UNIVERSITY LECTURER IN EDUCATION

The internationally esteemed and highly successful Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki is Finland’s leading unit of research and teaching in Educational Sciences and Teacher Education. The Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki conducts research related to human growth, development and learning, multilingualism and justice in education, pedagogy and didactics. We provide undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education that qualifies students for both the teaching profession and other positions requiring general academic expertise. The Master’s Programme in Changing Education is a two-year international Master’s programme focusing on equity and equality of education, educational psychology and neuroscience as engines for change in education, and the Finnish education system.

Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki invites applications for the position of
UNIVERSITY LECTURER IN EDUCATION

for a permanent position starting 1 August 2025 or by mutual agreement.

The university lecturer is positioned in the international master’s programme of the Faculty of Educational Sciences; the Changing Education programme. The programme focuses on three topic areas: 1) Education, society and culture, 2) Educational psychology and neuroscience, and 3) Pedagogy, educational institutions and research-based teacher education.

The university lecturer provides high-quality teaching, supervises theses, conducts research in their field, and participates in university community tasks, teaching development and teaching-related administrative tasks.

In this position, there is a strong emphasis on teaching, supervision and developing the teaching in the Changing Education programme. The university lecturer takes part in the long-term development of the programme and participates in relevant working groups and committees at the faculty. The university lecturer also tutors students in the international programme. The teaching duties are mainly composed of the English language courses and supervision on Master’s thesis in the CE programme, but it is possible to take part in teaching in other programmes, too.

SELECTION CRITERIA
An appointee to the position of university lecturer must hold a applicable doctoral degree, have experience and evidence of scientific research, and have experience in high-quality, research-based teaching and thesis supervision.

The university lecturer has broad insight of educational theories and research and is confident to teach foundation courses in educational sciences and methods courses. A holistic understanding of education from both Finnish and international perspectives is an asset for this position. We regard expertise in the field of educational leadership in a broad sense of the term as an advantage, and welcome expertise on educational innovation and technology.

Versatile research methodological expertise is considered beneficial, as the university lecturer is expected to supervise master's theses carried out using various research approaches and methods. The university lecturer participates in the activities of relevant research communities and is active in the international research community in their field.

The university lecturer collaborates with colleagues across the faculty. We value strong collaboration skills. Good teaching and communication skills are required. We hope that the university lecturer enjoys teaching in a dynamic programme and interacting with a highly diverse group of students. The person selected for the position must be able to demonstrate their ability and willingness to contribute to the development of the field and the faculty’s educational programmes, as well as the research and the working community.

Appointees to teaching and research positions at the University must be proficient in the language of instruction, in this case English language. To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must have a level of Finnish or Swedish proficiency suitable for everyday communication. If the appointee is not proficient in Finnish or Swedish, they are expected to acquire a level of Finnish or Swedish proficiency that enables them to read administrative documents and assess completed studies within two years of assuming the position. The university will support the appointee in acquiring the necessary language skills. Further information about language skills and their demonstration can be found on our website.

When assessing applicants’ qualifications, attention will be paid to the following:

• scholarly publications and other research merits, primarily in the fields mentioned in this invitation for applications
• teaching and supervision experience, other teaching qualifications, pedagogical training, experience in teaching development and the production of learning material
• a plan for how one would develop the international master’s programme in the university lecturer position.
• teaching demonstration in English
• interview.

The chosen applicant is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. The Faculty of Educational Sciences provides assistance in relocation.

WHAT WE OFFER
The Faculty of Educational Sciences is a dynamic, inspiring and international working and studying environment that has invested in state-of-the-art research and teaching infrastructure. We encourage our staff to make bold and creative decisions while exercising high standards of ethical conduct in research, teaching and community relations.

The faculty’s administrative and technical staff, as well as your expert colleagues will support you in your role. The university takes care of your well-being by flexible work arrangements, comprehensive occupational health care and wide-ranging, low-cost UniSport services. Professional development is supported in different ways, i.e. by offering mentoring and versatile staff training. You can read more about these on our website.

The salary will be based on level 5–6(7) 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 of university lecturer varies between 45 000 and 62 000 Euros depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience. The employment contract will include a probationary period of six months.

For international applicants we offer relocation services and support in settling-in, training and other events especially designed for our international staff members, a special UniBuddy-program and specialized support for spouses (HEI LIFE Spouse Network). Read more about reasons to move to Finland and work at our university on our website.

HOW TO APPLY  
Applications together with attachments must be submitted through the University’s application system by clicking on ‘Apply now’. Applicants with a helsinki.fi username and a valid employment contract or a contract for grant-based or visiting researchers or visiting professors at the University should click on ‘Employee Login’.

Please note that all application documents need to be in English language and submitted as one single pdf file. Kinldy see instructions for the attached documents here. The application needs to include all of the following documents:

• a motivation letter (max 1 page)
• university portfolio according to the university instructions (see instructions above)
• a full, numbered list of publications with the 10 most significant publications clearly marked (see instructions above)
• a plan for developing research and teaching (1-2 pages)
• a report on the applicant’s scientific / research activities (1-3 pages including activities in scientific communities, the acquisition of research funding and international scholarly work).

The file needs to be named as follows: lastname_university_lecturer_CE. Make sure to attach the pdf to the position you’re applying for in the recruitment system.

Additionally we request applicants to fill out a separate report on their teaching qualifications via on-line form.

Other attachments, such as references or certificates, are not required. The top candidates will be asked to attend an interview and give a demonstration of teaching skills. Please note that the required qualifications (e.g. doctoral degree) needs to be obtained before the end of the application period.

The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants of any gender and age, linguistic or cultural background, or minority group.

The application deadline is 19 February 2025.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Further information about the position can be obtained from Program director, Professor  Erika Löfström (erika.lofstrom(at)helsinki.fi) Further information on the recruitment process can be obtained from HR Specialist Hector Nystedt (hector.nystedt(at)helsinki.fi)
In case you need support with the recruitment portal, please contact recruitment(at)helsinki.fi

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