As the first university in Estonia, TalTech established a new tenure-track academic career model. The model aims to provide a sense of security for the present and future scientists and to motivate young talents to pursue scientific careers. The new model entered into force on the 1st of January 2017. 

Tenure

The key element of the new academic career model is permanent academic positions, i.e. tenure, for which the university provides central funding, regardless of fluctuations and setbacks in project-based funding. 

A Professor is an internationally recognized scientist or creative person, an independent researcher and an academic leader in their field, who organizes and conducts teaching in their field of research at all levels of higher education, leads research, development, or any other creative activity and supervises effectively the students and academic staff involved in these activities. 

Tenure positions combine the position of a lecturer and that of a scientist into a single position of a professor, in whose work the share of research and teaching can vary depending on the professor's preferences and needs of the university.
The three official ranks of Professor are Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor. The level of any given Professor is determined according to their career phase and results of academic activity. Eligibility of the employee for promotion to the next rank of the post is evaluated through attestation, through which the work performance of an academic staff member is evaluated. Regardless of the rank, each Professor is an independent researcher who brings together a research team of Early Stage and Postdoctoral researchers. 

In addition to the tenure track, TalTech also offers opportunities to specialize in teaching and start a career as a Lecturer, as well as to participate in university activities primarily in temporary or permanent research positions, which are aimed at fulfilling R&D contracts. A Lecturer is expected to be engaged in research activities to an extent which guarantees the quality of study activities. A Researcher is generally expected to be engaged in study activities to a small extent.

Academic Career Management

Structure of Academic Portfolio

 

A number of services, opportunities, and benefits are available to the employees of TalTech. 

These include:

• Sport services
• Massage services
• Dental benefits
• Psychological care 
• Visual aids compensation
• Personnel development: training, seminars, and workshops 
• Gift shop 
• Academic Hostel and Virumaa Hostel 
• Rental of premises for organizing events 
• And more

Staff training is coordinated and organized by the Personnel Office through the Personnel Development and Mobility Centre. 

Training and development are divided into four categories: 

• Management, including employee development conversations 
• Pedagogy and didactics
• Social and communicative skills, including language training 
• New employee onboarding and socialization 

International Staff Centre 

The International Staff Centre supports structural units in starting their employment with international workers. 

• Entering and socializing at TalTech and in Estonia 
• In-house training in English 
• Briefing and short training for starting academic staff and guest lecturers

More information on the International Staff Centre can be found here. 

Statistics from 2019

• 1846 employees
  • from 55 different countries
  • average age 45 years
  • 47,24% female 
• 987 academic employees
  • 139 Professors 
  • 20,67% with international background 
  • 65,35% under the age of 50
• 859 non-academic employees