scientific infrastructure ensures excellent work conditions. Science is supported by administrative and technical service units (https://www.kit.edu/kit/english/administration.php).
Payment According to TV-L
Your payment will be subject to the Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst der Länder (TV-L, collective agreement for the public service sector of the Federal States).
Further Qualification and Advanced Training Options
Thanks to our systematic human resources development scheme (https://www.peba.kit.edu/english/index.php), an in-house training center, and many other services, you can optimally train and qualify for current and future tasks at KIT.
Equal Opportunities
KIT wishes to implement equal opportunities in research and education for men and women and provides active support in this respect. It is our goal to increase the proportion of women in executive functions and in engineering sciences. More information: https://www.chg.kit.edu/english/index.php
Work/Life Balance
For you to balance your life and work, KIT offers flexible working times, part-time employment, and telework wherever reasonable. In addition, KIT is a family-friendly employer and runs own childcare facilities. It also organizes a holiday program for children.
Information for New Members of Staff
For you to get to know the KIT in the first months and to establish first contacts, all new members of staff are offered information courses in German and English.
Diversity Management
Diverse social, cultural, and individual backgrounds and life experiences characterize our work at KIT. KIT values this diversity and considers it important for a successful development of research, education, innovation, and of a KIT culture. Our Diversity Management Group helps use this high diversity and integrate it in the work routine for the benefit of all of us. Our focus is not on a minority, but on all our employees and students with their differences and common features. In line with this goal, the following dimensions of diversity are considered at KIT: Equal opportunities, international affairs, persons with handicaps, generation management, and work and life.
Work Conditions for the Employees of KIT as Outlined in the Commitment “Gute Arbeit am KIT” (Good Work at KIT)
Adequate and reliable work conditions, safe workplaces, and plannable career paths are fundamental principles of KIT. As an essential and solid basis, the State of Baden-Württemberg grants a budget for the university sector and the Federation provides funds for the large-scale research sector. In addition, third-party funds acquired by the scientists of KIT and corresponding to more than 40% of the total budget of KIT are used to fund workplaces at KIT. As third-party funds usually are granted for a limited duration, state and federal funds serve to create permanent workplaces and can help make careers more plannable. It is a central concern to the Executive Board, the KIT Senate, and the Staff Council to offer good work conditions at KIT. For this reason, the Executive Board, KIT Senate, and Staff Council adopted the commitment “Gute Arbeit am KIT“ (Good Work at KIT). Based on the obligations of KIT outlined in the University Funding Agreement, this commitment defines framework conditions for the responsible conclusion of employment contracts of limited duration as outlined in the Science Part-time Employment Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz) and in the Act on Part-time Employment and Employment of Limited Duration (Teilzeit- und Befristungsgesetz). When negotiating this commitment, the Executive Board, KIT Senate, and Staff Council were convinced that all responsible executives of KIT are aware of the importance of short contract durations and limitations of employment contracts to the personal and social situations of staff members of KIT. The commitment “Gute Arbeit am KIT” takes into account that more than 50% of the budget of KIT are financed from third-party funds thanks to the highly committed and successful work of our scientists. It is this success in the acquisition of third-party funding that is the reason why the number of employments of limited duration is so high. It is outlined in KIT’s commitment that employment contracts of unlimited duration may be concluded on the basis of third-party funds under certain conditions only.
KIT’s commitment also includes exceptions to the provisions outlined there and gives examples of possible deviations in order to allow for a flexible and adequate use. In practice, these principles are implemented by the Human Resources Service Unit (Dienstleistungseinheit Personalservice, PSE). Their work is facilitated and quick processing is ensured when requests for employment or contract extensions already give reasons why provisions deviate from the basic principles. Any limitation of employment contracts should be discussed with the employees concerned, with this being indicated in the requests for employment or employment extensions. In this connection, the Dienstvereinbarung zur Führung von Mitarbeitergesprächen (service agreement on making performance reviews) is valid at KIT. These performance reviews that are to take place once per year represent an opportunity to discuss with the employees their professional career, a further limitation of employment, or the end of a limited employment contract.
The Executive Board, KIT Senate, and Staff Council are convinced that KIT’s commitment “Gute Arbeit am KIT” (Good Work at KIT) will be a stable basis for reliable contractual work conditions and plannable career paths in future. We would like you to also consider this an important goal and to help us implement this commitment, although it might be associated with a certain increase in workload.
Infrastructure
At lunch and dinner times, employees can go to the canteens of KIT. In addition, all employees of KIT are free to use the Central Library (https://www.bibliothek.kit.edu/english/index.php) and the Medical Services.
Leisure Activities
For employees wishing to do sports, KIT offers a number of groups (University Sector, https://www.sport.kit.edu/hochschulsport/english/index.php / Large-scale Research Sector, https://www.sportgruppe.eu/). Join our soccer or American football teams. In addition, you are offered gymnastics or yoga courses. Staff members loving music can join orchestras and choirs (https://www.zak.kit.edu/orchester_chor.php).
Several Campuses in and around Karlsruhe
KIT’s campuses (https://www.kit.edu/kit/english/directions.php) are located in Karlsruhe and Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen.