PhD fellowship in the field of Why do they stay? (5+3)

The Graduate School at Arts, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, in collaboration with the Independent Research Fund Denmark, invites applications for a fully funded PhD fellowship in Why do they stay? provided the necessary funding is available. This PhD fellowship is available as of 1 August 2024 for a period of up to three years (5+3). The candidate who is awarded the fellowship must commence his/her PhD degree programme on 1 August 2024. 

The PhD project is part of a larger research project which aims to explore why teachers stay in the profession with particular focus on teachers in public primary and lower secondary schools in Denmark. The research project also aims to rethink the concept of retention. The PhD project explores the research question: Why do long-serving teachers stay in the profession? The project employs posthumanist theory to study teacher life as co-constituted through e.g. policy, history, and organisational aspects. The project involves joint development of a new approach to collective biographies and the PhD project will be based on a total of 24 collective biographies written by long-serving teachers.

The project requires that applicants are able to read Danish and make themselves understood in Danish.

Enrolment and place of work

The PhD student must complete the studies in accordance with the valid regulations for the PhD degree programme, currently the Ministerial Order of 27 August 2013 on the PhD degree programme at the universities: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/

Description of the graduate school’s PhD degree programme: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/phdstudystructure/

Rules and regulations for the PhD degree programme at the Graduate School at Arts: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/  

The PhD fellow will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Graduate School at Arts, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, with the aim of completing a PhD degree at the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University.

The PhD student will be affiliated with the PhD programme Learning and Education.

The PhD student’s place of work will be the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, Emdrup. In general, the student is expected to be present at the school on an everyday basis.

The PhD degree programme is expected to include a lengthy research stay at a foreign institution, cf. Description of the graduate school’s PhD degree programme.

Danish School of Education’s research programme: http://edu.au.dk/en/research/research-programmes/

5+3 programme
When you apply for a 3-year PhD fellowship (5+3), you must have completed your two year Master’s degree (120 ECTS) no later than 31 July 2024.

The PhD fellow will be employed as a PhD student at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University. The terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (see section 6.1.4), as well as with the protocol to the agreement covering staff with university degrees in the state sector (see enclosure 5). The agreement and the protocol including amendments are available online: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/

Salary: http://phd.arts.au.dk/financing/salary-and-employment/salary-5-3/

How to apply
The application must include:

• Motivation/cover letter (statement of motivation and research interests, max one A4 page of 2,400 characters including spaces)
• CV (including a complete list of education, positions, publications and other qualifying activities)
• Project description outlining how the candidate envisages completing the work to be undertaken during the course of the term of appointment.
  The overall project description (excl. list of project literature/bibliography/reference list and timetable) must not exceed 12,000 characters including spaces, tables, diagrams, footnotes, endnotes and illustrations (5 A4 pages of 2,400 characters each)
• Project literature/reference list
• Timetable (mandatory form)
• Cover sheet (form stating your degrees)
• Copies of educational certificates (Bachelor and Master’s degrees). The diplomas or diploma supplement/transcript of records must state: name of university, education (Bachelor or Master), duration (number of years, full-time), courses, marks and (if given) ECTS credits.

Please see a detailed description of the requirements for the application in the guide for the application facility: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/how-to-apply/  

Application
If you require professional guidance regarding your application for the PhD fellowship please contact the PhD programme director at Learning and Education:  http://phd.arts.au.dk/about-us/contact/

For further information, please contact Associate Professor Helle Plauborg, Danish School of Education, hepl@edu.au.dk, Phone + 45 25 48 28 45.

The application can be written in both Danish and English.

The project requires that applicants are able to read Danish and make themselves understood in Danish.

All applicants must provide documentation of excellent communication skills in English which are considered essential, and you must therefore be able to read, write, and speak academic English fluently. English language requirement is comparable to a minimum of TOEFL 83 or IELTS 6.5. Please see this page for further information: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/english-test/

Applications for the PhD fellowship and enrolment in the PhD degree programme can only be submitted via the application form in Aarhus University’s web-based facility.

Deadline for applications: 15 March 2024 at 23.59 Danish time (CET/CEST).
Reference number: 2024-7

During the assessments, Aarhus University can conduct interviews with selected applicants.