At the university colleges, the posts of teaching staff are divided into three groups. A distinction is made between university colleges that only offer professional bachelor’s programmes and those that also offer academic programmes in the fields of Nautical Sciences, Audiovisual and Visual Arts and Music and Performing Arts.

At university colleges that also offer academic training programmes, the classification of the teaching staff into posts is as follows:

The post of superintendent may be filled only by promotion or change of duties. The other posts may also be allocated by recruitment.

At university colleges that only offer professional bachelor’s programmes, the posts of group 2 - assisting personnel no longer exist and staff members of group 1 can no longer be charged with an assignment in an academic bachelor’s programme. At these university colleges, the classification of the teaching staff’s posts is as follows:

Since 1991, there have been no more teaching staff in universities. The academic staff must carry out both scientific research and provide academic teaching. The academic staff at the universities is classified as follows.

The legal framework for the legal status of staff of university colleges is the Higher Education Codex of 11 October 2013.

Planning policy

There is no planning policy for staff at higher education level.

Entry to the profession

Teaching staff in university colleges

The following general admission conditions (Decree of 13 July 1994) apply to access to a post of staff of the university colleges:

• be a national of a Member State of the European Union or of the European Free Trade Association;
• enjoy civil and political rights;
• be the holder of a required certificate of competence;
• behave in a manner compatible with the requirements of the post to be filled;
• possess the physical aptitude required for the post to be filled.

The formal qualification requirements are:

• the diploma of a professional bachelor’s programme for the posts of practical lecturer and main practical lecturer;
• a master’s degree for the posts of lecturer, main lecturer assistant and supervisor;
• a doctor’s degree for the position of assistant doctor, lecturer, head lecturer, professor and ordinary professor.

Foreign diplomas or certificates that have been recognized as equivalent by virtue of the law or the decree or in application of the European directives or a bilateral agreement are also accepted for access to one of the offices.

Candidates for the post of ordinary professor must fulfil the following criteria:

• the institution that recruits must be involved in a joint research agreement with a university within the research field concerned;
• the candidate must have at least six years’ seniority in a post in group No 3 or equivalent;
• the candidate’s scientific abilities must be evaluated by a committee consisting of three ordinary professors from three different Flemish universities.

For the assignment of the post of main practical lecturer, main lecturer, supervisor, head lecturer or professor, an additional seniority condition is imposed in addition to the required certificates of competence (art.  V.150 of the Higher Education Codex).

The university colleges themselves determine the further specifications that a person must have in order to be able to perform a particular function.

The members of the teaching staff responsible for the course units religious or non-confessional ethics are appointed by the university college’s management in consensus with the competent authority of the relevant ideology.

Any recruitment in a vacant position, with the exception of the appointment of less than one academic year can only take place after a public vacancy. This is a vacancy that has been advertised through at least two public information channels.

Academic staff in universities

To become an assistant, one must hold a master’s degree or a diploma equivalent to the guidelines of the European Union or a bilateral agreement. In exceptional circumstances, the university board may, after advice and on the basis of detailed justification, appoint as an assistant a person who has obtained another foreign final diploma from an academic institution.

In the interests of teaching or research, the university board may also nominate or appoint as members of the academic staff persons who are not nationals of a Member State of the European Union.

An important condition for being appointed as a member of the independent academic staff (ZAP) or as a doctoral assistant is a doctoral degree or a diploma that is considered equivalent to this (in accordance with the guidelines of the European Union or a bilateral agreement). In exceptional cases, the university board may, after advice and on the basis of a detailed justification, nominate or appoint as part-time members of the independent academic staff (ZAP), persons who have demonstrated exceptional scientific merit or specific expertise.

Professional status

Teaching staff at university colleges

The members of the teaching staff of the university colleges are contractually employees of the free university colleges and a kind of civil servants of the public-law university colleges. The personnel is paid by the Government of Flanders. Although their legal status is not entirely the same for free schools and university colleges of a public-law character, the differences between the two are small.

The university college’s management may assign vacant positions to candidates on a temporary or permanent basis. Most of the assistants are employed on a temporary basis. A maximum of 25% of the number of assistants, expressed in full-time equivalents, may be appointed on a permanent basis. Appointments to a post are made by means of recruitment, promotion or change of office.

