Assistant, associate or full professor of Finnish language and literature education
The Faculty of Educational Sciences invites applications for the position of
ASSISTANT, ASSOCIATE OR FULL PROFESSOR OF FINNISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE EDUCATION
The appointee may be appointed to a tenure-track assistant or associate professorship or permanent full professorship, depending on their qualifications and career stage. Further information on the University of Helsinki’s tenure track system is available on the University website. The appointment is to begin on 1 January 2027.
Job overview
The appointee will lead research, build research networks and engage internationally in the field, while also teaching, particularly in subject teacher training, the Study Track for Class Teachers and doctoral education.
Mother tongue and literature is a key subject in comprehensive and general upper secondary school, fostering language proficiency as well as critical textual and interaction skills. The position focuses on research and teaching in the education of Finnish language, Finnish as a second language, and literature. The discipline covers the education of Finnish language, Finnish as a second language and literature in all areas: language proficiency and knowledge, text production and interpretation, interaction skills, and skills assessment.
The appointee will be responsible for teaching in the Finnish language and literature education, doctoral education in the field and research broadly related to the field. They will supervise theses and lead and develop research in the field in both domestic and international networks. A central element of the position involves collaboration with the University’s teacher training schools and subject faculties. The role includes administrative duties, and the appointee is also expected to contribute to public engagement.
Qualification requirements and appointment criteria
Associate and assistant professors within the tenure track system must hold an applicable doctoral degree and be capable of conducting independent scholarly work, alongside the requisite teaching skills. In addition, they must be capable and willing to promote their academic career through publications and other means, and develop teaching, learning and research in the field. The assessment of applicant qualifications considers not only research and teaching merits, but also success in securing external research funding and experience in domestic and international research projects.
Full professors must hold an applicable doctoral degree and possess advanced academic qualifications, experience in leading scholarly research, and evidence of success in securing external research funding and international collaboration in their research field. Applicants must be able to deliver research-based teaching and supervise theses. The position also requires academic leadership skills. The assessment of applicant qualifications considers both scholarly and teaching-related qualifications.
Pedagogical studies for teachers (60 cr) or comparable studies outside Finland will be considered an advantage.
Scholarly qualifications encompass relevant publications and other academically valuable research results, success in securing external research funding, international research experience, as well as academic responsibilities and elected positions, and international relations. Teaching qualifications encompass teaching experience and pedagogical training, the ability to produce learning material, other teaching merits and, if necessary, a demonstration of teaching skills and participation in training doctoral researchers. Also considered are applicants’ leadership and interaction skills and their active contribution to the academic community and public engagement. In addition, the appointment committee will review applicants’ views on the development of research and teaching in the field. The assessment of shortlisted applicants will consider statements by external experts and interviews carried out by the appointment committee.
The applications will be assessed comprehensively, with due regard to career stage. The University of Helsinki has signed the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA, https://sfdora.org) and applies its principles to the assessment of applicants’ academic merits.
According to the Government Decree on Universities, assistant, associate and full professors must be proficient in the language of instruction, in this case, Finnish. In addition, they must have at least satisfactory oral and written skills in Swedish. A person not educated in Finland in Finnish or Swedish may be exempted from the Swedish requirement. To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must also have good proficiency in English. The employer will support the appointee’s language learning. Read more about the language requirements: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-educational-sciences/faculty/work-us.
What we offer
The Faculty of Educational Sciences (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-educational-sciences) is a dynamic, inspiring and international environment for staff and students with a high-quality research and teaching infrastructure. We encourage our staff to be bold, creative and ethically responsible in research, teaching and public engagement.
The salary will be based on level 7 (assistant or associate professor) or levels 8–10 (professor) of the job requirement scheme for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal work performance. The annual gross salary for assistant and associate professors varies between €55,000 and €69,000, and for permanent professors between €66,000 and €99,000, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and previous experience. The employment contract includes a six-month trial period.
The appointee will be supported by Faculty colleagues as well as administrative and technical campus staff. The University of Helsinki offers its staff occupational health and fitness services, professional development opportunities, and a first-class research and teaching environment, alongside the conditions necessary for international collaboration.
For international applicants, the University provides relocation services and support, training and other events targeted specifically at international staff, the UniBuddy programme and dedicated support for spouses through the HEI LIFE spouse network.
Application instructions
The application, together with the required attachments, must be submitted through the University of Helsinki recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Current University employees must submit their applications through the SAP Fiori portal.
All application documents must be in English and submitted as a single PDF file, named as follows: lastname_professor_Finnish language and literature education. Link the PDF file to the relevant position in the recruitment system. Read the instructions for attachments: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-educational-sciences/faculty/work-us.
The application must be accompanied by the following documents:
- A motivation letter or written application
- A researcher’s curriculum vitae in accordance with University guidelines (max. 10 pages)
- A numbered list of publications, with the 10 most relevant publications in bold (see instructions above)
- A plan outlining how the applicant will advance research and teaching in the discipline, and their vision for developing their research and the field as a whole (max. 2 pages)
- A report on the applicant’s research activities (1–3 pages, including activity in academic communities, acquisition of research funding and international research)
We also request that applicants submit a separate report detailing their teaching qualifications: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/93664/lomake.html.
After the application period, applicants should be prepared to submit no more than 10 selected publications to the Faculty for assessment by external experts. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview and a demonstration of teaching skills.
Please note that all necessary qualifications, including the degree, must be completed by the end of the application period.
The University of Helsinki is committed to promoting equality and preventing discrimination in all its operations. We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds.
The deadline for applications is 30 April 2026.
Additional information
Further information about the position can be obtained from Dean Markku Jahnukainen (markku.jahnukainen(at)helsinki.fi).
For enquiries about the recruitment process, please contact HR Specialist Reeta Korhonen (reeta.korhonen(at)helsinki.fi).
Technical support for using the University’s electronic recruitment system: recruitment(at)helsinki.fi.
Further information about careers and the tenure track system is available at https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/academic-careers/university-helsinki-tenure-track.
Read more about working at the University: www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/why-university-helsinki.
Support for international employees: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/welcome-finland-information-arriving-staff
The internationally esteemed Faculty of Educational Sciences https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-educational-sciences at the University of Helsinki is Finland’s leading unit of research and teaching in educational sciences and teacher education. The Faculty investigates human growth, development and learning.
Our research encompasses the different stages of the human life cycle, from early childhood to school age, adulthood, professional life and ageing. Our research is targeted systematically at different levels of society and the education system, as well as more broadly at professional life and culture. Our research focuses on growth, development, learning and teaching in diverse environments, contexts and subjects, as well as on educational policies and practices, and the structures of the education system. We investigate the significance of education in the lives of individuals, society and social justice, and analyse how our understanding of humanity, knowledge and educational cultures can change. The perspectives of our research are individual, collective and societal. Our strengths include a broad-based theoretical approach, as well as methodological diversity and innovation.
Our research aims to support individual and societal welfare in a changing world by harnessing cultural and societal opportunities. We provide undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education that qualifies students for the teaching profession and other positions requiring the academic expertise gained through general education. We also offer pedagogical studies required of teachers to students majoring in disciplines outside the Faculty.