New career paths und working conditions in academia: The Tenure Track Principle

Compatibility, plannability, teamwork

In the run-up to the conference, twelve postdocs and junior professors from across Germany met for a workshop at the University of Freiburg to work out what, in concrete terms, the ‘tenure track principle’ means for academics at an early career stage: On 6 and 7 March 2025, they discussed and developed ideas and solution strategies in a protected setting together with four professors and members of the University management. Plannability and the compatibility of family life with an academic career played a role, as did the conscious handling of dependency relationships and teamwork, as well as a diversity-sensitive selection of personnel.

The preparatory workshop was coordinated by Sabeth Beck from the University of Freiburg’s Department of Equity, Diversity, and Academic Personnel Development. ‘We’re not just interested in tenure track professorships but in what we call the tenure track principle’, says Beck: ‘This means that mid-level academic staff members should also have prospects to attain permanent, plannable positions – and that, more generally, there should be a change in working conditions and leadership culture.’

‘Without fair structures, many bright minds will no longer choose the career path of academia’, says Dr. Bin Zhang. He is a research associate at the Institute of German Studies and Media Cultures of the Technical University of Dresden and attended the workshop. The result in his view: ‘We need flexible, human-centred structures – not as the exception but as the new normal.’

Positions with prospects

At the Freiburg workshop, there was ‘clear agreement among the various participants from all possible disciplines’, says the psychologist PD Dr. Jasmin Kizilirmak, who works at the Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research (ISMHSR) at the University Medical Center Magdeburg and as a guest researcher at the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW): ‘From literary scholars, sociologists, and psychologists to biologists, everyone was pretty much in agreement: Most of the positions should be tenure track positions, though it would of course be necessary to slightly reduce the nearly 100 per cent success rate we currently have.’ In other words, the positions should offer prospects to attain permanent positions – including positions other than a professorship.

A further result: The selection of personnel at universities and research institutions should become more diverse: ‘Diversity enables multiperspectivity, which is an inherent quality of academia and promotes the capacity to innovate’, says Vice Rector Paletschek. This includes the organization of appointment procedures and the composition of selection committees, as well as an awareness of the so-called first generation, academics who are not from families of academics themselves and must therefore often additionally acquire the cultural knowledge of the academic milieu. ‘Diversity and selection of the best candidates is not a contradiction in terms – on the contrary!’ Paletschek adds.

Good leadership and cooperation

The cultural transformation also involves a new awareness of cooperation and good leadership, says Beck: ‘Teaching and research always also involve responsible leadership. There should therefore be more opportunities early on to address and learn about topics like leadership and teamwork.’ Another aspect is the European perspective, which is becoming increasingly important for career paths and also cultures of work.

With the conference in mid-May, the host universities Freiburg and Jena want to help develop up-to-date structures. This is also Zhang’s goal. He says: ‘As an attractive centre for science and research, Germany should create structures that international researchers don’t associate with bureaucracy and inefficiency.’ And Jasmin Kizilirmak adds, also in view of the recent developments in the USA: ‘Germany should not be attractive for American academics because things are less bad here but because we’re a model of how to do things right.’