Academic staff at universities

From a contractual point of view, academics are employees in free universities and a kind of civil servant in public law universities. The academic staff is paid by the universities. However, the differences in legal status between public and private university education are small.

The university boards are authorized to allocate vacant full-time or part-time positions to candidates. The Assisting Academic Staff has been appointed on a temporary basis, while the independent academic staff can be permanently appointed. Full-time members of the independent academic staff are always appointed on a permanent basis.

The Education Decree XVIII introduces a system of “tenure track” for lecturers (independent academic staff). This is a temporary appointment for a maximum of five years but with the prospect of a permanent appointment as a head lecturer without a vacancy after a favourable assessment of the performance.

Salaries

Teaching staff in higher vocational education

Staff in Higher Vocational Education (HBO5) follow the regulations of the institution (secondary school, adult education centre or university college) that offers higher vocational education.

Teaching staff at university colleges

The salaries of teaching staff at university colleges are laid down by decrees and resolutions. Salaries are calculated in accordance with the same principles as for teaching staff at other levels of education. University colleges have the right to grant personal allowances of up to 20% of the normal salary to staff members who have been entrusted with additional administrative tasks. For this purpose, staff in charge of a mandate may receive a mandate allowance of up to 20% of their normal salary.

Staff members in charge of artistically related educational activities in the fields of audio-visual and visual arts and music and performing arts in academic education may be given a special salary scale for this purpose. This salary scale is approximately 70% of the current salary scale. On the other hand, there is no restriction on cumulation for staff members with a special salary scale. (Higher Education Codex and decision of Flemish Government of 3 May 1995).

Academic staff at universities

The salaries of the independent academic staff and assisting academic staff in the universities are laid down by decree and decision (Higher Education Codex, BVR of 4 May 2001 and BVR of 31 January 2003).

Staff members holding a directorship may be granted an allowance the amount of which is determined by the university board. The university board may award grants of up to 1% of the estimated staff expenditure after an evaluation of the performance achieved. Professors with emeritus status under the age of 65 who continue their activities may be compensated for this.

Source: department of education & training (Dutch only)

Working time and holidays

Teaching staff at university colleges

The university college’s management determines the assignment and the job description of the teaching staff. Full time employment amounts to 38 hours per week (including lesson preparation). However, the full time availability of a staff member does not imply full-time attendance. Full-time employees will not be required to be present for two and a half days a week. Most university colleges have concluded a protocol with the staff delegation concerning the task load and the hourly schedule. It contains guidelines on the number of teaching hours and hours for other assignments (e.g. supervision of the final work, carrying out of project-based scientific research, etc.). The university college’s management may choose to reduce the number of teaching hours for starting teaching staff because they need even more time to prepare for teaching. The number of teaching hours mat therefore vary from person to person and in the different university colleges.

Full-time staff may perform additional other functions if they do not occupy more than two half days a week and if the university college’s management agrees to this. If the side activities take up too much of the time, a full-time assignment is automatically reduced. For the purposes of these rules, assignments of more than 70% are considered to be full-time assignments.

The legislation provides for at least nine weeks’ holiday for teaching staff.

The federal government and the Government of Flanders have made changes to various career break systems in various decrees. Since 2 September 2016, a staff member of a university college can no longer take a new full-time or part-time career break. The staff member may take career breaks only for the purpose of palliative care, for the care of a sick member of his family or relatives and for parental leave. The other forms of career break have been replaced by the Flemish care leave. As from 2 September 2016, a staff member is entitled to 18 months of full-time care leave or 36 months of half-time care leave or 90 months of care leave in a 1/5 regime. The care leave can only be taken if the staff member has a justified reason. Possible justified reasons are the care of a child, the care of a seriously ill family member, the provision of palliative care, the care of a child with a disability and the following of training. Contractual staff who are entitled to time credit leave cannot take care leave. (Decision of the Government of Flanders of 26 July 2016 on the granting of career break payments for care leave, decision of the Government of Flanders of 30 August 2016 on care leave for staff members of education and pupil guidance centres)

Academic staff at universities

Every staff member has an individual job description which, for full-time staff, consists of teaching, research and service tasks. Full-time staff may perform other additional functions not exceeding two half days per week and subject to the approval of the university board. If the side activities take up too much of the time, the full-time assignment at the university is automatically reduced.

