Prolongation for employment as doctoral student

Doctoral students with positions of trust are granted extended time for their thesis work. The aim is that the positions of trust should not have a negative impact on the net study time.

See the university guidelines for detailed information:

Guidelines for Extending Employment and Study Periods for Doctoral Students holding Positions of Trust

In some areas there are additional guidelines on extension. See Uppsala University's policies and regulations (Swedish only):

• Riktlinjer vid Historisk-filosofiska fakulteten
• Riktlinjer vid Språkvetenskapliga fakulteten
• Ersättning till doktorander och studenter i Samhällsvetenskapliga fakultetsnämnden och dess underorgan
  

According to the Equal Opportunities Act, Section 5, employers shall make it easier for employees, regardless of gender to combine gainful employment and parenthood.

The right to parental leave is regulated in the Parental Leave Act and in the Act Concerning Equality between Men and Women (Swedish: jämställdhetslag; among other things 5 §: The employer must make it easier for both female and male employees to combine gainful employment and parenthood).

Prohibition of disfavourable treatment and retaliation

The basic precondition is that parental leave must not be disadvantaged and therefore doctoral students must receive a prolongation of their employment in the same form as they would have had if they had not been on parental leave. If it is the case that doctoral students at a department participate in teaching and that the parental leave did the same before the leave, then the prolongation should make it possible for the doctoral student having parental leave to participate in the teaching also during their prolongation.

Excerpt from the Parental Leave Act

Section 16 An employer may not disfavour a job applicant or an employee for reasons related to parental leave under this Act, when the employer

1. decides on an employmentissue, selects a job applicant for an employmentinterview or implements other measures during the employmentprocedure,
2. decides on promotionor selects an employee for training for promotion,
3. decides on or implements other measures concerningvocationaltraining,
4. decides on or implementsother measures concerning other trainingor vocational counselling,
5. applies pay or other terms of employment,
6. manages and distributeswork, or
7. gives notice of termination, summarily dismisses, lays-off or implements other significant measures against an employee.

However, this prohibition does not apply if the different terms and conditions or differenttreatment are a necessary consequence ofthe leave. (SFS 2006:442)

Within Uppsala University the conditions for work and study should be such that parents, regardless of gender, can assume full responsibility for home and children without this being an impediment to a professional career or studies. According to the Equal Opportunities Act, Section 5, employers shall make it easier for employees, regardless of gender to combine gainful employment and parenthood.

Care of a sick child

It happens that children get sick and that parents need to stay home for a day or two.

If the doctoral student is at home with a sick child, but usually has teaching, the custom at the University is such that the doctoral students try to arrange for someone else to be at home with the sick child during the teaching or moving the lecture by a few days. The doctoral student has nevertheless prepared the lecture and is probably the one who is responsible for the examination for the current course component. If the doctoral student has not missed any teaching, then it is reasonable that VAB only affects the postgraduate part and that the prolongation applies to time for the third-cycle education.

Care of a sick child for a longer period of time

If the doctoral student should be at home with a sick child for a longer period of time and the department needs to hire a substitute, then it cannot be considered that the doctoral student has filled his or her entire service for the department and therefore does not receive the prolongation as only time for third-cycle education, but also for teaching.