The holiday arrangements are laid down by the university board.

Academic staff in universities can also take care leave.

Promotion, advancement

Teaching staff at university colleges

The position of supervisor can only be acquired through promotion or job rotation.

Seniority, in combination with useful professional experience, is the criterion for the positions of main practical lecturer, main lecturer, supervisor, head lecturer and professor.

In the case of internal allocation, candidates must have at least two years of service as a practical lecturer in order to become a main practical lecturer.

In the case of external recruitment of a main practical lecturer or main lecturer, the candidate must have at least four years of useful professional experience outside the university college or two years service as a practical lecturer or lecturer at another university college.

In the case of external recruitment of a head lecturer, candidates must have at least four years of useful professional experience outside the university college or at least two years of service as a lecturer at another university college or university.

The promotion to ordinary professor requires the following:

• first, the university college must be actively involved in research in collaboration with a university in the research field of the vacant position;
• secondly, the candidates must have been lecturers, head lecturers or professors at a university college or university for six years and must have been responsible for high-quality research during that period. The competence of the candidates within a certain research field is assessed by a “jury” or committee of three ordinary professors from different universities.

Academic staff at universities

Academic permanent staff almost always start their university career as lecturers. Within the independent academic staff (ZAP), evaluation committees at departmental and/or faculty level evaluate the applications for PhDs. In addition to the diploma, other criteria play a role for the PhD. These criteria are laid down in regulations drawn up by the university board. Those seeking the mandate of lecturer must on the basis of previous achievements meet the expectation that sound scientific research and teaching will be carried out and provided. The candidate for head lecturer must have demonstrated that sound scientific research and teaching are carried out and provided. Indications of the scientific research are e.g. publications, participation in congresses, membership of editorial boards, etc.

Those who obtain a doctorate in the position of professor are assumed to be creative and productive researchers (also managing research and obtaining research funds) as well as teaching staff with didactic qualities and broad teaching experience. Teachers in the tenure track system are appointed for a term of five years. If, at the end of this period, the university board assesses performance favourably, the staff member will be appointed to the level of head lecturer without a new vacancy. The evaluation is thoroughly motivated on the basis of the academic merits of the lecturer in the tenure track system.

The candidate for an ordinary or extraordinary professor must be an excellent researcher who is recognized nationally or internationally in his or her field of study. As an educator, he or she is expected to have the necessary teaching skills as well as broad teaching experience and leadership skills. The Government of Flanders has left the responsibility for determining the seniority requirements for appointment to a particular ZAP grade (independent academic staff) to the universities.

Retirement and pensions

A staff member of a university college or university may leave his or her job on his or her own initiative. An appointed staff member of a university college must observe a notice period of at least 60 days. Temporary staff must give at least 30 days’ notice. No specific provisions on the minimum period of notice have been drawn up for university staff.

The pension scheme is a federal (Belgian) competence. The scheme is identical for all levels of education but very complex.

At the end of 2011, the federal decision was taken to raise the minimum age limit for retirement and the number of years service required for this purpose. As a result of this adjustment, there is no longer a fixed minimum age limit, such as the one that has hitherto been set at 60. The age at which a staff member may retire at the earliest should henceforth be determined individually for each staff member.

Moreover, the law of 28 April 2015 on the provisions concerning public sector pensions stipulating that the diploma bonus will be phased out as from 1 January 2016 and will have disappeared completely for the pensions paid from 1 January 2030.

As a result of the federal adjustments to the pension scheme, the system of leave of absence on personal grounds prior to the pension was changed. The possibility of using this system will be completely removed for staff of the university colleges who were born on or after 1 January 1958.

As from 1 January 2013, the automatic retirement pension at the age of 65 can be postponed by an extension of the appointment or nomination.

From 1 September 2012, staff will be able to continue their activities after retirement taking into account the rules on the cumulation of pensions.